UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has named former US president Bill Clinton as his special envoy for Haiti, Ban's deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe announced in New York on Tuesday.

Former US President Bill Clinton delivers his keynote speech during an opening ceremony of the 3rd C40 Large Cities Climate Summit Seoul 2009 in Seoul May 19, 2009.[Xinhua]

The post, which carries an annual salary of one US dollar, would be similar to Clinton's previous stint as UN special envoy for tsunami recovery after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, Okabe said.

As special envoy, Clinton will be tasked with jumpstarting Haiti's social and economic recovery efforts, said Okabe, and will "focus attention on the importance of new partnerships and efforts among the private sector, civil society and donors as well as strengthen local capacity."

Since leaving the White House, Clinton has worked extensively in the nation's recovery, most recently through his Call to Actionat the Clinton Global Initiative in 2008. In March, Clinton visited Haiti along with Ban to urge the international community to continue to offer humanitarian aid.

"It is an honor to accept the secretary-general's invitation to become special envoy to Haiti," said Clinton in a statement. "Last year's natural disasters took a great toll, but Haiti's government and people have the determination and ability to build back better, not just to repair the damage done but to lay the foundations for the long-term sustainable development that has eluded them for so long."

Since last year when four hurricanes left 800 people dead and another 1 million homeless, and a spike in oil and food prices sent the impoverished Caribbean nation into an economic tailspin, international donors have pledged 324 million US dollars.

Clinton said that he believes Haiti is in a better position to make progress now than at any previous time since he first visited the country in 1978, adding that public and private partnerships in health and education will be "good for Haitians and all their partners in out interdependent world."

Speaking to the press in Geneva on Tuesday, Ban said he is "confident that Clinton will bring energy, dynamism and focus to the task of mobilizing international support for Haiti's economic recovery and reconstruction."

Ban added that Haiti's President Rene Preval welcomed the appointment and described it as a vital boost to ensure that the well-being of the Haitian people remains a priority for the international community.

(Xinhua News Agency May 20, 2009)