When I began my work as the United Nations Special Envoy in the summer of 2009 at the request of the UN Secretary-General, Haiti faced a number of challenges preventing its people from building the nation they imagined for themselves – a nation where good jobs were plentiful, a quality education was inevitable, affordable health care was accessible, and economic opportunity was in reach for all.

Over the course of the more than 35 years that I’ve been visiting and working in Haiti, I have come to know the extraordinary resilience and resolve of the Haitian people and their determination to rise above 200 years of oppression and poverty. So I knew my mandate was to help the country build a growing economy, a more just society, an effective government – a nation that at long last could chart its own course and sustain it without outside aid.

In its first six months, the Office of the Special Envoy made good progress, much of which is detailed in these pages. More and more investors were ready to do business in Haiti and government and NGO partners were ready to work alongside the Government of Haiti to support its development plan. Then, on 12 January 2010, Haiti was dealt another setback – a massive earthquake that decimated infrastructure, debilitated the government, and left millions dead, injured, and homeless.

The Office of the Special Envoy immediately set to work to bring food, water, medical supplies and aid to the nation. As the emergency response has now transitioned to long-term recovery, I continue to work with the government, the Haitian people, and the international community to coordinate and support reconstruction efforts.

There is much work that remains to be done, but I am optimistic that those of us involved in recovery efforts will be able to work ourselves out of a job, and one day transition these efforts to a state capable of meeting the needs of its people, better prepared for future disasters, and able to stand on its own two feet without the help of foreign aid. This is the kind of Haiti its people want – and it’s the least they deserve. I feel privileged to work alongside them to make this future a reality.