Haiti is ranked as the 19th country on the United Nations list of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) due to various and serious challenges faced by the government and the population alike. These range from low economic growth rates, continuous political unrest, weak institutional capacities, lack of a centralized coordination mechanism, and limited regulatory frameworks. In addition, Haiti remains among the poorest and most unequal countries in the world, ranking 163rd out of 187 countries in the Human Development Index (HDI).

Haiti’s GCF Country Programme indicated that there is little to no comprehensive vision of local development that would involve national and local actors and the international community or break the vicious circle that links socio-economic vulnerability to ecological vulnerability and natural disasters. It also highlights that weak institutional capacity includes issues related to data collection and analysis tools; monitoring and evaluation systems; identifying gaps and lessons learned to build key institutional capacities; the need to eliminate national and/or local duplication of functions, and; minimum coordination leading to critical institutions working in silos. In addition, women are inadequately represented at all levels of governance. This is despite the 30-per cent quota for women’s participation in all levels of public office as stated in the amended Constitution adopted in 2012. Gender-based issues and lack of equality remain widespread, with low allocations to national mechanisms for gender equality and women's empowerment.

In 2012, Haiti’s Strategic Development Plan was adopted. The country pledged to rise beyond a post-earthquake recovery mindset, engage in a sustainable development pathway, and become an emerging country by 2030. The plan further aspires to create a development pathway that facilitates the emergence of a diversified and dynamic economy of inclusive growth, with a social commitment to satisfy the basic needs of populations and promote a strong, decentralized government. Above all, the plan acknowledges the urgent need to ensure the inclusive development of all local regions and foster the emergence of local and regional development areas outside the capital.

Moreover, the proposed activities under this request seek to address the NDAs limited capacity by strengthening its ability to drive programming, set the country’s climate change agenda, and provide the institution with the necessary administrative, institutional, and operational procedures to manage and operationalize GCF funded activities.

Despite national and international efforts to fund Haiti's climate mitigation and adaptation interventions, the country is facing fundamental barriers in technical and financial capacities. Most of the support received is directed towards urgent humanitarian relief due to the country’s high sensitivity to extreme weather events. A substantial lack of technical and methodological capacities hinders the process of adequately managing, implementing and monitoring these funds by local institutions, particularly those of the GCF, resulting in a heavy reliance on international development partners.

This readiness seeks to; (a) strengthen the technical and operational capacities of the NDA and; (b) enhance stakeholder engagement mechanisms and processes by consulting and engaging key stakeholders and other relevant groups, including governmental institutions, technical and financial partners, the private sector, civil society organizations and NGOs, especially women groups, to ensure gender equality and maximum benefit from the readiness activities.