Haiti’s National Old-Age Insurance Office (ONA) has formally announced an upcoming three-day national forum dedicated to overhauling and strengthening the country’s general pension system, scheduled to run September 16 through 18, 2026 at Port-au-Prince’s Karibe Convention Center.
Against a backdrop of persistent structural economic and social challenges, the gathering will convene a diverse cross-section of stakeholders, including leading local and international policy experts, social partnership representatives, private sector leaders, labor union delegates, and senior public institution officials. The core mission of the event is to drive collaborative, evidence-based reflection on the systemic changes needed to align Haiti’s pension framework with the country’s evolving economic, social, and demographic realities.
Haiti’s current pension system faces a cascade of pressing pressures: shifting dynamics in the national labor market, an oversize informal employment sector that leaves most workers without coverage, widespread income instability, and growing strains from demographic change. In response, ONA has organized the forum to create an open, inclusive space for dialogue and consultation focused on laying the groundwork for a retirement system that is more accessible, fair, and financially viable over the long term.
A key feature of the discussions will be the inclusion of actionable insights and case studies from peer nations across Latin America and the Caribbean. By centering the lessons learned from regional pension reform efforts, participants will work to identify evidence-based best practices that can be adapted to fit Haiti’s unique economic, social, and institutional context, rather than adopting one-size-fits-all policies ill-suited to local needs.
Key agenda items for the forum include expanding overall social security coverage across the population, designing pathways for the gradual integration of workers in the informal sector into the formal pension system, shoring up the long-term financial sustainability of the system, upgrading the quality of services delivered to beneficiaries, modernizing outdated administrative and management systems, and establishing clear mechanisms to rebuild public trust in the national pension program.
In a statement accompanying the forum announcement, Lovely François, Director General of ONA, framed pension reform as an intergenerational responsibility rather than just a short-term policy priority. “Retirement should not be viewed solely as a benefit to be guaranteed today. It represents a commitment of solidarity to present and future generations,” François said. “Through this Forum, we want to foster a responsible, open, and constructive national dialogue, capable of generating concrete guidelines for gradually building a more modern, inclusive, equitable, and sustainable pension system, adapted to the realities of our country.”
Following the conclusion of the three-day event, ONA will synthesize discussions and input from all participating stakeholders to develop a set of concrete policy guidelines and actionable recommendations. These outputs will be used to inform future legislative and administrative discussions and decisions focused on strengthening the overall pension system and expanding social protection coverage for all insured Haitian workers.