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To save lives, Haiti should focus
PORT-AU-PRINCE
When Canada unveiled a new hospital in Haiti’s Artibonite Valley nearly three years ago, its ambassador described the $30 million facility as “Canada`s commitment to improving access to quality maternal, neonatal and child health care.”
But La Providence Hospital in Gonaïves would almost immediately begin to flounder. A little more than a year after its ribbon was cut, the beds lay empty first because gangs made retaining hospital staff members difficult and then due to a countrywide hospital strike.
Today, La Providence is open. But a new World Bank study released Tuesday is questioning the effectiveness and goals of that hospital and a slew of others in Haiti, where the priority, the lead author says, should be on primary and preventive healthcare and not hospitals. The study calls for Haiti’s government and donors to better coordinate health financing. It says the country, which currently devotes less than 5 percent of its budget to health, has to spend more and run a more efficient health system.
“We have a lot of hospitals that do not necessarily provide care at the level they are supposed to,” said the study’s lead author, Eleonora Cavagnero, a health economist for Haiti at the World Bank, who also advocates for a moratorium on new hospital construction. “A lot of the things that Haitians suffer from could be treated at the primary health care levels in a more cost-effective way.”
While the study found that Haiti has significantly more hospitals than many countries including Burundi and Tanzania, it spends less on healthcare per capita than its closest neighbors. The Dominican Republic spends $180, Cuba $781 and the Latin American and Caribbean region, $336 dollars. Haiti spends just $13.
What that means is that the poorest Haitian mothers are still far less likely to deliver in a health facility, and maternal and infant mortality rates are still four or five times higher many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Despite these and other pressing health care needs, Haiti has seen a sharp drop in government health expenditures in the last two decades with a consequent increase in donor-dependency, the report says.
“Donor financing is itself decreasing and thus, the government urgently needs to plan for increasing domestic funding for health to avoid a spike in out-of-pocket expenditures,” the report says. It urges the country to remain focused on the poorest people, who frequently bypass the public health system due to lack of trust and cost, relying instead on consultations from traditional healers or medication from unregulated providers.
"While Haitians can now expect to live longer, access to basic health services is still lacking," the report says.
Video: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/article158264744.html
A healthcare crisis in Haiti festers as doctors, medical workers strike
A perfect storm of striking medical residents, missing doctors and a lack of money has virtually paralyzed an already weak healthcare system in Haiti, and no one seems to be in a hurry to fix it, critics say. Jacqueline Charles, C.M. Guerrero
Since 2004, public spending on health in Haiti has fallen from 16.6 percent of the country's approximately $2 billion budget to 4.4 percent of the latest $1.8 billion budget submitted by Haitian Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant, a physician, and approved this month by Haiti’s Parliament. Most of the healthcare money pays for administrative costs, rather than medical facilities.
Only 32 percent of health facilities in Haiti provide essential medicines, and only 31 percent possess basic medical equipment, the report notes. The best run facilities are not government owned, but those operated by non-governmental or charitable organizations, the study found.
“For example, 87 percent of the operational budget at the University Hospital of the State of Haiti is allocated towards staff payroll, which is high based on international benchmarks,” the report says. “In public facilities, administrative staff represent nearly half of the workforce, which is also high in comparison to other low-income countries.”
Shortly after taking officer earlier this year, Haiti President Jovenel Moïse toured several hospitals in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. Moïse reached some of the same conclusions as the World Bank report.
"Most of these hospitals attest to a serious human resource problem," Moïse said. Even if equipment is available, it often doesn't have technicians to operate it, and some hospitals "have been completed, but political instability has prevented them from functioning normally."
And while he’s promised to tackle the problems, another promise he made — creating a specialty hospital just for police officers — could exacerbate the situation unless the hospital is part of a network, Cavagnero said.
The Haitian government and its development partners like Canada and the United States, she says, “should spend more on primary healthcare by shifting resources away from hospitals.”
Haiti’s succession of natural disasters and political instability also have not helped. After last year’s Hurricane Matthew, the post-catastrophe response took the form of construction or rehabilitation of hospitals. This was done, the report says, “without planning for how running costs will be borne after the initial emergency has passed.”
It was the same in the aftermath of the country’s 2010 earthquake, when France and the United States agreed to finance an $84.2 million University Hospital of the State of Haiti. The construction of the 534-bed facility is now 18 months behind, projected to be completed in June 2018.
The estimated cost to run the hospital — between $12 million and $15 million a year — is far more than Haiti spends in operational costs, minus salaries, on its entire system. That amount, Cavagnero says, is $8 million.
Dr. Ronald LaRoche, who operates a network of private hospitals around the country and is a primary care advocate, said Haiti’s healthcare crisis is going to get “worse when considering the shrinking of international assistance, the lack of income coming from the government side, the inflation rate, the increase of the population and the emergence of new hazards like cholera and Zika, and the reappearance of old ones like tuberculosis.”
The solution, he said, is universal health coverage where those who can pay received an insurance card, and those who cannot are covered by the government or donors.
“This system will prevent the financing of inefficient healthcare facilities like the general hospital, which is always on strike and lacks the most basic items to save lives although everybody receives a salary every month,” LaRoche said.
But the study isn’t optimistic that even a change in the healthcare system such as that could improve health in Haiti where more than half of the population lives on less than $1.90 a day and the unemployment rate is more than 30 percent.
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AMONG THE STUDY’S FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
▪ Haiti’s Ministry of Public Health and Population allocates 90 percent of its operating budget to personnel costs, leaving little room for other operational costs. At the strike-prone University Hospital of the State of Haiti, 87 percent of the operational budget is allocated for staff payroll.
▪ After Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, aid increased significantly. But it remains volatile and government spending dropped significantly.
▪ The country should set up a licensing policy for hospitals to help determine whether hospitals can be built or expanded.
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▪ In public facilities, administrative staff represent nearly half of the workforce, which is also high in comparison to other low-income countries. Decentralization of human resources would make health facilities more accountable, limit absenteeism and raise productivity.
▪ Hospitals managed by non-government organizations (NGOs) are more efficient than public hospitals. Private, for-profit hospitals are the lowest-performing, and they also spend more than facilities managed by the health ministry and NGOs.
