Haiti’s Ministry of the Interior and Territorial Communities (MICT) has concluded a two-day capacity-building workshop focused on equipping local leaders with tools to prevent and combat widespread insecurity across the country, officials confirmed this week. Held September 18–19, the event brought together mayors from Haiti’s metropolitan area, senior officers from the Haitian National Police, independent security analysts, and leadership from the country’s Gang Suppression Force (GSF) to align local and national security strategies.
The core goal of the workshop was to provide municipal leaders with actionable, legally compliant frameworks to address rising insecurity at the local level. A central point of discussion was the co-development of tailored Municipal Security Plans, which outline localized responses to gang violence and organized crime that align with national law enforcement priorities. Participants also emphasized the urgent need to strengthen interagency coordination between municipal governments, national government commissioners, and law enforcement entities to disrupt criminal networks operating across jurisdictional lines.
Chaired by Secretary of State for Local Government Sharina Lochard, the workshop highlighted the critical role that local leadership plays in community safety. Lochard publicly commended the ongoing commitment of Haitian mayors to protecting their constituents, and reaffirmed MICT’s commitment under Minister Paul Antoine Bien-Aimé to expanding local government authority and participation in national crime prevention efforts. This initiative builds on earlier consultations between MICT, interim executive agents, and GSF representatives, who collectively identified a need for coordinated, on-the-ground action to reverse deteriorating security conditions.
MICT officials state that the workshop is a key step forward in aligning local action with Prime Minister Fils-Aimé’s national governance and recovery roadmap. By strengthening local security capacity, the ministry aims to create the stable conditions needed to restore free movement of people and goods across the country, lay the groundwork for upcoming national elections, and support long-term economic recovery amid ongoing security challenges.