UNHCR

Part of the reason we made this website was to highlight good work being done by good people, especially Haitians, for the betterment of the country.  Haiti has many overlooked heroes, too many of whom pay the ultimate price for trying to bring about a more just society.  Monferrial Dorval, former head of the Port-au-Prince Bar Association and international human rights champion, was assassinated on August 28, 2020.  His legacy was remembered on 10 December which is International Human Rights Day.  He was committed to the rule of law, human rights, and drafted a bill that would prevent Haitians in Haiti and abroad from not having citizenship due to gaps in civil registration and documentation.  May his example be an inspiration to others. 

Stateless persons are not recognized as citizens of any country.  They are often vulnerable to exploitation due to a lack of access to health care, education, work, and justice.  It is a major problem in the Dominican Republic where the the government has long been reluctant to grant citizenship to Dominicans of Haitian descent.  Last week, the Haitian Parliament voted to accede to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, making it the third member state of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the 69th country in the world to do so.  The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) issued a statement praising Haiti for its committment. To become involved, consider joining UNHCR's "I Belong" Campaign to End Statelessness. 

Refugees International (RI) researchers Melanie Teff and Emilie Parry traveled to Haiti in September to assess the needs of Haitians displaced by the earthquake.  Attached and below are their findings.  For the displaced, this is still clearly an emergency.  Less than 30% of camps have managers, a serious problem given insecurity and the fact that the majority of the displaced are not going anywhere until the Haitian government develops a systematic approach for determining land ownership and resolving property disputes.  Most agree that the response of UN agencies could have been improved with better surge capacity, clarity over who is responsible for protection and a concerted effort to include Haitians in coordination efforts instead of shutting them out. 

It is no secret that the environmental degradation caused by Haiti's over-reliance on wood fuels negatively impacts the country's ability to feed itself, to prevent disasters, and to protect the health and nutritional status of its children. After the earthquake, many people are now finding themselves more reliant than ever on wood charcoal, while having less money with which to pay for it.  Securing access to alternative, inexpensive fuel sources is key to Haiti's future.  Yet no one agency owns this issue.  To address the need for increased attention, resources, and coordination, the Women's Refugee Commission and the World Food Program carried out a joint assessment of cooking needs in post earthquake Haiti, attached and copied below.