Haiti has no building code. I assume this means no inspectors, no habitability standards, etc.

Western-style codes add a lot of cost to a project and I wonder how much can be done _cheaply_ for earthquakes in Haiti. Note that even those with the money to build correctly didn't do so. Also, this earthquake is getting all of the attention now but over time hurricanes cause larger loss, and this is prime hurricane territory.

(it might be better to start with codes aimed at hurricanes since some effectiveness can be had cheaply, and then work up to more significant standards as the Haitians can afford it)

Any effort to add building codes will run into the inspection problem. An inspection system has to be created from scratch, kept honest, and kept alive once honest...