Government of Dominica

PRESIDENT SAVARIN CALLS ON INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO MOVE SWIFTLY IN SUPPORT OF HAITI

President of Dominica, His Excellency Charles A. Savarin has called on the international community to join together to give much needed assistance to Haiti.

The situation in Haiti has escalated over the years resulting in over seventy percent of the population admitting that they do not feel safe in the country.

While addressing the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, President Savarin says this crisis requires immediate action.

“The prevailing situation in our fellow CARICOM Member of State of Haiti is a dire one which deserves urgent international intervention. Haiti faces deep rooted crises on multiple fronts. Much of it arising from its post-independence relations with the international community, poor governance over the years and lingering effects of the catastrophic devastation visited on that country by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in January of 210. To date, Mr. President, while there may have been preliminary figures, I am not aware of any comprehensive assessment detailing the estimate of the destruction of the 2010 earthquake nor a World Bank estimate of the cost of reconstruction, as has been done with the situation in Ukraine,” President Savarin stated

He reaffirmed Dominica’s commitment to supporting Haiti as they lead the solution to the crisis.

“The fact remains that since 2010, Haiti has been hit by several earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, pandemics and sociopolitical instability. If ever there was a cause deserving the full attention of the international community, that cause is Haiti. The Commonwealth of Dominica aligns itself with processes outlined by the Organization of American States to support the people of Haiti, in August 2022, as well as decisions taken by the CARICOM Community at its 45th Regular meeting of Heads of Government in July of this year, to lend active support to the Government and people of Haiti, in their efforts to arrive at a Haitian led solution to the ongoing crisis,” he noted.

President Savarin explained that food security is also a major issue for country. An IPC report stated that nearly half of the population of eleven million people is grappling with high levels of acute food security.

He called on the international community to move swiftly in their support of Haiti in key areas including security and health.

“The humanitarian situation is being further aggravated by a national security problem, including the illicit flow of arms and ammunitions and gang related violence. The Commonwealth of Dominica is of the view, that a strategy which addresses the root causes of instability in Haiti will be embraced by the people of Haiti. We also underscore that such an approach cannot be pursued without the unwavering support of the international community. My delegation, therefore, calls on the Security Council to move decisively to offer support to Haiti in key priority areas including security, governance, education, health, water and electricity, sustainable livelihoods, and long term development planning and advocacy,” President Savarin added.

 

Sign up for the Newsletter

Join our newsletter and get updates in your inbox. We won’t spam you and we respect your privacy.