In a high-stakes visit focused on addressing Haiti’s deepening humanitarian crisis, Princess Sarah Zeid of Jordan — Senior Special Advisor to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) — traveled to the Caribbean nation for an official mission in late April 2026, holding a series of strategic meetings with top Haitian government officials and global development stakeholders.
On April 29, the first full day of her trip, Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé formally welcomed Princess Sarah Zeid, opening talks centered on the country’s pressing humanitarian needs. Fils-Aimé used the meeting to reaffirm his administration’s unwavering dedication to lifting living standards for millions of Haitian residents, even amid the extraordinary security, economic and social instability that has defined the nation’s recent landscape. During their conversation, the prime minister also outlined the emergency and long-term measures his government has rolled out to bolster protections for Haiti’s most marginalized groups, with a specific focus on women and children, who bear the brunt of the ongoing crisis.
The visit also included a cordial, outcome-focused discussion between Princess Sarah Zeid and Haitian Foreign Minister Raina Forbin. The pair centered their dialogue on expanding and deepening institutional cooperation between the Haitian government and the WFP, with particular attention to improving maternal and child health outcomes in the country’s challenging humanitarian context. Joining the meeting were Nicole Boni Kouassi, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Haiti, and Wanja Kaaria, WFP’s Country Director for the nation. Forbin publicly praised Princess Sarah Zeid’s decades-long dedicated leadership in global humanitarian action, specifically calling out her work advancing maternal and neonatal health equity around the world. She also reaffirmed the Haitian government’s commitment to growing this strategic partnership to deliver tangible support to the country’s most vulnerable communities.
Beyond government bilateral talks, Princess Sarah Zeid led a high-level strategic gathering at Port-au-Prince’s Karibe Hotel, which convened a cross-section of Haitian national leaders and international representatives united around three core goals: building lasting peace in Haiti, advancing inclusive development, strengthening protections for women and girls, and expanding support for survivors of gender-based violence. Attendees framed discussions around two central priorities: providing targeted resourcing and policy support to grassroots Haitian feminist organizations, and advancing the sustainable restoration of security and peace across the country.
The Karibe Hotel meeting included a diverse roster of attendees, among them Marie Goretti Nduwayo, UN Women Representative to Haiti; Nicole Kouassi, who serves dual roles as UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator with the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH); Wanja Kaaria, WFP’s Haiti representative; Yuki Takemoto, UNAIDS Country Representative for Haiti; Stéphanie Smith, Haiti’s Minister of Tourism; and Pédrica Saint-Jean, Haiti’s Minister for the Status of Women and Women’s Rights. The gathering also included delegations from roughly 10 grassroots Haitian women’s and feminist organizations, ensuring local voices shaped the strategic conversations around the future of gender equity and peacebuilding in the country.