Following the assassination of President Moise in July 2021, Haiti experienced an unprecedented and rapid expansion of violence. In 2022, at least 1,448 people were killed, 1,145 injured and 1,005 kidnapped in gang-related incidents. Rape and other forms of sexual violence are used to instill fear and humiliate, control, and displace populations. Due to high levels of insecurity, most humanitarian actors and service-providers struggle to access certain areas and populations, particularly in the port and most marginalized neighbourhoods where the need for protection in these areas has increased dramatically.

The persistent insufficiency of food, water, medicines, and sanitation installations are disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable categories of people, including children, pregnant and lactating women, persons with disabilities, and the elderly. Moreover, the situation has been compounded by the recent cholera outbreak in October 2022 and the ongoing risks of natural disasters, which continue to fuel humanitarian needs in Haiti. Against this backdrop, the international response continues to be severely underfunded. The session will address key challenges related to access to people affected by the crisis, in particular vulnerable groups, and share best practices on how protection actors were able to efficiently collect information on the protection needs for people on the ground while mitigating the risks to the security of populations living under the control of gangs. The session will also showcase the implementation of the localisation agenda through the concrete experience of working and coordinating with local organisations and authorities in Haiti in order to strengthen the resilience of the population to multidimensional risks and build on the added value and comparative advantage of the various players to increase the impact.

Organisers: OHCHR, Office de la Protection du Citoyen, and MSF

Speakers :

• Mr Christian Salazar Volkmann, Director of Field Operations and Technical Cooperation
• Mr Arnaud Royer, Director of the Human Rights Section in Haiti
• Me Greef Bouloge PETION, le Directeur de Protection des droits humains
• Ms Sandra Lamarque, MSF