The biggest difference is REBAR.
they use rebar in Haiti....cement floors and walls and even brick walls without some reinforcement won’t stand up on their own...the problem is too little steel and maybe more importantly...honeycombed cement....I used to import rebar-cement to there...but there is little code aside from designer based and bank required
but as a building owner...I would hesitate to think of codes as a cureall
most responsible contractors and engineers-architects know full well how to build safe structures without being made to by codes...as per local geography
problem in Haiti is most folks just build their own...with semi skilled help and some electrical guy