Joint Statement & Call to Action on the Crisis in Haiti

JULY 2021

In response to the crisis in Haiti, which has deepened in the wake of the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, we, the undersigned individuals and organizations, express our condolences and sympathy to all of the Haitian families that have lost a loved one to the ongoing violence. We further recognize that activists and human rights defenders in Haiti are currently facing grave danger as they continue to work for a better future for all Haitians. 

 In light of the horrific events of the past month in Haiti, including the massacre at Delmas 32 and the high profile killing of prominent activist Antoinette Duclaire and journalist Diego Charles; the ongoing gang fighting and arson attacks in poor neighborhoods that have displaced more than 18,000 people; and the shocking assassination of Jovenel Moïse in his home on the night of July 6-7; 

Considering that the Haitian people have been living in a brutal climate of insecurity that makes it hard to get to work, and that there is a growing food crisis; that crops have failed as a result of rising temperatures and climate disruption; that gang violence has blocked roads and shut off access to markets, and more than 4.4 million people do not have enough food to eat every day; 

Considering that COVID cases are spiking, and that lack of security and gang violence make it impossible for life saving materials to reach hospitals in other parts of the country while also blocking the capital’s main petrol depot, leading to massive gas shortages; 

We call on the international community to stand in solidarity with Haitian calls for:

(1) A Haitian solution. Haitians should lead in building the path forward. Foreign actors must not impose solutions from abroad. Even prior to Moïse’s murder, Haitian organizations have been building consensus for a transitional government. Foreign governments and international institutions must not overstep their role by declaring who has authority in Haiti, particularly when that conflicts with Haitian law.

We need only look to the recent MINUSTAH mission to see that foreign efforts fail to create lasting public democratic institutions that are necessary for any country to function. Despite spending 13 years and $7 billion -- ten times Haiti’s GDP-- the MINUSTAH mission left Haiti with more guns and less democracy. The mission also afflicted Haiti’s citizens with sexual exploitation and abuse, leaving behind hundreds of children fathered by peacekeepers, and was responsible for introducing cholera to Haiti, killing an estimated 10,000 people.

(2) A commitment to a participatory democratic process. After decades of foreign intervention and aid policies that have destabilized Haiti, each branch of the Haitian government has been systematically dismantled, and public confidence in Haiti’s governance has declined to nearly nothing. Haitian organizations and civil society have long been calling for a transition government to restore stability, basic security, and democracy. Haiti must have a transition process in order to rebuild its democratic institutions, and this process must be inclusive of all sectors of Haiti’s population. 

(3) Ensuring that conditions for fair, participatory, and credible elections are in place before rushing Haiti to the polls. Elections are a fundamental part of the democratic process. However, they must be free and fair and perceived as legitimate in order to strengthen democracy. Elections will not be free and fair without inclusive voter registration, an independent and legitimate electoral body, and the security necessary not only to vote, but also to campaign leading up to election day. Meaningful participation requires that women and other marginalized groups also participate in the electoral process. A race to hold elections on an internationally-imposed timeline risks further eroding democracy in Haiti. 

(4) Protection for the right to free expression and the right to life. Over the past three years, all Haitian people have learned that there is no safety; there is no guarantee that they will make it home when they leave. Human rights defenders, journalists, and activists are frequent targets of threats and attacks, and essential health care workers have been injured and killed through kidnappings, attacks and gang violence. Gender-based violence, including rape, has been increasing during this crisis, and thousands of women and girls have been displaced from their homes, making them even more vulnerable. 

 Three years ago, on July 6-7, 2018, the emerging evidence that government officials had stolen more than $2 billion from state coffers and rising gas prices sparked the first in a series of protests against corruption and impunity. These massive mobilizations of Haitians across class and political lines marched together to call for accountability and democracy. They were consistently met with brutal repression from the government and indifference from the international community. 

There have been 18 massacres documented in Port-au-Prince over these past three years. Perpetrators have targeted neighborhoods active in opposition protests, and have not been held accountable. Human rights groups have documented connections between officials and the armed groups responsible for these massacres, including Moïse and other government ministers.  Further, some argue that these massacres  constitute crimes against humanity. 

(5) Recognition of how foreign interventions have contributed to current conditions in Haiti. While many are calling Haiti a “failed state”, what we see is the failure of centuries of policies imposed on Haiti by the international community, including aid policies, that prioritized foreign interests and short-term gains over sustainable democracy and prosperity for Haitians. The 2010 earthquake was an opportunity to rebuild Haiti with strong public institutions. However, despite hundreds of millions of aid dollars, Haiti’s entire public administration was outsourced to foreign institutions and NGOs. 

