Several artists/composers and performers of the famous Haitian music industry : K-Libr, BIC, Rutchelle Guillaume, Princess Eud, Stanley Georges, Bélo, Tamara Suffren, Darline Desca, Jean Jean Roosevelt and Nathalie Jean, gathered in Port-au-Prince this week to launch the title and the music vide « Nou an danje » (we are in danger).

This initiative, funded by the company Panos Caribbean, the United Nations Programme for Development (UNDP), the Marc Arthur Foundation, the Audubon Society Haiti (SAH), the Civil Society Platform on Climate Change (PSC-CC) and the Ministry of the Environment (MDE), should serve to educate Haitian on the importance of preserving biodiversity and encourage behavior change among the public that will view the video.

Each artist, through this work, has drawn its own registry to stress the urgency of stopping the destruction of the environment and biodiversity. "Nou an danje" begins with Bélo which draws the observation of climate problems and recalls that the contribution of everyone is necessary for the future of our son, the country and the world.

According to experts of the MacArthur Foundation, Haiti has substantial resources estimated at about 56.2 billion cubic meters of water. However, the amount of water available for irrigation decreases significantly due to the rapid and excessive deforestation and the lack of effective management of available resources. In terms of wildlife, the country contains more than 2000 species, 75% of endemic species.

Despite the remarkable biodiversity of Haiti, Philippe Bayard, president of the Audubon Society Haiti, said that "the rapid deterioration of our environment, natural disasters and climate change are so many threats and pressure factors that undermine our ecosystems."

"Climate change will directly affect water resources, agriculture and food security in Haiti. They can seriously jeopardize efforts to reduce poverty and curb the national development goals. This initiative reminds us how important it is to mobilize all the forces of society in order to encourage everyone to reflect on an issue of national and global significance that is the global warming," declared the Director of UNDP.

For his part, Jean François Thomas, the Minister of the Environment welcomed the participation of artists in the environmental cause. "The Ministry of Environment has made reforestation and sanitation campaigns, of program of management of well. But all these efforts are in vain if Haitians are not aware that they are themselves actors in the environment [...]"

HL/ HaitiLibre