‘We must find solutions for Haiti’
CARICOM leaders, including stakeholders from Haiti, met in Jamaica yesterday to address the ongoing crisis in Haiti and find workable solutions.
Prime Minister Philip Davis, the chairman of CARICOM, said the deteriorating situation in Haiti must be addressed.
“We have come to help and not because the task is easy,” said Davis during the opening of the three-day meeting in Kingston.
“We have come here precisely because the task is extremely difficult. Others can resolve the easy things, but a critical responsibility of leadership is to address those issues which are extremely difficult.
“The responsibility falls to all of us – to all of you – to make a supreme effort to find an effective solution.
“The challenges and struggles taking place in the Republic of Haiti have been present for far too long.
“If there existed a perfect solution, we probably would have found it by now.
“And so, I think it is important that we recognize that what we are striving for may, in the end, not be perfect, but will likely be something that, in the immediate term, is effective.”
Davis reiterated that any plan to solve Haiti’s woes must be Haitian led.
Since the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, there has been an escalation of violence in Haiti.
In addition to the violence, nearly 4.9 million Haitians are going hungry because of a deepening food crisis, according to the World Food Program.
Officials at the United Nations have said that murders, rapes, kidnappings and lynchings were on the rise in Haiti. Much of the violence, officials say, is concentrated in Port-au-Prince and gang-related.
Last month, mobs began attacking and killing suspected gang members in the street.
At the meeting yesterday, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said it is important to try to find a solution for Haiti.
“As we facilitate the space for dialogue and consultation to be held amongst yourselves, we trust that all parties will approach these discussions with mutual respect and in a spirit of openness and goodwill,” he said.
Dozens of stakeholders from Haiti attended the opening, including the Acting Prime Minister of Haiti, Dr Ariel Henry.
The Eminent Persons Group, appointed by CARICOM, will facilitate the dialogue during the meeting.
The group includes former Bahamian Prime Minister Perry Christie, former Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding and former St. Lucian Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony.
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