▪ Haiti doesn’t tax cigarettes but should consider imposing one, along with raising taxes on alcohol. to raise funding for health.
SOURCE: WORLD BANK
Haiti’s Sunrise Airways Adds Airbus
Haiti-based Sunrise Airways has added a major new addition to its expanding fleet: a new Airbus A320.
The 150-seat aircraft features 12 seats in first class and 138 in economy.
“The type of expansion we are pursuing throughout the Caribbean and into North and South America demands that we continually invest in modern jet aircraft offering the very best in comfort and reliability,” said Philippe Bayard, President of Sunrise Airways. “Our new A320, with seating in both first class and economy, continues our mission to elevate Caribbean aviation to new heights, while also paving the way for us to serve new and existing international markets at a high level.”
Sunrise Airways’ newest Airbus A320 currently operates from the carrier’s hub in Port-au-Prince to three destinations in Cuba – Havana, Camaguey, and Santiago de Cuba – with additional expansion throughout the Caribbean, as well as North and South America, planned for 2017 pending government approval.
Haitians will not be able to enter Chile without a visa!
On Wednesday, June 28th, 2017, in a letter sent to the Chilean Chamber of Deputies, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Heraldo Benjamín Muñoz Valenzuela, informed that the government has decided to now require an entry visa from any Haitian who wants to visit Chile as a tourist.
This measure, which was suggested by Members of Parliament, would aim at containing the stream of Haitians who are settling down in Chile without documents. This situation is beginning to create hostilities in certain communities and is making these migrants vulnerable since they do not have access to all the advantages and benefits reserved for the legal residents and citizens.
According to the Secretary, this move is to protect the rights of migrants and to manage and bring order to the settling of foreigners while establishing a regulated migration.
The Secretary also revealed that Haitian authorities have been kept abreast of the discussions on this matter, and they have asserted that they understand the Chilean government’s initiative and intend to cooperate and to establish similar measures from their end.
Both parties are working on the possibility of setting up a Bilateral Commission on migratory and consular issues, in order to reach an agreement on the trafficking of human beings and the illicit traffic of migrants. (rezonodwes.com)
Caribbean migrants risk danger and discrimination for a new life in Chile
Santiago - Many Haitians and Dominicans are moving south for jobs and opportunities – and some are receiving a less than sympathetic welcome after a 3,000km trek.
More than 50,000 Haitians and 15,000 Dominicans are part of an economic story quickly moving up the political agenda.
Piotr Kozak in Santiago
Last modified on Friday 30 June 2017
Digna Batista was promised she would be heading to paradise when she paid people smugglers to take her from the Dominican Republic to Chile. Instead, she found herself walking across a desert minefield to encounter a less than sympathetic welcome in a society that is struggling to accommodate a growing number of migrants from the Caribbean.
Discrimination, labour abuse and outdated immigration policies have made adjustment difficult for many among the more than 50,000 Haitians and 15,000 Dominicans who are part of an economic migration story that is quickly moving up the political agenda before a presidential election later this year.
Batista borrowed more than $2,500 to pay coyotes (the people smugglers) for the journey across the Andes and the Atacama desert in the hope of finding a better life.
Leaving her three-year-old son behind, she first flew to Ecuador, where she continued by bus – at one point crushed with 17 others in the luggage hold – on the 3,000km overland route through Peru to the Chilean border. Once there, she and the others were told to head towards a distant light.
“We walked all night. Finally, in the morning, we got to a road, stopped a passing taxi and asked the driver to take us to the nearest hostel. He told us we’d just walked through a minefield,” she recalled.
The dangers are all too real. More than 90,000 mines were laid by the Chilean military in the 1970s – a time of dictatorship and paranoia about Peru. Although the army subsequently promised to decommission them all by 2012, progress has been slow and about 40,000 are still in place. Warning signs are either inadequate, misplaced or ignored by desperate migrants. Last year, a 24-year-old Dominican, Daniel Sosa, lost his left foot when he stepped on a mine trying to enter the country illicitly to find work after being denied a visa.
A string of such incidents – some of them fatal – have caused growing diplomatic concern that Chile’s border policies are driving people to risk illegal crossings. The Dominican Republic consul in Arica, Nina Consuegra, said Chile’s PDI border police are now stopping and denying entry to anyone who is either black or Venezuelan if they fail to show pre-paid hotel vouchers and return tickets.
But even those who arrive legally face prejudice.
Until the 1990s, Chile had only a small black population, so the recent arrival of a black migrants has caused a stir.
History suggests this ought not to be the case. A 2014 genetic study found that one in two Chileans had ancestors among the thousands of African slaves brought to the country between the 16th and 19th centuries. But Chile’s elite have long preferred to emphasise their country’s European roots and the newcomers are now the subject of a growing debate.
“[The migrants] are often very badly discriminated against,” says sociologist María Emilia Tijoux. “Some are really suffering. And it’s not just a legal problem, it’s because there’s a part of Chilean society that’s so damned racist.”
Batista says she has experienced kindness and hostility.
She now works as a maid in uptown Santiago while trying to legalise her residency so that one day she can bring her son Brayan to live with her.
Many Haitians find low-paid niches in the labour market where Chileans are reluctant to work, particularly construction, domestic service and agriculture.
Lacking full legal rights, some are exploited, said Haitian community leader Widner Darcelin, who said migrants sometimes work for months without being paid.
Earlier this month, a homeless Haitian migrant named Joseph Polycart died of hypothermia after he was twice turned away from a local hospital on a freezing night.
But there are also positive stories. N’kulama Saint Louis arrived in Santiago with his wife Patricia and two-year-old son N’kulahi in 2010, following Haiti’s devastating earthquake. Today N’kulama works as a street-sweeper, and studies sociology at the Catholic University by night. “We got a lot of support from our Chilean friends,” he said, “but the government doesn’t have a comprehensive immigration policy and that’s a huge problem.”
The current system is widely criticised as outdated. One notorious immigration law – a holdover of the Pinochet dictatorship – intrinsically views all migrants as potential subversives, said Jean Claude Pierre-Paul, a Haitian social worker.
And the situation could get worse. The centre-right candidate in the election, former president and billionaire businessman Sebastian Piñera, is following the example of Trump in the United States and Argentina’s Mauricio Macri by proposing tighter border controls and the expulsion of all irregular migrants – an estimated 150,000 people.
