Rector Jean Vernet Henry of the State University of Haiti
Vice-Chancellor Nigel Harris of UWI
Vice-Rector Wilson Laleau of the State University of Haiti,
Prof. Fritz Jean of the Notre Dame University,
Prof. Evens Emmanuel of Quisqueya University,
Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is my distinct honor to open the seminar on challenges and opportunities in Haiti. This landmark event in the wake of the meeting on cooperation between the University of the West Indies and Universities in Haiti constitutes an important contribution to tighter connections between that country and the broader Caribbean. It is meant to raise awareness on developments in Haiti and to promote cultural interactions. I daresay the more we know and understand each other, the more Caribbean integration will be advanced. For the OAS, this dynamic translates into a more peaceful and developed region.

Let me thank once more the University of the West Indies, in particular Vice-Chancellor Nigel Harris for hosting this seminar and for contributing to its preparation and proceedings.

At the outset, I would like to say that my remarks should be put in the context of my commitment, as well as the OAS’s to Haiti as a country. Haiti is a country where many problems manifest themselves at the same time: political, social, economic, environmental and financial. For the OAS it is important to assist the oldest member state of CARICOM in the Organization it its efforts towards political stability, social well being and prosperity.

Over the past ten years, I had the pleasure to be involved in political developments in Haiti in different capacities, first as Assistant Secretary General for Foreign and Community Relations of the Caribbean Community, then as Adviser to Secretary General Cesar Gaviria of the OAS and now as Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of America States, in which capacity I chair the Haiti Task Force as well as the Group of Friends of Haiti in Washington DC. In these ten years I have visited Haiti at least sixty times, now I have stopped counting. I say all of this to you just to make the point that while I do not consider myself an expert, I know a little of Haiti’s current political and development challenges, and the hemispheric and international efforts to assist the people and Government of Haiti.

While, in my view, it may be difficult as an outsider to understand in a complete sense the Haitian psyche, which given the complexity of the life and history of the people of Haiti is quite understandable, I have come to appreciate two aspects of the Haitian people very much: firstly, their pride in being Haitian and what it stands for and secondly their enormous creative ability in arts, music, dance and … politics. Here I see a country not only with challenges, but also a country with opportunities, because “pride” and “creativity” well applied can lead to stability, prosperity and progress, to a bright future.

My perspective on the Republic of Haiti is a positive one. Too many see and too often Haiti is described as a country in constant crisis, a “failed state” –whatever the means- and I believe it is high time to change this perception, this image in a more positive one.

I see it as a country not in crisis, but as a country with opportunity and great potential. We need to see Haiti through a positive and optimistic lens, despite the clouds shrouding often the news and the images presented. I believe that any discussion that does not depart from such a premise is doomed to focus on “what cannot be done” rather than “what can be done”. However, the deep rooted structural impediments to sound political, social and economic development cannot be changed instantly; it will require a long-term strategy and the adoption of a step by step approach.

I also believe that Haitians need to take charge of their own country and demonstrate a high degree of internal cohesion to overcome the enormous challenges. The international community can only assist in the implementation of the priorities and needs identified by the Haitian executive and legislative authorities.

Improved environment

Haiti is indeed at an important juncture in its history, with a unique opportunity to get back on the track of social and economic development. Developments that took place after the 2006 elections augur well for the future of this country.

1. Today, the Republic of Haiti has the highest level of commitment, support and solidarity ever (especially from Latin America), not only in establishing and strengthening democracy, the rule of law and security, but also in the area of social and economic development. In my view, it is critically important to use this positive momentum to focus on social and economic development. I further believe that in the absence of this crucial economic environment many of the other challenges faced by Haitians such as migration, illegal trafficking in drugs and firearms, will not be resolved.

2. There is relative political stability and a functioning relationship between the legislative bodies and the executive authorities. The process leading to the appointment of Madame Michele D. Pierre-Louis as Prime Minister is illustrative in that regard. Despite the fact that two previous candidates submitted by President Preval failed to get Parliament approval, constitutional procedures were respected and no major social disruptions resulted from the delay. In previous times, the lengthy, painstaking and complex negotiations could have produced upheaval and instability. Clearly, the stakeholders have reached a significant level of maturity with regard to political processes and democratic governance.

3. The Haitian authorities, especially the Ministry of Planning and External Cooperation, have put together a national strategy for growth and poverty reduction, a social and economic development plan which combined with the existing relative security, forms a unique policy framework for the Haitians. This framework will be critical to the international community as an umbrella policy document to provide development assistance and improve coordination among donors. As you know, a donor conference scheduled to take place in April 2008 was postponed due to the effects of the soaring prices of oil and food staples. We hope that this important event will be rescheduled soon, to mobilize the resources necessary for its implementation.


