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

In his opening address on Wednesday morning to the conference at the UN Headquarters in New York, Ban appealed to donors to provide 11.5 billion dollars over the next 10 years for the reconstruction of the Caribbean nation.

"What we envision, today, is wholesale national renewal ... a sweeping exercise in national-building on a scale and scope not seen in generations," he told delegates from more than 130 nations attending the high-level meeting aimed at securing the financial resources necessary to help Haiti recover and rebuild after the Jan. 12 quake.

Some 3.9 billion dollars of the 11.5 billion dollars being sought will be channeled into specific projects through a newly- created Interim Haiti Recovery Commission during the next 18 months.

Ban said reconstruction work must move in tandem with emergency relief and urged donors to provide further support to the revised humanitarian appeal for Haiti. That appeal is calling for 1.4 billion dollars, but is currently only 50 percent funded.

"The rainy season is fast approaching. Some camps for displaced persons are at risk of flooding. Heath and sanitation issues are growing more serious," Ban said.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (R) and United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton the international donor conference for Haiti at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the United States, March 31, 2010

Haitian President Rene Preval, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and UN Special Envoy for Haiti Bill Clinton, also the former U.S. president, are also co-hosting the conference, entitled "Towards a New Future in Haiti."

They noted the courage and solidarity shown by the Haitians in the midst of the uNPRecedented suffering resulting from the quake and the outpouring of generosity and support from the country's international partners. At the same time, they underscored that Haiti's road to recovery will be a long one and one which will require continued global support.