In a key development for regional trade across the Caribbean and North America, the U.S. Congress has given final legislative approval to a bill extending two long-running trade preference initiatives for Haiti: the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) and the Haiti Economic Lift Program (HELP). The legislation now moves to the Oval Office for the U.S. president’s signature to enter into force.
The American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic (AMCHAMDR) has issued a formal statement praising the congressional action, outlining the far-reaching economic benefits the extended programs will deliver for both Haiti and neighboring nations. According to the chamber, the extended trade preferences will sustain Haiti’s vital garment manufacturing sector, which holds preferential duty-free access to the massive U.S. consumer market. This continued access, AMCHAMDR notes, will not only help protect thousands of existing formal jobs in Haiti’s industrial sector but also create a more predictable policy environment to attract new private sector investment.
A core point the business group emphasized is the integrated regional supply chain that connects Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the United States, a network that has operated for decades to drive cross-border economic activity. Under this collaborative framework, raw materials sourced from the United States are first processed into finished textiles in Dominican Republic factories, before being transported to Haitian manufacturing facilities to produce final apparel goods destined for U.S. consumers. The extended programs will keep this interconnected supply chain functioning smoothly, avoiding disruptions that would harm producers and workers across all three nations.
AMCHAMDR Executive Vice President William Malamud explained that broader regional stability hinges on economic progress in Haiti. A more economically stable and prosperous Haiti, Malamud argued, generates spillover benefits for the entire Caribbean region, strengthening cross-border trade, boosting overall investor confidence in the area, and deepening economic integration between neighboring countries.
In closing, the chamber reaffirmed its longstanding commitment to supporting policy measures that expand economic opportunity and reinforce regional stability by closer trade and commercial ties between Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the United States.