Given Chile’s enormous 5,000km frontier, there is no suggestion of a border wall, but tighter regulations alone could drive more migrants to attempt risky illegal crossings of mountains, deserts and minefields.
“Visas don’t control migration – migrants will just turn to people smugglers to enter the country,” said Rodrigo Sandoval, head of the ministry of the interior’s immigration department.
Sandoval said Chile needs a new immigration law that helps to attract more outsiders to offset the country’s aging population and labour shortages.
His proposals have prompted a rightwing backlash on social media, where xenophobes describe him as a traitor who is allowing Chile to be “invaded.”
Cooler heads urge self-reflection. In the Independencia neighbourhood, social worker Patricia Loredo, who helps run the Sin Fronteras migrants rights collective, believes Chileans need to be much better informed and educated about their heritage.
“Most Chileans don’t have a clear idea of their cultural identity,” she said, “but this is clearly a mixed-race society.”
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Campaign to raise awareness and change public opinion regarding tourism (MAG HAITI)
It is under the theme "Zafè touris zafè tout moun" that a campaign will take place to raise awareness and change the public’s attitude regarding tourism.
According to information available on the site of the Ministry of Tourism, this campaign, which was first launched, on Friday, June 30th, 2017, will extend over from June 30th till September 30th, 2017.
"Reinforcing in the Haitian people a sense of pride for their rich history and their cultural heritage, and to encourage the development of a positive outlook and responses from the owners, the operators and employees of tourism and at every level of the population." These at the main objectives of this campaign.
“Zafè touris zafè tout moun” is a campaign which is going to focus on the concepts of Welcome-Respect and Responsibility. "We launched this awareness campaign to involve the Haitian population in the cause of tourism," declared Secretary Columbe Emilie Menos at the official opening of the campaign held at the ministry.
Source: Radio Metropole Haiti
The oldest mammal in the world finds itself in Haiti, with 78 million years of existence
The University of Illinois and the University of Puerto Rico completely sequenced the mitochondrial genome of the Solenodons Hispaniola, filling the last major branch of placentary mammals on the tree of life.
The study, published in Mitochondrial DNA, confirmed that the venomous mammal diverged from all other living mammals 78 million years ago, well before an asteroid swept away all dinosaurs.
"It is just impressive, that it survived for such a long time," declared the first co-author Adam Brandt, a post-doctoral researcher in Illinois. "It survived the asteroid; it survived human colonization, and the rats and mice human brought with them, which decimated the closest relatives of the Solenodons,"
The study also takes into account recent results that show the Dominican Republic contains genetically different populations in the North and the South which should be preserved as different subspecies. The study revealed that the population in the South has not much diversity, while the population of the northeast is more diversified.
Scientists have different hypotheses about the way the solenodons came to live on the island of Hispaniola. Some geologists think that the island was a part of a volcanic arch connected to Mexico 75 million years ago and that over time the arch moved eastward. Another possibility is that they floated on a piece of wood to the island.
What they do know is that because its closest ancestors disappeared a long time ago, the SOLENODON of today is the only vestige of a very old group of mammals. While the solenodon is venomous and looks like a "huge rat with Freddy Krueger's claws," according to Roca, It evolved in the absence of carnivores. Today, it is threatened by cats and dogs introduced by man, as well as the loss of its housing environment.
The Dominican Republic made this study possible by supporting the collection of samples. The authors include: Yashira M. Afanador-Hernández; Liz A. Paulin; William J. Murphy; Adrell Núñez; Aleksey Komissarov; Jessica R. Brandt; Pavel Dobrynin; J. David Hernández-Martich; Roberto María; Stephen J. O Brien; Luis E. Rodríguez; and Juan C. Martínez-Cruzado.
Haiti among the 50 best soccer teams in the world
By Milo Milfort
Inactive for three months, the male Haitian soccer selection placed 49th in the last world ranking by FIFA published on July 6th, 2017. With 667 points behind Algeria, the country went up 15 places and collected 113 points when compared to its ranking from last July.
Violent winds in Gonaïves cause one fatality and significant damages
A person was killed on Wednesday evening in Gonaïves when a tree branch fell while was her car. Sixty houses were flooded and fifteen others were severely damaged.
It was near 5 o'clock in the afternoon. The wind very blew hard on the city of Gonaïves, creating an atmosphere of total panic. According to local officials a tropical wave passed through and caused violent wind gusts and pouring rain. Roofs of houses and trees were not able to resist the power of the wind. The rains which accompanied the winds caused the flooding in several houses.
The damage report was still preliminary according to Faustin Joseph, technical departmental coordinator of civil protection. The most affected zones are: Assipha, Seprenn, Man's wood, Pont-Gaudin, Pont-Quenêpe and the Plain of Gonaïves.
Joseph used this opportunity to draw the population’s attention to the hurricane season. He warned of possible damages during this period. Joseph repeated that the population’s vigilance is necessary. They must always be tuned to the radio in order to be informed on weather conditions. People living on the banks of gullies have to be alert and ready to evacuate. Houses must be strengthened in their openings (doors, windows) without forgetting roofs.
The City of Independence is considered vulnerable to flooding. From the beginning of the hurricane season, up to now, authorities have not taken any concrete precautionary measure to reassure the population. Joseph, often mentioned a lack of financial means. In the face of this situation, the population hasn’t stopped expressing its concern. It’s demanding that the appropriate authorities assume their responsibility during this time by taking measures to limit damages in case of possible natural disasters.
Haiti could stem cholera epidemic by end 2018: health officials
By Makini Brice | PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI
Haiti could stem its seven-year-long cholera epidemic by the end of 2018 as the number of reported cases has dropped sharply, government and United Nations officials said.
The health ministry said Haiti has had about 7,400 suspected new cholera cases since the start of the year, compared with almost 20,200 at the same point last year.
"We have never seen so few cases," Donald Francois, head of the health ministry's national cholera program told Reuters in an interview. "With the cases we've seen we think we can eliminate cholera by the end of 2018."
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There were more than 18,600 cases in the first six months of 2015 and some 7,451 in the same period in 2014, according to health ministry figures.
