It is with deep regret that we received confirmation of the death of Philippe Dewez, former IDB Representative in Haiti, as a consequence of injuries sustained during the January 12 earthquake.
Philippe, who was 62, was inside the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) headquarters in Port-au-Prince when the building collapsed.
Speaking for the entire IDB community, I wish to extend my most heartfelt condolences to Philippe’s wife, Nieves Álvarez, to his six children, and to his extended family and friends.
Philippe’s death is an immeasurable loss to his family, but also to the people of his adopted country and to the many friends he left behind at the Bank. Philippe had an extraordinary bond with Haiti and he devoted the greater part of his professional life to Haitian development. He began his career at the IDB in 1989 as an infrastructure and education specialist in our Country Office in Haiti. He served for a time at IDB headquarters, before his transfer to Haiti, where he was appointed Representative in 1995. From 2000 to 2007, Philippe served successively as Representative in Bolivia, El Salvador, and Guatemala, before returning to Port-au-Prince in 2007, where he served once more as Representative until his retirement from the IDB on November 30, 2009. Following his retirement, he chose to remain in Haiti in order to continue working with the government.
Philippe earned the respect and affection of his colleagues at the IDB and of hundreds of individuals he worked with throughout the region. He was a dedicated professional who on several occasions chose to take on tough assignments in difficult settings. He devoted his life to the service of others, and he will be remembered as a paragon of the ideals that exemplify the IDB.
Luis Alberto Moreno
IDB President