The government of Haiti, in partnership with IOM, the International
Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, the United Nations
Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and the working group on
Communicating with Disaster Affected Communities (CDAC) are jointly
organizing a live TV and radio talk show to discuss the many and
complex impacts of the 12 January earthquake.

The programme will be broadcast nationwide by the independent
station Radio Tele Ginen and on the Haiti National Television and
Radio (RTNH) on Thursday 15 July 2010.

It will showcase progress made by the Government and the
international community six months after the quake, the challenges
facing Haiti and priorities for the next six months.

The debate will focus on the challenge outlined by United
Nations special envoy for Haiti and Former US President Bill
Clinton, to "build back better".

It will also tackle the frustrations of the 1.5 million
displaced Haitians living in shelters, the priorities for the next
six months and the long-term strategy and challenges in rebuilding
Haiti. Among the guests participating will be people who have been
living in shelters since the quake.

The debate will also include Government officials,
representatives of international organizations and Haitian civil
society. Invited guests will be allowed to ask questions to a group
of seasoned panellists.

It is expected that the programme will be a good opportunity to
connect humanitarian actors, the Government of Haiti and Haitian
people across the country just after the six month anniversary of
the earthquake which killed between 217,000 and 230,000 people
according to Haitian government estimates. The earthquake injured a
further 300,000 and left over 1.5 million homeless.

The TV/Radio Show seeks to engage Haitian people regarding
various issues that are relevant to their daily lives and to
facilitate a productive debate amongst all parties, recognizing
that Haitian citizens' response to any change will be determined by
the availability and quality of information. The debate also seeks
to provide reliable information on the reconstruction process to
reduce social tension that may result from misinformation and
ignorance.

The aim of the organizers is to have the TV/Radio show
heard/seen by as many Haitians as possible, especially the
displaced population of 1.5 million. The programme will be 
broadcast live by Tele Ginen and RTNH. The choice of Tele Ginen was
dictated by its nationwide rating and geographical coverage.
Haitian broadcasters in addition to RTNH are being offered a live
feed free of charge and are being encouraged to broadcast the
programme live as well.

For more information contact:

Leonard Doyle

Haiti Media and Communications Officer

Tel: + 509 370 25066

E-mail: "mailto:ldoyle@iom.int" target="" title="">ldoyle@iom.int