OAS Secretary General meets Foreign Minister of Haiti

By
Sabrina Sohail
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The Secretary General of Organization of American States met foreign Minister of Haiti.
The Secretary General of Organization of American States met Foreign Minister of Haiti.

Washington DC, 19 August 2022 (TDI): The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) Luis Leonardo Almagro Lemes met the Foreign Minister of Haiti, Jean Victor Jeneus on Thursday. During their meeting, the two sides discussed the situation in Haiti.


The Secretary-General also suggested reforms that can help resolve the political crisis in Haiti. He emphasized the introduction of projects and policies to be a top priority for Haiti to resolve its issue in the political and security domains.

Crisis in Haiti:

Haiti has been facing severe economic, political, and security issues since the pandemic. Moreover, with the economic crisis that rose during COVID-19, the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, and a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in August added to Haiti’s worsening situation.

The state has been facing political instability and violence by gangs often tied to state actors for years now.

The earthquake, followed by Tropical Storm Grace, affected 2 million people in Haiti’s southern peninsula. It caused the death of 2,246 people, displacement of 26,000 people, and at least 329 people missing.

Additionally, since 2018 when the government announced that it would eliminate fuel subsidies, widespread civil unrest has paralyzed Haiti. Demonstrations intensified in 2019, amid evidence of embezzlement of funds intended for infrastructure and healthcare under the last three governments.

Demonstrations increased again in 2021, against Moïse’s government. Police responded with excessive force. It all added to instability in Haiti.

As of July 2022, the state is facing a renewed wave of gang violence in Haiti. It has killed hundreds of people in recent weeks and further deepened the humanitarian, political, and human rights crisis in the country.

Although international organizations like the WFP are working in the state yet they face numerous problems.

Statement by Secretary General of OAS:

Secretary General Luis, has been working for months and bringing attention to the situation in Haiti. Earlier this month, he issued a statement in which he explained Haiti’s situation.

According to Luis, the institutional crisis that Haiti is experiencing is because of the country’s endogenous forces and the international community. He said that the international community’s presence in Haiti has amounted to one of the worst failures within the framework of any international cooperation.

He said that the international community was not capable of facilitating the construction of a single institution with the capacity to address the problems facing Haitians. Moreover, he added that the gangs adding to the country’s unrest also got a free hand from the community.

Additionally, he said that these international communities left when they saw Haiti in chaos. Ultimately, the Secretary-General expressed that it was necessary to bring peace to the country.

He said that instead of running all communities and organizations should work together to stabilize the situation in Haiti. According to Luis, an institutional security process, fair and transparent elections, and the development of a new Constitution should be prioritized.

Resultantly, he said that it was urgent to continue working to increase security and begin the democratization process in the country.

Latest by the Secretary-General:

Secretary-General Luis recently talked with Congresswoman and Us Representative, for Florida’s 20th congressional District, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. The two sides discussed the situation in Haiti.

Additionally, both sides agreed to work together to bring solutions to security, democracy, and development for the country. Moreover, they also discussed possible opportunities that can help in enhancing the role of the Haitian diaspora.