标签： Haiti

In a landmark development for Haiti’s financial governance, the government has formally presented its National Risk Assessment Report on Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing after an extensive 18-month collaborative effort. The comprehensive evaluation was unveiled this week at the Montana Hotel through a joint initiative led by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), the Bank of the Republic of Haiti (BRH), and the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP).

The assessment process employed a participatory methodology that engaged over 35 multidisciplinary professionals spanning both public and private sectors, with technical guidance provided by the World Bank. This inclusive approach ensured a thorough examination of Haiti’s financial vulnerabilities and institutional capabilities.

Serge Gabriel Collin, Haiti’s newly appointed Minister of Economy and Finance, emphasized that this assessment represents a critical milestone in fortifying the nation’s financial system integrity. The report identifies multiple systemic threats including organized criminal networks, arms trafficking operations, ransom kidnappings, corruption schemes, smuggling activities, and narcotics trafficking. These criminal enterprises exert continuous pressure on Haitian institutions and present substantial barriers to achieving socio-political stability, national security, and sustainable economic development.

Minister Collin outlined that effective implementation of the report’s recommendations requires comprehensive adoption by both public and private entities. Organizations must integrate these guidelines into their operational frameworks and enhance internal compliance mechanisms to properly align resources, controls, and procedures with identified risk exposures.

The ultimate objective of this initiative is twofold: to facilitate Haiti’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) increased monitoring list (grey list) and to prevent potential designation as a non-cooperative jurisdiction (blacklist). Success in these efforts would significantly contribute to stabilizing the country’s financial sector, creating conditions favorable for economic revitalization, and accelerating social welfare and protection programs essential for national recovery.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – In a significant move to enhance governmental efficiency, Minister of Planning and External Cooperation Sandra Paulemon convened a strategic workshop on March 13, 2026, with ministerial Study and Programming Units (UEPs). This gathering focused on developing a revised Public Investment Program (PIP) for the 2025-2026 period, marking a pivotal step in Prime Minister Fils-Aimé’s administration. The initiative underscores the government’s dedication to optimizing state resources and international cooperation funds by channeling them into high-impact, structural projects that deliver tangible public benefits. Minister Paulemon emphasized that the PIP serves as the fundamental mechanism for translating national development policies into actionable, financed initiatives. She directed the UEPs to formulate realistic, meticulously prepared project proposals that are in strict alignment with the administration’s core priorities: enhancing national security, stimulating economic recovery, and establishing the necessary framework for conducting upcoming elections. This electoral preparation is a direct commitment under the National Pact for Stability and the Organization of Elections, a landmark agreement signed on February 21, 2026. Concluding the session, Paulemon issued a call to action for all involved parties, urging heightened commitment and professional rigor to ensure the planning process effectively reinforces public governance and ultimately improves citizen welfare.

In an unprecedented move signaling a new era of collaboration, Haiti’s Ministry of Religious Affairs hosted its first-ever gathering of national religious leaders on March 13, 2026. Minister Raina Forbin, overseeing both Foreign Affairs and Religious Affairs, convened representatives from diverse religious denominations at the ministerial headquarters, marking a transformative approach to governance.

The landmark meeting, characterized by officials as a ‘historic first,’ establishes a formal framework for institutional dialogue between the Haitian government and the nation’s moral and spiritual leadership. Director General of Religious Affairs Joël Turenne emphasized the unprecedented nature of this initiative, highlighting its significance in recognizing religious communities as essential partners in national development.

Minister Forbin articulated the government’s vision of integrating religious communities as vital contributors to addressing Haiti’s pressing security and social challenges. She identified religious leaders as crucial moral guides whose influence extends beyond spiritual matters into the realms of social cohesion and civic values education.

Central to the minister’s address was the assertion that lasting stability requires not only institutional action but also moral commitment from all societal sectors. She positioned religious communities as indispensable partners in consolidating national values of unity, solidarity, and hope during this critical period in Haiti’s development.

The ministry announced plans to convene a National Conference of Religious Leaders, creating a structured platform for ongoing state-religious dialogue. This initiative aims to systematically promote peace culture, strengthen social cohesion, and mobilize consensus around fundamental national values including responsibility and national solidarity.

Religious representatives responded enthusiastically to the announcement, welcoming this new chapter of cooperation as a significant advancement in state-community relations that recognizes their essential role in Haiti’s social fabric.

During an official state visit to Chile, Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé conducted a significant meeting with the Haitian diaspora community in Santiago. Accompanied by newly appointed Foreign Minister Raina Forbin, the delegation received an enthusiastic reception from a substantial gathering of expatriates.

The Prime Minister delivered a comprehensive address detailing the current administration’s multifaceted approach to national stabilization. He highlighted substantial advancements in security restoration efforts across Haitian territory and provided updates on electoral preparations being undertaken by the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), noting that political party registration processes are currently underway.

Fils-Aimé articulated the government’s three primary objectives: establishing nationwide security, stimulating economic recovery, and creating conditions conducive to transparent democratic elections. He specifically addressed diaspora concerns regarding safe return opportunities, pledging to utilize his authority to foster stability enabling overseas Haitians to visit homeland relatives without security apprehensions.

A significant portion of the dialogue focused on bureaucratic challenges faced by expatriates. The Prime Minister announced forthcoming administrative reforms, particularly through the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ), to streamline the acquisition of critical documents like criminal records that have historically posed difficulties for diaspora members.

Foreign Minister Forbin reinforced the government’s commitment to diaspora engagement, emphasizing that Haitian diplomatic missions worldwide are mandated to provide enhanced consular services and support structures. She advocated for increased organizational development within overseas Haitian communities, asserting that coordinated diaspora groups possess greater capacity to protect their interests while contributing to Haiti’s developmental trajectory.

Both officials consistently emphasized that despite geographical separation, the diaspora remains an integral component of Haiti’s national identity and recovery strategy, with the government actively seeking their involvement in overcoming current crises and building sustainable national infrastructure.

In a significant legal maneuver on March 11, 2026, the Trump Administration petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to authorize the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 350,000 Haitian nationals residing in the United States. This emergency motion seeks to overturn a lower court ruling that had blocked the administration’s attempt to dismantle the humanitarian protection program.

The Justice Department’s filing directly challenges District Judge Ana C. Reyes’s decision that maintained TPS protections for Haitian immigrants. In her earlier ruling, Judge Reyes found substantial evidence suggesting the administration’s termination efforts were potentially influenced by ‘racial animus’ against the Haitian community.

This legal confrontation emerges despite ongoing severe violence in Haiti that has displaced over 1.4 million people according to recent estimates. The administration’s position contradicts the U.S. State Department’s own travel advisory, which explicitly warns American citizens against visiting Haiti due to ‘kidnapping, criminal activity, terrorist operations, civil unrest, and inadequate healthcare infrastructure.’

The policy dispute originated in November 2025 when then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem determined that Haiti no longer faced ‘extraordinary and temporary conditions’ warranting continued protected status. This conclusion has since been challenged by multiple humanitarian organizations and legal advocates who argue that returning migrants would face dire circumstances in the destabilized Caribbean nation.