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Haiti

HAP workshops held in Haiti

In November 2011, the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership International conducted two workshops in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

During the first week, 18 participants from 15 different organisations (national, international, Red Cross Movement and United Nations) followed an intensive training course on investigating complaints against humanitarian workers, including cases of sexual exploitation and abuse. Throughout the week, participants discovered different aspects of such investigations. The training also included a practical case study with professional actors playing the roles of complainants and witnesses. Participants improved their knowledge of legal issues related to such cases and took part in lively discussions about investigation practices in their organisations.

The second week was dedicated to establishing efficient and safe complaints handling mechanisms. 25 participants from 14 national and international organisations worked on improving their existing mechanism and shared with their colleagues lessons learned in Haiti and elsewhere in the world. The training included a community consultation in St. Etienne, Tabarre, where focus group discussions were held with different people from the community. The aim was to identify communities' preferences and needs (need for information, participation, improving cooperation with the humanitarian actors) and to identify the best channels through which to forward complaints.

During both weeks, a lot of interest and awareness was raised to improve communication, cooperation and coordination amongst the different humanitarian organisations. As a result, it was decided to include the two groups of participants in the regular meetings of the Accountability Working Group in Port-au-Prince in order to have a safe space to carry on discussions on these topics.