Haiti aid pledges reaches $10 Billion

A broad array of international donors pledged nearly $10 billion in long-term assistance to Haiti's earthquake recovery efforts during a daylong conference at United Nations headquarters.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened the conference, titled "Towards a New Future for Haiti," by urging the more than 100 donors in attendance to provide $11.5 billion over the next 10 years for the reconstruction of the island nation left devastated by a 7.0-magnitude quake in January.

"What we envision, today, is wholesale national renewal -- a sweeping exercise in nation-building on a scale and scope not seen in generations," Ban said, according to the United Nations.

The January 12 earthquake killed more than 200,000 people and severely affected the lives of 3 million more. Many are homeless and in dire need of food, clothing, shelter and health care.

More than $5 billion of the $9.9 billion pledged Wednesday will be used for immediate recovery efforts over the next 18 months and will be administered by an interim reconstruction commission co-chaired by former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive.

"The rainy season is fast approaching," Ban said in appealing for immediate funding, according to the U.N. "Some camps for displaced persons are at risk of flooding. Heath and sanitation issues are growing more serious."