Meeting of CARICOM Heads deliberates on the situation in Haiti

Yesterday the Seventh Meeting of the Caribbean Community Lead Heads of Government on Haiti was held under the chairmanship of His Excellency Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and Chairman of CARICOM.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the situation in Haiti and determine further action in support of a Haitian-led solution to the crisis in the CARICOM country.

During the meeting, the Heads received a briefing from the CARICOM Eminent Persons Group and acknowledged the important efforts being made to facilitate a political consensus among stakeholders in Haiti.

They also discussed the status of preparations for the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission.

Heads recognized the role of Jamaica in coordinating the efforts of the Community in this regard, as well as the critical contributions of Ministers of Foreign Affairs.

However, the Heads remained gravely concerned over the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Haiti as the political and security crises persist with the horrendous impacts of this situation on the most vulnerable in Haiti.

They noted that increasing violence had resulted in the loss of thousands of lives and forced hundreds of thousands to flee from their homes.

As a result, the Heads called on all stakeholders in Haiti to exert every effort to urgently arrive at a political resolution and the implementation of a transitional roadmap towards stability, the facilitation of humanitarian support, the holding of credible elections, the restoration of political and institutional legitimacy, and long-term development for the Haitian people.

The Community remains committed to working with the people and all stakeholders in Haiti towards durable peace and sustainable development. CARICOM looks forward to strengthened collaboration and coordination of efforts with the friends of Haiti and the wider international community in support of Haiti.