An estimated 9,300 people have died and more than 800,000 have fallen ill from cholera since U.N. peacekeepers accidentally introduced the disease in 2010 when they dumped infected sewage into a river outside of Port-au-Prince.
A program to provide residents with water purification tablets and efforts to find the source of new outbreaks has likely led to the decline in cases, said Marc Vincent, the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) representative for Haiti.
A cholera vaccination drive in November targeting more than 800,000 people also probably boosted immunity, Vincent said.
Still, with funds to combat cholera slow to trickle in and Haiti needing vast improvements to its water and sanitation systems, the country remains vulnerable to new outbreaks.
About 40 percent of Haiti's population are without daily access to clean water and less than one in four residents has regular use of a toilet, according to Pan-American Health Organization and World Bank figures.
"The number of reported cases can certainly decline dramatically and even fall to zero. Most likely, though, there will continue to be a low-level number of cases, maybe seasonally, maybe year-round," said Ronald Waldman, a global health professor at George Washington University.
Waldman said Haiti could expect periodic spikes of cholera during natural disasters such as hurricanes.
Former U.N. secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon apologized in December for the handling of the outbreak and announced a $400-million trust fund to fight cholera and to rebuild communities struck by the illness.
But countries have been slow to contribute to the fund. So far, seven countries have given $2.67 million, nearly all of which has been spent, according to the United Nations.
Haiti could stem its seven-year-long cholera epidemic by the end of 2018 as the number of reported cases has dropped sharply, government and United Nations officials said.
The health ministry said Haiti has had about 7,400 suspected new cholera cases since the start of the year, compared with almost 20,200 at the same point last year.
"We have never seen so few cases," Donald Francois, head of the health ministry's national cholera program told Reuters in an interview. "With the cases we've seen we think we can eliminate cholera by the end of 2018."
There were more than 18,600 cases in the first six months of 2015 and some 7,451 in the same period in 2014, according to health ministry figures.
An estimated 9,300 people have died and more than 800,000 have fallen ill from cholera since U.N. peacekeepers accidentally introduced the disease in 2010 when they dumped infected sewage into a river outside of Port-au-Prince.
A program to provide residents with water purification tablets and efforts to find the source of new outbreaks has likely led to the decline in cases, said Marc Vincent, the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) representative for Haiti.
A cholera vaccination drive in November targeting more than 800,000 people also probably boosted immunity, Vincent said.
Still, with funds to combat cholera slow to trickle in and Haiti needing vast improvements to its water and sanitation systems, the country remains vulnerable to new outbreaks.
About 40 percent of Haiti's population are without daily access to clean water and less than one in four residents has regular use of a toilet, according to Pan-American Health Organization and World Bank figures.
"The number of reported cases can certainly decline dramatically and even fall to zero. Most likely, though, there will continue to be a low-level number of cases, maybe seasonally, maybe year-round," said Ronald Waldman, a global health professor at George Washington University.
Waldman said Haiti could expect periodic spikes of cholera during natural disasters such as hurricanes.
Former U.N. secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon apologized in December for the handling of the outbreak and announced a $400-million trust fund to fight cholera and to rebuild communities struck by the illness.
But countries have been slow to contribute to the fund. So far, seven countries have given $2.67 million, nearly all of which has been spent, according to the United Nations.
(Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Grant McCool)
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Top Trump official warns special immigration status may end soon for a million people
BY FRANCO ORDOÑEZ
WASHINGTON
President Donald Trump's top immigration official warned Hispanic members of Congress Wednesday that over a million people living in the United States under a special protected status could soon be placed in line for deportation.
Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly told members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus that the fate of deferred action program known as DACA — Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — will likely be determined by the courts, perhaps as soon as September, and that attorneys he’s consulted do not think the program is legally sustainable. Kelly also would not commit to extending temporary protected status, or TPS, for nationals from Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and four other countries, but indicated that TPS for Haitians will likely end.
“I have never left a meeting so emotionally affected than from what I just heard inside,” said U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., who estimated that millions of people could be deported. “And I’m positive that my colleagues heard the same thing that I heard.”
Kelly spent more than an hour in an emotional Capitol Hill meeting discussing DACA, TPS and other Trump administration concerns with the Democrats. It was a dramatic shift in tone for Kelly who in previous meetings has cast himself as someone who protected the program. Trump and Republican leaders have also repeatedly stated that the 800,000 immigrants currently protected by the DACA program shouldn’t be concerned.
"Marleine Bastien, a leading figure in the Haitian community in Miami on TPS, accused the Trump administration of searching for any excuse to end protected status for Haitians.
'They are using the wrong argument on purpose because anybody who isn't blind can see that Haiti has yet to recover,”' said Bastien, executive director of Haitian Women in Miami. We believe [the decision] is wrong.” #SaveTPS
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national
Man arrested in 2004 sexual assault of Florida woman
By Associated Press July 10
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — Police in Florida say they arrested a man as he was about to flee the country to avoid charges that he sexually assaulted a mentally disabled woman.
Boynton Beach police say Pascal Estime was arrested Saturday at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport as he waited to board a plane to Haiti.
They say the 55-year-old Estime sexually assaulted the then 20-year-old woman in 2004, impregnating her. The woman has an IQ of about 50. She had an abortion and the fetus was kept as evidence.
Police were unable to find Estime until last year, when he was located in Orlando. DNA tests finished last week showed he was the father.
Pascal was being held without bail Monday. Jail records do not show if he has an attorney.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
HAÏTI / CANADA
The project of the fire station disappears smokes (Le Nouveliste)
The 2.6 million dollar project for Quebec to rebuild the fire station in Port-au-Prince was declared dead recently by Quebec Mayor, Régis Labeaume. The announcement was made due to the Haitian Government’s failure to respect certain commitments to make the land available with a clear deed and an adequate survey, explained David O'Brien, spokesman for the City of Quebec.
Canada’s Bureau of World Affairs informed, at the beginning of July, that the project was no longer part of its plans, revealed the spokesman when questioned by members of the media from Quebec.
Mayor Régis Lebeaume was not able to hide his disappointment regarding the administrative pitfalls that caused about a year and-a-half of delays in the execution of the project that was to be funded by his city. Construction, he specified, had to start in January, 2016. The start of the project postponed to June, 2017 still did not become a reality, lamented the mayor.
