Holness leads CARICOM mission to Haiti

Feb 28, 2023 News

…as security, governance deteriorate in the country

Kaieteur News – Kingston – Prime Minister Andrew Holness left Jamaica on Monday morning to lead a special Caribbean Community (CARICOM) mission to Haiti.

Representatives from the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago and the CARICOM Secretariat are part of the delegation. A statement from the Office of the Prime Minister says as part of this mission, members of the CARICOM delegation are expected to have discussions with several critical Haitian stakeholder groups.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness lead a mission to Haiti on Monday

Monday’s mission comes ahead of a planned stakeholder meeting in Jamaica in the coming weeks to discuss the situation in Haiti which is confronted with political turmoil and corruption, and unrelenting gang violence, with armed groups committing murder, rape, as well as kidnappings. At the end of the 44th regular summit of CARICOM Heads of Government in The Bahamas less than two weeks ago, CARICOM chairman and host Prime Minister Philip Davis HAD said that the regional grouping had taken its moral obligation seriously as it relates to resolving the issues in Haiti. He dismissed the idea of boots on the ground and this stage, saying that the first step would be to see how CARICOM can strengthen the Haitian national police to enable them to restore order and curb the criminal activities on the island.

At their meeting, the heads reiterated that the Community must play a leadership role in addressing the deteriorating situation in Haiti, a Member State of the Community, towards which there are moral and political obligations. Heads affirmed that decisive action is needed at the earliest opportunity by CARICOM in view of the mounting insecurity and its widespread impact on all facets of Haitian life. The Heads of Government were joined in part of their discussions by Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada.

The Heads of Government acknowledged the adoption of the December 21, 2022 political agreement, the National Consensus for an Inclusive Transition and Transparent Elections, launched by the Ariel Henry, the Interim Prime Minister of Haiti, but were of the view that it needed to be more inclusive. In this regard, Heads of Government agreed to convene an early meeting of stakeholders in Jamaica.

They also agreed to participate in a meeting to be convened in Haiti with Haitian stakeholders, to assist in the development of a plan to restore security and the rule of law. The Heads of Government noted the various forms of security assistance provided by the Government of Canada and placed emphasis on strengthening the capacity of the Haitian National Police to protect the general population from criminal activities. Finally, the Heads of Government agreed to build international partnerships in support of efforts to return Haiti to peace and stability as a necessary precursor for free, fair and credible elections.

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Andrew Holness, CARICOM, Haiti, Jamaica, Prime Minister

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