国际英语新闻：Billions pledged at donors conference as UN chief calls for wholesale rebuilding of Haiti

UNITED NATIONS, March 31 (Xinhua) -- More than three dozen nations and organizations have pledged more than 5 billion U.S. dollars so far on Wednesday to assist Haiti following the recent devastating earthquake, just hours after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened a day-long international donors conference by calling for the wholesale rebuilding of the country.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, co-host of the high- level conference, said the United States would pledge 1.15 billion U.S. dollars over the next two years for Haiti's long-term recovery and reconstruction.

The international donor conference for Haiti is held at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the United States, March 31, 2010. The international donor conference, with the theme of "Towards a New Future in Haiti," started on Wednesday at UN headquarters in New York to secure the financial resources necessary for rebuilding Haiti after the Jan. 12 earthquake

"This money will go to supporting the government of Haiti's plan to strengthen agriculture, energy, health, security and governance," she told the conference, adding that all financial donations must be made in a smarter way that produces real results for Haitians.

At least 3.8 billion in pledges is being sought as a first installment in 11.5 billion dollars needed over 10 years for Haiti 's post-quake reconstruction.