"That disappoints me because it shows that it is extremely disorganized. When I looked at the file, I was discouraged. I wondered if they were going to come out of it someday. They have everything on a silver platter, but they are not even capable of having the deed for this property," complained Lebeaume.
Nevertheless, a fire station is expected to be built at that site, even without funding from the City of Quebec. Following a Council of Ministers’ meeting, on June 30th of this year, Haitian authorities agreed to reserve a part of the city center for the construction of two public buildings. One of the two state-approved spaces "is reserved for the construction of a building for the fire department of Port-au-Prince," according to a press release of the General Secretary of the Council of Ministers. The other project is an extension of the Hospital of the State university of Haiti now in full reconstruction.
Haiti to reform army after 20 years without
- 11 July 2017
- From the sectionLatin America & Caribbean
HaH Haitian government has launched a campaign to re-establish its army, dissolved more than 20 years ago.
It wants to recruit about 500 men and women to help deal with natural disasters and to patrol borders.
The recruitment drive follows the announcement by the United Nations mission that it would be leaving Haiti in October.
But critics say the island's small budget should be spent on the national police force of about 15,000 officers.
A Ministry of Defence statement said the recruitment drive is open to both men and women between the ages of 18 and 25, who have passed their secondary education exams.
The UN Security Council agreed in April to withdraw their security forces, the blue helmets, and leave only a small police presence to support the Haitian police.
The UN departure has sparked a debate over whether Haiti should or should not form a new army.
Many politicians support the idea arguing it would provide jobs for young people.
But the government's critics say a military force could quickly become politicised, becoming a weapon in the hands of whoever is the president or prime minister.
For much of Haiti's history, the army has been used to crack down on political dissent by a series of authoritarian presidents.
During the 29-year family dynasty founded by Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier in the 1950s, the army was pushed aside and replaced by the Tonton Macoutes, a feared private militia famed for its savagery.
But when Duvalier's son, Jean Claude, was ousted and fled to France in 1986, the army high command - notorious for its repressive tactics and packed with Duvalier appointees - remained in place.
mission played a big role in helping the country to overcome the devastation caused by the 2010 earthquake
After Haiti's first democratically-elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was ousted in a 1991 military coup, soldiers and paramilitary forces committed countless atrocities and are estimated to have killed about 4,000 people over the next three years.
Haiti's leaders argue the new army would have different kinds of military duties, providing help after natural disasters and fighting smuggling.
Many international donors have been unenthusiastic, after having poured billions of dollars into developing the Haitian National Police which now has about 15,000 trained members.
A Haitian model makes the headlines of a big fashion magazine (Loop)
His thin body, his svelte physique and his unstoppable elegance make him one of the most fashionable models in Italy. While only 18 years old, he is the center of the fashion world in Italy. He modeled the clothes of the latest collection of Dolce and Gabbana earlier this month.
One of the most requested young top models, is already a celebrity on Instagram. "The New Princes" ( I Nuovi Principi): is the name Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana decided to give their new collection introduced in Milan for the Autumn and winter season of 2018.
Several Milaneses (Rafferty Law, Sistine and Sofia Stallone, Jaden Smith, Presley Gerber, Firebrand Lee, Cameron Dallas, Juanpa Zurita, Lucky Blue Smith, Stefanie Giesinger, Austin Butler, Avan Jogia, Cheney Chen, Pelayo Diaz, Lala Rudge, Tinie Tempah, Pyper America Smith, Sergio Carvajal) and star models including the young Haitian Luka Sabbat, walked the runway at Milan’s Fashion Week at the beginning of May.
This collection wanted to salute the generation born with a Smartphone in their hand. In addition to participating in Fashion Week in Milan, Luka hit the headlines of the fashion magazine GQ Italy, the most important monthly male magazine in the world.
Former Haiti government official shoots himself in the head in Miami-area hotel
BY JACQUELINE CHARLES
Klaus Eberwein, a former Haitian government official, was found dead Tuesday in a South Dade motel room in what the Miami-Dade medical examiner’s office is ruling a suicide.
“He shot himself in the head,” said Veronica Lamar, Miami-Dade medical examiner records supervisor. She listed his time of death at 12:19 p.m.
The address where Eberwein’s body was discovered according to police, 14501 S. Dixie Hwy., is a Quality Inn.
A supporter of former Haitian President Michel Martelly, Eberwein served as director general of the government’s economic development agency, Fonds d’assistance économique et social, better known as FAES. He held the position from May 2012 until February 2015 when he was replaced. He was also a partner in a popular pizza restaurant in Haiti, Muncheez, and has a pizza — the Klaus Special — named after him.
“It’s really shocking,” said Muncheez’s owner Gilbert Bailly. “We grew up together; he was like family.”
Bailly said he last spoke to Eberwein, 50, two weeks ago and he was in good spirits. They were working on opening a Muncheez restaurant in Sunrise, he said.
But it appears that Eberwein had fallen on hard times. An Uber spokesperson confirmed that he worked as a driver for awhile in South Florida.
During and after his government tenure, Eberwein faced allegations of fraud and corruption on how the agency he headed administered funds. Among the issues was FAES’ oversight of shoddy construction of several schools built after Haiti’s devastating Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake.
Eberwein was scheduled to appear Tuesday before the Haitian Senate’s Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the head of the commission, Sen. Evalière Beauplan confirmed. The commission is investigating the management of PetroCaribe funds, the money Haiti receives from Venezuela’s discounted oil program.
- Détails
- Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti
Donald Trump will name a new ambassador to Haiti
The White House revealed last week the name of the diplomat who will occupy the post of "ambassador of the United States to Haiti." It is Michele Jeanne Sison, who has already served in eleven missions for the United States abroad.
Even before entering the White House, President Donald Trump, had demanded that all American ambassadors named under the Obama administration resign by the date of his swearing on January 20th. Peter Mulrean, Ambassador of the United States in Haiti was one of the diplomats concerned by this decision. After having spent 33 months in office in Haiti and having accumulated 29 years of service in the American diplomacy, he returned home on Monday, February 27th, 2017 and decided to retire.
Since then, the U.S. ambassador's post in Haiti remained vacant. It was the Chargé d'affaires Brian Shukan who assumed the interim position at the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, while waiting for the appointment of a successor by the White House and that person’s confirmation by the Senate.
