21 May 2012: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has reported on progress achieved in the reforestation of the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic under a project titled Green Border, implemented by UNDP in partnership with the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

The Green Border is a four-year project on the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic that aims to reduce community vulnerability to natural disaster risk in shared rivers and watersheds. The project also aims to facilitate socially equitable development in border communities in both countries. According to UNDP, project results include: the reforestation of over 300 hectares of land; the creation of 450 jobs; and the establishment of three community centres that grow plant seedlings for reforestation.

Commenting on the project, Joseph Toussaint, Haitian Minister of the Environment, stated that the reforestation activities carried out under the project function “as a form of compensation for ecosystem services, a form of social justice” as they enable rural inhabitants to benefit from green jobs and to improve the management of natural resources of their country. [UNDP Press Release]