Against a persistent backdrop of systemic challenges facing women and girls across Haiti, the country’s Ministry of the Status of Women and Women’s Rights (MCFDF) convened a key stakeholders meeting on October 8, 2026, to kick off work on the revision and development of a new National Action Plan for Gender Equality covering 2026 to 2031, while formally revitalizing the regional Gender/West Thematic Working Group tasked with driving this initiative.
The gathering brought together a broad cross-section of official stakeholders, including MCFDF Director General Sandy François, Chief of Staff Frantzdia Gilles, senior leadership from multiple public institutions, cabinet members for the Minister of Women’s Affairs, and core MCFDF departmental officials. The working session was structured to open collaborative deliberations on the new five-year plan, while also renewing collective commitments to building stronger coordination and accountability mechanisms for gender equality-focused actions across all levels of government.
Opening the formal proceedings, Eugénie Libéral, coordinator of the MCFDF’s Studies and Programming Unit, laid out the institutional context for the revitalized thematic working group, articulating the core challenges the plan aims to address and the clear objectives guiding the day’s discussions. In her keynote address to attendees, Minister of the Status of Women Pedrica Saint Jean reflected on prior national deliberations around gender equity, stressing the urgent importance of this new planning effort. Noting the deep and multifaceted challenges that women and girls across Haiti continue to navigate in the current fragile national context, Saint Jean emphasized that the initiative is designed to deliver the concrete, targeted support that half the population has long needed. She further highlighted the critical role of the thematic working group in expanding women’s meaningful participation in all spheres of national public life, and advancing the full realization of their legal and human rights as equal citizens.
Following the minister’s address, Viona Guerrier, director of the MCFDF’s Gender Promotion and Empowerment department, delivered a comprehensive overview of Haiti’s existing national gender equality policy, providing a foundational baseline for participants’ deliberations on updates and improvements. Hemanex Gonzague Désir then summarized progress and outcomes from a prior planning workshop held in early March 2026, drawing particular attention to the shared conclusion that departmental gender roundtables across the country require urgent revitalization to ensure effective regional implementation of the new plan.
These introductory presentations set the stage for open, collaborative discussions among attendees focused on the framework of the 2026–2031 National Action Plan. Stakeholders debated priority policy measures to be included, clarified lines of responsibility across different public institutions, and developed initial proposals for the robust monitoring mechanisms that will be required to hold actors accountable and ensure consistent rollout of the plan across all sectors of government.
The meeting closed on a note of collective commitment, with all participating stakeholders reaffirming their dedication to reinvigorating national dialogue around gender equality, and embedding gender-responsive perspectives across all national public policy through the ambitious new 2026–2031 plan.