The matter unresolved until July 20th when Donald Trump revealed his intention to name several people to key positions in his administration. Among these people was Michele Jeanne Sison, who was called to serve as Ambassador from United States of America to Haiti.
On its Web site, the White House reviewed briefly Mrs. Sison’s diplomatic career, which begun in 1982. She was an ambassador three times, in Sri Lanka and the Maldive Islands (from 2012 to 2014), in Lebanon (from 2008 to 2010) and in the United Arab Emirates (from 2004 to 2008). She served in 11 American missions abroad among which were India, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Benin and particularly in Haiti between 1982 and 1984.
In 2014, Mrs. Sison was named by the Obama administration and confirmed by the Senate as a permanent adjunct representative to the American mission at the United Nations. Before she begins in her post in Haiti, she must still receive Senate approval.
Born in Washington on May 27th, 1959, Michele Jeanne Sison studied political science at Wellesley College. She also attended the London School of Economics (LSE). She has two daughters, who are in college. The White House underlined that the diplomat is fluent in French, Haitian Creole and Arabic.
Mormons to break ground on Haiti temple this fall
(The Salt Lake Tribune)
A Mormon temple is in the process of being built in Port-au-Prince.
A groundbreaking is set for Oct. 28, the governing First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said this week.
Uruguayan native Walter F. González, a general authority in the Utah-based faith, will lead the invitation-only ceremony, according to a news release.
LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson announced plans to build the Haiti temple in 2015. The nation is home to more than 22,000 Mormons (out of an overall population of nearly 11 million) and 46 LDS congregations.
Mormons view their temples as houses of God, places where faithful members can participate in their religion's most sacred rites, including eternal marriages.
There are 182 LDS temples across the globe either in operation, under construction or announced.
Haitian Students Compete In First Global Robot Olympics in DC
Haiti participated in the first-ever Robot Olympics on July 16 – 18. The event, hosted by FIRST Global Challenge in Washington, D.C. features teams from over 160 countries at the DAR Constitution Hall.
Three Haitian students who competed are from “Institution Nouvelle Source” (Team Haiti-First Global Robot Challenge). The team led by Francois Joseph Berwith, 16-Year-Old François Carl Lovensky, Alex Abigaël ALCEUS and Wilford Guensly Perceval spent the last few months learning about programming and engineering with the goal of building a robot that will compete in the FIRST Global Challenge.
Participating teams are composed of students – aged 15 through 18 years old– with the common goal of increasing their knowledge of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics so that they can become the next generation of scientific leaders who will work together to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems from food security and access to clean water, to finding better medicines and securing cyberspace.
The International FIRST Committee Association (FIRST Global) was founded by philanthropic inventor Dean Kamen, and is headed by former U.S. Navy Admiral and Congressman Joe Sestak.
“By engaging the students of the world in a collaborative competition to help solve the world’s most pressing problems, FIRST Global inspires students to learn the skills they will need to make the discoveries their parents and grandparents would consider miracles, fantasies, or just plain science fiction,” said FIRST Global Founder Dean Kamen.
A cruise ship full of vacationers does more to help Haitians than billions in aid
Is it obscene to show up to one of the world’s poorest countries in a giant, floating amusement park? It felt like it was
By Marni Soupcoff
National Post (21 July 2017)
On a Caribbean cruise last week (which my family and I enjoyed even if, or perhaps because, we consumed our yearly allotment of dietary sugar and fat in a matter of days), I got off the boat at our first stop: Labadee, Haiti. There, a local guide walked a group of us from the boat around the port in a relaxed tour. We oohed and ahhed at the gorgeous beaches on the hilly peninsula; we nodded politely as we learned of the supposedly miraculous medicinal properties of the local vegetation. (Apparently, endocrinologists would be out of business if people would just use Neem tree leaves and yams more judiciously.)
The experience was lovely, my paranoia about contracting the Zika virus from an infected mosquito notwithstanding. But the experience was also … well, weird. Is it obscene to show up to one of the world’s poorest countries in a giant, floating amusement park where guests regularly punctuate rides on the carousel with hotdog and cupcake between-meal snack breaks? It felt like it was. In addition, it felt somewhat fraudulent to even claim to be in Haiti.
Labadee is in Haiti. It’s a remote Haitian fishing village. But Labadee is also a private resort leased by the Royal Caribbean cruise line. There’s a tall, no-nonsense fence, complete with barbed wire and armed security folks, which separates the resort from the rest of the area … and the impoverished locals.
It’s disturbing. Seventy per cent of Haitians have no direct access to potable drinking water. Are we showing up in gaudy Lilly Pulitzer dresses and sniffing, “Let them drink ‘Labadoozies’”? (The Labadoozie is Royal Caribbean’s signature rum-based concoction, named, I like to think, by someone with a well-developed sense of irony.)
I was silently mulling these questions as I toured the place. But my tour guide seemed to have little use for such first world mental flagellation.
He spoke English well. He also spoke French, German, and a couple other languages. He learned them all in high school, he told us. The same was true of his younger siblings. His older sister spoke only Haitian Creole. She’d grown up just before Royal Caribbean had started leasing the resort and bringing significant money into the area, he explained, so the enhanced school options hadn’t existed yet.
I have never been as certain as some libertarians that rational selfishness is the best way to create systematic social benefits.
According to the guide, Royal Caribbean’s construction of water and electricity infrastructure has also been extremely beneficial for the surrounding villagers. Does it matter that the company’s motivation was to power a roller coaster and serve tourists Pina Coladas?
I have never been as certain as many of my libertarian-leaning friends that rational selfishness is the best way to create systematic social benefits. Yet, the Labadee example is persuasive in its small way.
Over US$13-billion in charitable relief (both public and private) was earmarked for Haiti after the country’s deadly 2010 earthquake. We don’t know how much of that money made it directly to the Haitians who needed the help, but some dispiriting estimates hover around 10 per cent.
A few years after the earthquake, a blog post by two employees of the Center for Global Development summed up how unsuccessful the charitable push had been in making a difference. “Haiti received an amount almost equal to its gross domestic product,” wrote Vijaya Ramachandran and Julie Waltz, “but several hundred thousand people remain in tent camps set up in the aftermath of the quake. Port-au-Prince (the Haitian capital) still lacks good roads, electricity and safe drinking water.”