For a stronger Haiti,

Adrian Dominican Sisters

AL- AHAD

American Friends Service Committee

American Jewish World Service

Association d’Initiative Civique Culturelle et Communautaire (ASPIC)

Benedictine Sisters of Erie

Beyond Borders

Border Network for Human Rights

Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI)

Caribbean Evaluators International

Casa Generalizia della Societa del Sacro Cuore

Center for Economic and Policy Research

Center for Gender & Refugee Studies

Centre de sante

Church of the Brethren, Office of Peacebuilding and Policy

Communities for Haitian Entrepreneurs and Startups (CHES),.Inc

Community Coalition for Haiti

Community Powerhouse Consulting & Coaching, LLC

Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace

Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces

Congregation of Sisters of St Agnes and CSA-USA Associate Community

Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

Congregation of St. Joseph Peace and Justice Team

Congregation of the Mission

Congregations of St. Joseph

Daughters of Wisdom US Province

Defend Haiti's Democracy

Diaspora Community Services

Dominican Leadership Conference

Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids

Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt, NY

Dominican Sisters of Hope

Dominican Sisters of Houston

Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa Peace and Justice Office

Environmental Justice Initiative for Haiti

Erie Benedictines for Peace

Faiths for Safe Water

FEWGI

FONDAMA

Fondatione PROCLADE internationale ONLUS

Franciscan Action Network

Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart

Free the Slaves

Friends of Matènwa

Global Justice Clinic, Washington Square Legal Services

Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ

GOALS Haiti

Groupe d'Appui au Développement et à la Démocratie (GRADE)

Haiti Design Collective

Haiti Dream Keeper Archives

Haiti Justice Alliance

Haiti Response Coalition

Haiti Solidarity Network of the North East

Haitian Bridge Alliance

Haitian Studies Association

Health and Education for Haiti

Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH)

Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center

International Human Rights Clinic, Harvard Law School

Just Haiti, Inc.

La Troupe Makandal

Latin America Working Group (LAWG)

Latter-day Saint Democrats of America

Leadership Conference  of Women Religious

MADRE

Maryknoll Lay MIssioners

Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns

Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic

Mennonite Central Committee U.S.

Mercy Beyond Borders

Micatal

Missionary Oblates

National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd

National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC)

NJ State Industrial Union Council

Nou Pap Dòmi

Oblats de Marie Immaculée - JPIC

OBMICA

Office of Peace, Justice, and Ecological Integrity/ Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth

OKAP KONEKTE

Organisation for Dondon’s Intégral Development

Overture Outreach International

Passionists International

Pax Christi USA

Plateforme haïtienne de Plaidoyer pour un Développement Alternatif (PAPDA)

Presbyterian Church (USA)

Presentation Sisters San Francisco, CA

Prince of Peace Christian Fellowship

PRODEV

Progressive National Baptist Convention,Inc.

Project Blueprint

Quixote Center

RDC Social Justice Board

Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance

Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Western American Province

Repatriate Our Patriots

Rights Action

Robert F Kennedy Human Rights

Salesian Missions

School Sisters of Notre Dame - CP JPIC Office

School Sisters of Notre Dame Atlantic Midwest Province

Sisters of  St. Francis of Philadelphia Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation Committee

Sisters of Bon Secours, USA

Sisters of Charity Federation

Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Congregational Leadership

Sisters of Charity of New York

Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, PA

Sisters of St. Francis Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation Committee

Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, Iowa

Sisters of St. Francis, Oldenburg

Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet Albany Province

Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, LA

Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester

Sisters of the Divine Compassion

Sisters of the Holy Cross

Sisters of the Humility of Mary

Sisters of the Presentation, Dubuque, IA

Société du Samedi Soir

Society of Helpers

Society of the Sacred Heart US Canada Province

Sojourners

Solidarité Québec-Haïti

Southern California Partners for Global Justice

Springfield Dominican Justice, Peace, & Integrity of Creation Committee

St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church  Atten; Patricia Waddell , Coordinator of Haiti Mission

Summits Education

Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods (SOIL)

The Afiya Center

The El Paso (TX) Chapter, The Links, Incorporated

The Episcopal Church

The Haitian Women’s Collective

The United Methodist Church - General Board of Church and Society

U.S. Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph

UNANIMA International

Unlocking Communities

Washington Office on Latin America

Wheaton Franciscans JPIC Office

Win Without War

Xaverian Brothers

Zanmi Lakay