©️WA
Port-au-Prince, July 8, 2025.- At a press conference held on Tuesday, the organizers of the Patriotic Congress for the Rescue of Haiti presented the conclusions and resolutions of a broad process of national and academic consultation. Piloted by a network of 15 universities, the approach aims to place science, ethical governance and security at the heart of Haitian renewal. Dr. Evens Emmanuel, Vice-Rector of Research and Innovation at Quisqueya University (VIRRI-UniQ), insists on the urgent need to integrate scientific knowledge into public policy-making.
In the face of the widespread collapse of the Haitian state, a group of academics, representatives of civil society organisations and the diaspora gathered around the same objective: to save Haiti through a national mobilization informed by science and reason. This ambition took shape through the Patriotic Congress for the Rescue of Haiti, a process initiated on March 15, 2025 and crowned by the adoption of a major declaration and concrete resolutions.
This congress is the culmination of 11 preparatory meetings, held in the ten departments of the country and within the Haitian diaspora. More than 60 reports were produced, structured around three strategic areas: security, political and electoral transition, and governance.
Dr. Marc Prou, General Coordinator of Congress, presented this initiative as a political university congress based on ethics, morality and expertise. He insists on the imperative of rethinking the policy based on data from scientific research.
When science becomes a lever of transformation
Speaking as Chair of the Scientific Committee of the Congress, Dr. Evens Emmanuel, Vice-Rector of Research and Innovation at Quisqueya University and Director of the Doctoral School « Society and Environment »delivered a strong plea:
« It is time that science ceased to be marginalized in decision-making processes in Haiti. The first response to corruption is research funding. »
According to him, the lack of reliable data, the lack of modelling of public policies, and the decline of academic institutions in political space are major obstacles to sustainable development. By insisting on the contribution of universities, Dr Emmanuel advocates a return to collective intelligence as a condition of exit from crisis.
A Citizen's Call for General Mobilization
Through its Declaration of 27 March 2025, the Patriotic Congress denounces a country that is delivered to gangs, corruption and political inaction. It calls for collective control of national destiny, in a dynamic of union between citizens of all origins and conditions.
Three priority objectives were set:
1. Security first: disarmament, territorial reconquest, economic recovery;
2. End of repeated transitions: free elections, rejection of manipulations;
3. Reshaping governance: building a rule of law free of mafia and clientelism.
Resolutions to ensure continuity
Three major resolutions were adopted:
Maintain patriotic mobilization, continuing dialogue with all sectors;
Establish a follow-up committee, composed of academics and representatives of signatory organisations, to monitor the implementation of the recommendations;
Establish a University Reflection Group on Haiti to coordinate research, train leaders and contribute to evidence-based policies.
This congress marks a serious attempt to break with old political practices, placing knowledge and science at the centre of national concerns.
It remains to be seen whether the Haitian political actors and authorities will seize this historic opportunity to open a new page in national history.
WA