As our guide reminded us, there are still displaced Haitians living in tents today, seven years after the disaster. And according to the CIA World Fact Book, the country’s unemployment rate is around 40 per cent. (Our guide estimated unemployment at 80 per cent, his view possibly influenced by the fact that less than a third of Haiti’s labour force has a formal job.)
In contrast, Royal Caribbean and its gauche, cash-grabbing operation have been successfully employing hundreds of Haitians, and injecting money directly into the Haitian economy, for decades. If the proof is in the pudding, and the pudding is crucial infrastructure, the profit method is proving the more successful chef.
On my way back to the ship, I bought a few toys I didn’t want from one of the local vendors licensed by Royal Caribbean to sell trinkets on the resort. I did it to “help.” My guilt-fuelled donation made no difference, I’m sure. But staying on the ship out of shame wouldn’t have helped either. And cumulatively, the price paid for the selfish but genuine enjoyment of a beautiful, vibrant place seems to be doing some good.
National Post
Twitter.com/soupcoff
Approximately 150 Haitian are arrested every day in Pedernales
According to the organization that specializes ground border patrol (CESFRONT) and the Dominican Department of Immigration, during the last few days, more than 1,000 Haitian (628 men, 327 women and 84 children) with inadequate immigration documents, were repatriated to Haiti by the border post of Pedernales in the Southwest section of the Dominican Republic.
During these operations, 40 fake ID cards were seized from the Haitians along with 30 motorcycles, which have been use to illegally transport the migrants.
CESFRONT indicated that the control operations are continuing and that on average 150 illegal Haitian workers are arrested every day in the urban area of the city of Pedernales and other communities in the region.
Haiti participates in the 8th Francophony Games in Abidjan, Ivory Coast!
((rezonodwes.com)) –
Last week, the Secretary of Youth, Sports and the Civic Action, Régine Lamur presented, the athletes of the delegation which will represent Haiti at the 8th Francophony Games in Abidjan, Ivory Coast from July 21st till July 30th.
Operating within the theme of Solidarity, Diversity and Excellence, these Games represent an opportunity for French-speaking youth to meet, compete and interact in a spirit of celebration and healthy competition within the framework of promoting cultural diversity and the French language.
Twenty-eight athletes including 18 soccer players, 6 cyclists, 2 judokas and 2 table tennis players, as well as 10 artists, including 5 dancers (hip-hop), 2 puppeteers, 1 photographer, 1 painter and 1 sculptor, 14 chaperones, and other officials will constitute the 62-member delegation from Haiti. They goals is to match or surpass the results they got in 2001 when they earned 3 medals (1 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze) or in 2013 when they earned 2 medals (1 Gold and 1 Bronze).
- Détails
- Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti
Feature: Introducing Ama Makeda, Haitian Visual Artist and Yogi
Drawing her inspiration from the visual intensity of Haiti, Christina Clodomir-Makeda instills within her paintings the abstractness of Georgia O’Keeffe. Her work captures the vibrancy of life, as well as the feelings and emotions of the brilliant wonder that nature is.
By Debbie Jonas, Afropunk Contributor.
The first question we asked her was about her artist name “Ama Makeda” and the profoundness of her words was mesmerizing: “Everything I am has a special meaning. In the Akan tradition of Ghana, West Africa, Ama is a name given to all girls born on Saturday, the day of the Goddess Ama. I was born on Saturn-Day, which is why I placed this name upon me during the time I was searching and reclaiming my African Identity. Makeda was the name of the very well-known queen of Sheba, a beautiful and beyond intelligent and wise woman, the last of a long dynasty of Ethiopian queens, and the mother of King Menelik 1st, which is also one of my son’s name. After adopting these names, I was very conscientious of the highly energy I had called upon me. But in front of my Art I only sign Makeda.
She mainly paints flowers and the reason is quite interesting: “Before I painted flowers, I tried many styles. After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, as I was deep into etheric explorations, and had a beautiful meditation in a garden of Wynn Farm Ecological Reserve, Kenscoff, Haiti. The experience was a great way to accept healing from this big hit. When I opened my eyes, the flowers around me, seemed much bigger, they were speaking… revealing their etheric bodies to me, and speaking of divine energy. That was it. Letting go of the small brush, and small surfaces, letting go of symbolism, was letting go of all mundane fears and absorbing this cosmic mission to the fullest. As a growing artist, my capacities to make effective this divine energy, this serenity, this supreme peace, also grows and attains all that come across my Artistry.”
Makeda has always been an observer of energy and has been dancing since age 14. She just got certified as a Yoga instructor in Varkala, India and plans to be an international yoga teacher, spreading divine energy all over, through all the channels she was gifted to express and share it. As a Yoga teacher, she wants her classes to be a fusion of her artistry as they will be going beyond paintings. To the Afropunk community, she says: “I enjoyed sharing part of me with you all, and these will not be my last words to you. I will keep talking to you through social media and will also be announcing all upcoming exhibits, Yoga classes, workshops, retreats, dance performances, and all the other beautiful fusions. INFINITE LOVE PEOPLE!”
Plea to Trump to extend Haitian Temporary Protected Status
Q: I am here lawfully with Haitian Temporary Protected Status. I read that the Department of Homeland Security will end the program Jan. 18. If that happens, will they try to deport us Haitians all at once?
John Eugene, Florida
A: I remain optimistic that DHS will extend TPS for Haitians beyond Jan. 19. If I’m wrong, I doubt that Immigration and Customs Enforcement will make deporting Haitians a priority. ICE and the immigration courts are already overwhelmed. Many Haitians will have defenses to deportation. When they assert their claims, the courts will be clogged further.
DHS granted about 60,000 Haitians TPS after a devastating earthquake hit Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010. As I wrote in May when I called on President Trump to extend Haitian TPS, Haiti has yet to recover from the Earthquake. And, it has suffered from a disastrous hurricane and cholera outbreak.
Political factors favor another Haitian TPS extension. Florida Gov. Rick Scott and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, both Republicans, support an extension. The Congressional Black Caucus has pushed hard for an extension as well. Though the caucus is almost entirely Democratic, TPS is one of the few programs that benefit primarily black immigrants. President Trump may be reluctant to end it. Why look racist, mean and heartless by deporting such a small group of immigrants?
