Haiti
As Haiti unravels, the last U.N. peacekeepers exit after 15 years
When the United Nations deployed 6,200 blue-helmet soldiers and 1,200 police officers in 2004 to restore order in an unruly Haiti, ruthless armed gangs freely roamed the streets, corruption ran rampant in the judiciary and the country’s volatile politics were in a free fall.
Meanwhile, the Haiti National Police, awash in drug-trafficking and corruption allegations, numbered no more than 2,500 out of the 6,300 the U.N. had trained years earlier and two-thirds of its 182 police stations had been vandalized and burned. Continue reading
Artists get involved in the mobilization against President
A huge crowd, which some experts estimate to tens of thousands of people, surveyed the arteries of Port-au-Prince, Delmas and Pétion city yesterday as part of an anti-government demonstration. On the initiative of a group of artists included Pierre Raymond Divert, known as King Kino as well as Ti Djo Zeny and Izolan the protesters called for the resignation of President Jovenel Moïse.
“He has to go,” King Kino said, explaining that the mobilization of artists has not received any financial support from the private sector. He sharply criticizes the economic elites as the makers of the political system of exclusion.
Kino argues for a change in the system that has produced presidents who do not defend the interests of the people. He urges Moïse to resign judging that he has no support in society. Churches, students and artists are against him, Kino insists. Continue reading
Resignation of Jovenel Moïse and dismissal of parliament, demand representatives of students on the Council of the Ueh
Representatives of students at the Conseil de l’Université d’Etat of Haiti (Ueh) call for unconditional departure President Jovenel Moïse.
They also demand the immediate dismissal of the Haitian parliament in a joint note, dated October 14. The activities remain paralyzed throughout the national territory at the beginning of a fifth week of mobilizations against the political regime in place. Continue reading
Haiti among the least competitive economies on the globe
Haiti has made little progress in terms of competitiveness. According to the latest Global Competitiveness Report 2019 published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), the country’s score fell by 0.1 point to 36.3 out of 100. Out of 141 countries, compared with 140 in the 2018 edition, Haiti ranks 138th in the standings, short of the Democratic Republic of Congo (139th), Yemen (140th) and Chad (141st).
Overall, the index lists the competitiveness landscape of 141 economies through 103 indicators organized into 12 pillars. Each indicator using a scale from 0 to 100 shows how close an economy is to the ideal state or “frontier” of competitiveness. The pillars, which cover general socio-economic elements are: institutions, infrastructure, ICT adoption, macroeconomic stability, health, skills, product market, labor market, financial system, market size, business dynamism and innovation capacity. Continue reading
Helen LaLime appointed as head of UNHIB in Haiti
The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, paid a visit to Helen Meagher La Lime on October 14 to lead the new UN mission in Haiti: “BINUH”. Hellen Lalime has already been the UN Special Representative in Haiti and then UNMIK Head will lead the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (INCIN) in an initial 12-month mandate.
“LaLime should work on issues related to elections that have been delayed due to political unrest, and contribute to strengthening the record of the Haitian National Police in terms of human rights and respect for human rights. international obligations,” according to the Miami Herald newspaper, a mission entrusted to it by UN Secretary Antonio Guterres. Continue reading