Chair’s statement: Ministerial meeting on Haiti

January 21, 2022 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

Today, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, the Honourable Mélanie Joly, chaired an international ministerial meeting on Haiti, which included participation by the Prime Minister of Haiti, 19 partner countries and representatives from the United Nations and other regional and international organizations.

Discussions centred on the current situation in Haiti and the importance of strengthening international support and the coordination of international assistance with a view to ensuring effective and structured efforts over the long term. Issues addressed included the strengthening of public security, the promotion of an open and inclusive political dialogue, governance challenges and humanitarian and reconstruction needs. All international participants reaffirmed their solidarity with Haiti, the importance of promoting solutions developed by and for Haitians and the need for targeted assistance and collaborative mechanisms aimed at achieving sustainable outcomes for the benefit of the Haitian people.

In order to tackle insecurity, the partners agreed to strengthen their current and future support of the security sector, including the Haitian National Police, with a focus on respect for the rule of law, justice and human rights. 

The participants agreed that the search for a viable political solution must include a peaceful and constructive dialogue involving all stakeholders in Haitian society. The participants encouraged the Government of Haiti and representatives of civil society to work together toward such a solution. They agreed that without such an agreement, re-establishing security will remain a challenge, as will the holding of free and credible elections.

Finally, the participants agreed on the need to redouble efforts on humanitarian assistance and sustainable development, including the fight against COVID-19, and looked forward to participating in an upcoming donors’ conference, organized jointly by the Government of Haiti and the United Nations, on reconstruction efforts following the earthquake of August 14, 2021. 

Participants

• Argentina
• Bahamas
• Brazil
• Canada
• Chile
• Colombia
• Costa Rica
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador
• European Union
• France
• Germany
• Haiti
• Japan
• Mexico
• Panama
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Spain
• United Kingdom
• United States
• United Nations
• United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti
• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
• United Nations Development Programme
• Caribbean Community
• Organization of American States
• International Organization of La Francophonie
• International Organization for Migration