As for mass deportations, many Haitians with TPS have been here 10 years or more and have U.S. citizen children, allowing them to apply to an immigration judge for a Cancellation of Removal green card. Those cases are hard to win. The applicant must prove exceptional and extremely unusual hardship to a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, parent, child or spouse should the person be deported.
Still, Haitians with the qualifying relatives will certainly apply, stretching out their deportation for years. Others will apply for asylum, another time-consuming process. Haiti remains politically unstable, and many Haitians have legitimate asylum claims.
Trump claims he wants to focus deportation efforts on criminals. Ending Haitian TPS would be further evidence that it is all immigrants that are his target.
Allan Wernick is an attorney and director of the City University of New York’s Citizenship Now! project. Send questions and comments to Allan Wernick, New York Daily News, 7th Fl., 4 New York Plaza, New York, NY 10004, or email to
Briefing Security Council, Special Representative Calls upon Haiti Leadership to Restore, Strengthen Independence of Judiciary
With the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) making way for a new peacekeeping operation focusing on justice support, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative to the country said today.
On the heels of the Secretary-General’s latest report on MINUSTAH (document S/2017/604), Sandra Honoré, Special Representative and Head of United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, briefed the Security Council on the latest developments in the country. She said that, less than three months before MINUSTAH gave way to the new United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH), the country remained on the path to stabilization and democratic consolidation. She added, however, more needed to be done to consolidate the security and stabilization gains of recent years, create greater social and political cohesion and truly reinforce State institutions.
In that vein, she called on Haiti’s executive branch and legislature to restore, without delay, the country’s judiciary and to bolster its independence. It was troubling that a third branch of power was not yet fully functioning, she said, emphasizing that a lack of tangible progress on the rule of law was impacting on people’s lives, their human rights, investment and economic growth.
She said that, without a properly functioning justice system, the Haitian National Police could not ensure security for all citizens. “As the National Police grows in strength and performance, all efforts must aim to create the necessary framework for the effective delivery of justice and the rule of law,” she told the Council, adding that resolute implementation of reforms and plans for inclusive dialogue were all the more important to sustainably consolidate the gains made so far and to pave the way for the transition to MINUJUSTH.
“Ultimately, Haiti’s security, political, social and development agenda can only be shaped by the national authorities and the Haitian people themselves,” she said, adding that much-needed donor support could help national-led efforts where needed and desired. Emphasizing that MINUSTAH’s drawdown and transition to the new Mission had been designed to ensure an orderly transfer of security tasks to State institutions, she said the international community’s partnership with Haiti and support for its reform agenda would be critical going forward.
Welcoming the Secretary-General’s report as objective and balanced, Haiti’s representative said his country was making process to build the rule of law and to anchor democracy. His Government had taken note of the report’s criticisms regarding limited progress in the administration of justice, shortcomings in the correctional system and human rights concerns, he said.
Emphasizing that Haiti’s cholera epidemic was far from being eradicated, he appealed for a prompt and sustained resumption of development assistance that would help lead to sustained growth. On MINUSTAH, he welcomed the orderly withdrawal of its military component, adding that lessons drawn over the past 13 years would be harnessed wisely for the benefit of the incoming Mission.
During an open debate, Council members and other delegations welcomed recent developments in Haiti, encouraged the Government to do more to strengthen human rights and the rule of law and called for the international community to extend more support for the United Nations Haiti Cholera Response Multi-Partner Trust Fund.
The representative of Uruguay expressed concern over the island nation’s socioeconomic situation, emphasizing that many Haitians were living amid severe food insecurity and acute malnutrition. That the Haitian authorities were even thinking about reconstituting the armed forces was a serious concern, he added, emphasizing that such an effort would divert resources away from areas that needed urgent attention.
The representative of Bolivia expressed support for the President of Haiti’s proposal that the new Mission would be classified under Chapter VI of the Charter, as there was no threat to peace and security in Haiti. Recalling the Council’s June visit to Haiti, he said MINUJUSTH faced a raft of strategic goals to be completed within two years, and he raised concern that it might be unable to fulfil those objectives in such a short time. Commending MINUSTAH for its self‑assessment, he said it must now tackle outstanding issues related to cholera and sexual exploitation and abuse. He advocated support for the Secretary-General’s new approach to cholera, noting that, without attention to health, education and sanitation, Haiti’s path to sustainable development would be long and rocky.
The representative of Japan was among several speakers who underscored their countries’ troop and police contribution to MINUSTAH over the years. He expressed hope that MINUJUSTH would strengthen police and justice institutions, citing the challenges of the Haitian National Police’s ability to respond to large-scale violence, border controls, the need for police stations and rule of law issues. He also highlighted Japan’s $9 million contribution to combat cholera, through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other organizations.
The representative of the United States noted that the core of the new Mission would focus on the rule of law, police development and human rights. She also urged that more attention be given to Haiti’s economic situation and challenges related to humanitarian and disaster preparedness. The United States had been among Haiti’s strongest international partners for more than 30 years, she said, and it would continue to support the country.
Peru’s representative, speaking on behalf of the Group of Friends of Haiti, said strengthening the rule of law and democratic institutions, and embedding a culture to improve socioeconomic conditions, were all essential to security and prosperity in the country. He underscored the principle of national ownership and inclusion, and reiterated the importance of the Government’s commitment to the rule of law, justice and security. He also welcomed the reform of the Haitian National Police and adoption of the strategic development plan. He noted, however, limited progress in improving judicial institutions and the administration of justice, and urged the Government to take actions related to justice and human rights.
The Vice-Minister for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights of Mexico said the strengthening of rule of law and national institutions were signs of a new era for Haiti in shouldering its responsibilities for the future. “The United Nations is not leaving Haiti. Rather, our presence is evolving,” he said, emphasizing that the Organization must support Haiti in shaping its development path and ensuring its people enjoyed the fruits of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Also speaking were representatives of the Kazakhstan, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Sweden, Senegal, Italy, China, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Chile, as well as the European Union.
The meeting began at 10:07 a.m., was suspended from 11:03 a.m. to 11:49 a.m., and ended at 1:20 p.m.