CARICOM receives broad support on Haiti
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has been receiving broad support for Haiti even as the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) made its first visit to the Member State for more engagements with stakeholder groups towards a Haitian-led solution to the difficulties the country faces.
Former Prime Minister, the Hon. Kenny Anthony of Saint Lucia led the team which comprised former Prime Ministers, the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie of The Bahamas and the Hon. Bruce Golding of Jamaica – all members of the Eminent Persons Group. They received support from former Assistant Secretary-General for Foreign and Community Relations, Ambassador Colin Granderson.
Following the Stakeholder Roundtable in Kingston, Jamaica, from June 11-13, the group arrived in Haiti on Wednesday, 12 July, and continued meetings with relevant stakeholders toward a Haitian-led solution to the multiple crises facing the country.
This round of dialogue with Haitian stakeholder groups came days after Chair of CARICOM, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica announced that the Community supports the need for the creation of a Humanitarian and Security Stabilisation Corridor, under the mandate of a United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution. He made the announcement on 5 July following the 45th CARICOM Summit in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres addressed the opening ceremony of the Summit on July 3, on the heels of a visit to Haiti, where he witnessed the situation on the ground.
“The security situation is appalling, humanitarian needs are soaring, and there is not yet the political solution in sight,” he stated.
Expressing his support for the Humanitarian and Security Stabilisation Corridor, Secretary-General Guterres said,
“I will continue to push for a robust international security force – authorised by the Security Council – to be able to help the Haitian National Police (HNP) to defeat and dismantle the gangs.”
He called on all partners to increase their support to the HNP in the form of financing, training, and equipment.
This need has resonated with the United States of America which, according to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, has been and remains the largest donor to Haiti’s national police.
In discussions with CARICOM Heads as a special guest at their Summit, Secretary Blinken said the USA supports the Haitian Government’s call for a multinational force to help its police restore security.
During the post-conference press briefing, Prime Minister Skerrit underscored that the initiatives for which CARICOM is seeking support are ideas emanating from consultations with Haitian stakeholders.
“These are not things that we have created in CARICOM, they are all based on what the stakeholders are saying to us.”
Explaining the need for a humanitarian corridor he said:
“The reality as we understand it is that they are Haitians who are going to bed hungry. They are Haitians who do not have access to food, and therefore we need to create a safe corridor to bring humanitarian support…we need to ameliorate the security situation and allow the environment to be safe enough for the humanitarian support.”
At the CARICOM Summit, Canada, México, and Rwanda reiterated their support for helping Haiti overcome its current crises. Permanent Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, Hon. Maninder Sidhu, who represented Canada said his country is working with CARICOM “to find solutions to the crisis in Haiti that are Haitian-led and Haitian-owned.”
Offering similar sentiments, Special Envoy of Mexico, Ambassador Vizcaíno Crespo said Mexico, along with CARICOM and other allies, are joining efforts to ease the situation in Haiti “through solutions agreed upon by the country’s political and social forces.”
Prime Minister Skerrit told the press briefing that since September 2022, Rwanda offered to provide peace-keeping and security personnel on the ground in Haiti, and to help strengthen the HNP. The Rwandan President, His Excellency Paul Kagame reiterated the country’s commitment when he engaged with CARICOM Heads in Trinidad and Tobago.
“There must be a UN Security Council Resolution on the matter so that we can get a coalition of nations who are prepared to support the Haitian government and the Haitian people in addressing both the security and the humanitarian crisis,” Prime Minister Skerrit stated.
Source: CARICOM TODAY