Against a backdrop of growing community-level environmental challenges across Haiti, the nation’s Ministry of Environment has partnered with UNESCO to kick off a landmark capacity-building initiative, the Citizen Environmental Initiatives Support Program (PAIEC). On August 7, 2026, the first round of interactive three-day training workshops launched simultaneously across five Haitian departments: West, South, Grand’Anse, Artibonite, and North.
Targeted at emerging leaders from grassroots community-based organizations (CBOs), registered civil society groups (CSOs), local small businesses, and established environmental protection nonprofits, the workshops center on equipping participants with practical, actionable skills. Trainees learn to structure, design, and formalize their community-focused environmental projects and green business concepts to meet the strict eligibility criteria of PAIEC, which is also formally referenced as the Integrated Environmental and Climate Action Program.
This opening workshop phase is the first step in a national rolling training and mentorship scheme that will ultimately engage 100 pre-selected initiative leaders, representing nearly 300 total beneficiaries spanning all 10 of Haiti’s administrative departments. The pre-selection process followed a nationwide open call that drew more than 800 candidate proposals, with 537 applications cleared as eligible before the shortlist of 100 initiatives was finalized.
On August 9, Haitian Minister of Environment Valéry Fils-Aimé presided over the closing ceremony for the West Department workshop. In his remarks, Fils-Aimé praised the ongoing commitment of participating environmental organizations and young green entrepreneurs, urging attendees to translate their local ideas into robust, financially viable projects that deliver tangible solutions to the environmental issues facing their neighborhoods. He reaffirmed the Haitian government’s core priority: centering local stakeholders and youth in national environmental action, while simultaneously fostering innovative sustainability solutions and growing the domestic green economy.
Following the conclusion of the first workshop round, the training scheme will resume on August 14, running through August 16 in Haiti’s five remaining departments. After all workshops are completed, participants will receive ongoing tailored support to polish their full project proposals. These proposals will then undergo a formal evaluation process to select the final cohort of initiatives that will receive direct funding through PAIEC.
Ultimately, the Ministry of Environment frames PAIEC as a long-term investment in local leadership: the program is designed to nurture homegrown sustainability initiatives that deliver three core outcomes: expanded national environmental protection, new inclusive economic opportunities for marginalized communities, and equitable sustainable development across Haiti’s regions.