Report of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti (E/2016/79)

I. Introduction

1. The present report is the twelfth submitted to the Economic and Social Council since the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti was reactivated in 2004 at the request of the Government of Haiti. The Group, which is chaired by Canada, is composed of the Permanent Representatives of Argentina, the Bahamas, Benin, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, France, Haiti, Mexico, Peru, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay to the United Nations and the representative of the United States of America to the Economic and Social Council.

2. By its resolution 2015/18, the Economic and Social Council decided to extend the mandate of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group until the conclusion of the 2016 session, with the purpose of following closely and providing advice on the long-term development strategy of Haiti to promote socioeconomic recovery, reconstruction and stability, with particular attention to the need to ensure coherence and sustainability in international support for Haiti, based on the long-term national development priorities, building upon the Strategic Plan for the Development of Haiti, and stressing the need to avoid overlap and duplication with respect to existing mechanisms. The Council requested the Group to submit a report on its work, with recommendations, to the Council for its consideration at its 2016 session.

3. The present report is based largely on the findings of the Group as a result of two main activities: a visit to Washington, D.C., on 19 May, in which members of the Group met with representatives of the international financial institutions (International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank), the Organization of American States and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO); and a meeting by videoconference on 12 July with the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti and with members of the United Nations country team, as well as with the Director General of the Ministry of the Interior and members of civil society representing both Haitian and international non-governmental organizations.

4. The Group expresses its gratitude to the Resident Coordinator and all interlocutors in Washington, D.C., and Port-au-Prince for taking the time to share analysis of and views on development prospects in Haiti. The Group also thanks the Department of Economic and Social Affairs for its continued support to the Group ’s work.

5. The Group did not travel to Haiti in 2016 owing to the shifting electoral calendar. Elections scheduled for 24 April were cancelled, and Haiti has continued to face political uncertainties since then. The status of the interim President has yet to be resolved by the National Assembly of Haiti amid growing political polarization. The National Assembly has not yet taken a decision on the provisional governance of the country until the rerun of the presidential elections, the first round of which is scheduled on 9 October 2016. There have been a series of social, political and security developments at the local and national levels signalling a growing sense of unrest. The Group remains willing to pay a visit to Haiti as soon as the political situation evolves and an enabling environment is in place for a dialogue with a wide range of stakeholders.