CARICOM leaders plan further stakeholder engagements in Haiti

March 07, 2023 in Regional

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders have reiterated their commitment to finding a lasting solution to issues affecting Haiti.

The leaders with responsibility for Haiti met yesterday, under the chairmanship of the Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis, to receive a report from Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who led a mission to the country on 27 February.

In a statement, the CARICOM Secretariat said the mission met with a broad range of Haitian stakeholders to hear their views on what could be done to find a lasting solution to the country’s problems.

“The Leaders agreed that there must be a follow-up meeting with the stakeholders to chart a path to consensus building in order to bring peace and stability to the country,” the statement said.

Moving forward, CARICOM “agreed to support the Haitian National Police in their efforts to address the security situation. The focus of the Community will be the provision of training for the HNP and the provision of humanitarian assistance to HNP and the wider Haitian society, taking into account the challenging humanitarian and security situation in Haiti.

“They also agreed to work with the Governments of Canada and the United States as well as the UNDP on the ongoing issues and, at the upcoming Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, to approach both International Financial Institutions to ascertain what further assistance they could provide to Haiti.”

The leaders also plan to reach out to African countries for assistance to solve the crisis in Haiti.