4. As you will recall, Haiti receives the support of MINUSTAH which has had its mandate renewed by the Security Council for an additional year. In the report presented on August 27 by UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, he noted the following about security progress in Haiti: “in the absence of a major deterioration in the security environment, the planned substantial increase in Haitian National Police capacity in the coming 12 months should pave the way for the beginning of a systematic and progressive assumption of functional and geographic responsibilities by the Haitian National Police”. With an acceptable level of security, Haiti will be better positioned to address its challenges structurally, so that a strong foundation is laid for sustainable development, at which point an exit strategy for MINUSTAH should be implemented.

5. I am pleased that the Secretary General of Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Provisional Council will join us later in a presentation on the electoral process. I do not want to say much on that, as he will address the issue thoroughly. Suffice it to say that the OAS is looking forward to the holding of the partial elections as soon as possible and commends the fact that dates have been set for that overdue consultation.

Challenges and threats

There are a variety of threats with implications for Haiti’s stability, democracy, security and prosperity.

1- The most important is that of extreme poverty under which the Haitian people live, and which is expressed in the disturbing ranking of Haiti as number 146 of 177 on the human development index published by UNDP. In my view, development is key to resolving or mitigating some of the critical challenges in other areas, including security.

2- The environment is in very bad shape and agricultural output has dropped to the point where Haiti, which just 25 years ago did not need to import basic food, today, can only produce one quarter of its rice needs. The impact of four hurricanes (Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike) in three weeks show clearly that if the environmental situation remains as is, the survival of many people will be at risk and socio-economic development will be severely hampered.

3- High illiteracy rates and limited education represent a determining and vital challenge. You will notice that the second part of this seminar will discuss the role of education in the development process. I believe that most critical for Haiti’s structural development and growth will be the education of its people. There is no way a country can compete globally in a society of knowledge with a majority of its people illiterate.

4- Haitian leadership needs to resolve the limited or insufficient executive capacity to plan, program, and implement policy, that can support decision making at all levels.

5- Political instability and uncertainty as a consequence of complications arising from a rather complex and unpredictable political system can result in a weakening of democratic governance.

6- The modernization of key legislations and law enforcement capacity building should constitute a priority. These are the essence of the rule of law without which good governance will be but a distant dream.


OAS Cooperation with Haiti

I would like to say a few words about the cooperation of the OAS with Haiti. This event is a good demonstration of the organization commitment with Haiti. But let me just mention two important OAS programs in Haiti.

In preparation for the 2006 Presidential and General Elections the OAS registered more than 4.5 million Haitians and provided them for the first time in Haitian history with a national photo identity card. In many ways Haiti has a more comprehensive and modern national identity card than many other countries in the Western Hemisphere. So far, in preparation for the outstanding partial senatorial elections, the OAS has been able to register 94% of the adult population of the country.

The OAS helps to manage 141 offices all over the country. A total of 570,000 national ID cards are being delivered representing those who reached the required age since the last election and are now eligible to cast a ballot. The OAS is completing the process to allow Haiti to print ID cards locally and to expedite the distribution of the ID cards.

This flagship program, with the support of Canada, continues today and the objective is to expand the registration to include all Haitians. I believe that this national database will also provide an opportunity to establish a modern cadastre as well as be useful in terms of other development initiatives.

Another important flagship program is the support to the Provisional Electoral Council which, we hope, will soon be transformed into a Permanent Electoral Council. We believe that a permanent body will help to strengthen the executive capacity of the electoral bureau. I believe that it is important in every country to professionalize, better equip and house the electoral authorities, with independent funding and training of staff, so that quality and timely elections can be delivered in accordance with the law and with minimum political intervention.

In closing, I would like to express my firm hope that the debate during this seminar will be helpful to all the participants to understand the situation in the CARICOM member state better and therefore also be in a better position to respond appropriately. In this regard I leave you with three critical elements:

1. It is important continue to build unity and consensus in Haiti through a process of inclusiveness;
2. It is critical that whatever we do is sustainable and that alongside our efforts we also create domestic capacity to manage processes;
3. It is of paramount importance to mobilize all resources and forces on the ground: mobilize, engage, involve, consult and partner with civil society at large (ngo’s, academia, media, private sector, trade unions, functional groups, etc.)

I thank you for your participation and your attention.