By Watson Audibert
Back to a national and international debate
The question of « ransom of independence » (Order of 17 April 1825) and its financial and political consequences became again a central theme of the Haitian public debate and Franco-Haitian relations during the bicentenary of the ordinance in 2025. In this context, the Haitian State, via the Rectorate of the State University of Haiti (UEH) and the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT), has institutionalized a mechanism to study, encrypt and make the request for restitution and reparation: the CNHRR. The legal and scientific scope of this approach, as well as its promises and its shadow zones, are analysed by the official elements available (by decrees, road maps, installation speeches).
Short historical development: the 1825 Order and the « double debt »
In 1825, the order of King Charles X imposed on Haiti the payment of an allowance estimated at 150 million gold francs in exchange for French diplomatic recognition. This requirement forced Haiti to contract loans to pay payments, creating what contemporary literature and journalistic surveys call the « double debt » : direct payment to France and interest service to private banks that had financed these payments. The macroeconomic consequences of these transfers have been the subject of recent studies, including quantitative reconstructions published by media and researchers, which estimate a significant loss of growth path for Haiti over centuries. (Le Monde, April 2025)
Genesis and legal framework of the CNHRR
The CNHRR finds its legal framework in a decree published in 2025 (a creation decree cited by the Official Journal and relayed by the press). According to this text, the committee is attached to the Rectorate of the UEH and works closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cults for the representation of Haiti to the Commission of Reparations of CARICOM and other international bodies. The decree sets out the tasks: to conduct historical, legal and economic studies and investigations; to finalize the updated actuarial calculations of the sums claimed; informing and mobilizing society; and ensuring, in collaboration with civil society, transparent management of possible resources. The Decision also specifies the budget allocation: a special allocation from the HEU budget and the possibility of additional funding. (Monitor, April 2025)
Composition and installation: member profile
The CNHRR comprises 21 members: representatives of the Presidency, the Primature, relevant ministries, five representatives of civil society and twelve academic and scientific personalities (Haiti/diaspora). The presidency is entrusted to the rector of UEH, Dieuseul Predelus, with Ronald Jean-Jacques as Executive Secretary. The list of members, largely dominated by academics, lawyers and civil society actors, was published by the national press and confirmed by the UEH communiqué. The official installation of members took place during a ceremony at the Welcome Villa on September 8, 2025. This information makes it possible to characterize the committee as an academic-institutional hybrid designed to produce knowledge that can be mobilized in justice and diplomacy. (The Newlist, August 2025)
Roadmap 2026: axes of work and instruments
The « Roadmap 2026 », adopted at a working pension (November 2025) and made public by the UEH, organises the activity of the CNHRR around several operational projects:
- Establishment of internal governance (executive council, eight subgroups);
- Information campaigns and national surveys to gather opinions and memories;
- Integration of memorial issues in school curricula and university competitions;
- Support for research (master's/doctoral fellowships) and organization of scientific symposia (November and August 2026);
- Publication of a « White Paper » bringing together arguments and actuarial calculations;
- Creation of a research chair at UEH and strengthening of international partnerships (CARICOM, African Union, academic networks).
This highly structured roadmap articulates scientific production (research, actuarial costing) and public action (awareness, diplomacy), reflecting the desire to institutionalize reparations on a documentary and procedural basis. (Haiti State University [HEU], October 2025)
The Franco-Haitian Joint Commission: promise, scope and uncertainties
On 17 April 2025, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the constitution of a « Joint Committee » the impact of the 1825 allowance. This commission, co-chaired by Yves Saint-Geours (France) and Gusti-Klara Gaillard-Pourchet (Haiti), has a historical and memorial vocation according to the Élysée, and aims to illuminate the historical and memorial dimensions of the file. In Haiti, the approach was seen as a step, but considered by many as insufficient in terms of the actual return of funds or legal recognition of harm. The co-existence of the Joint Commission and the CNHRR creates a duality of actors (a national committee for claims/technical purposes and a binational commission for analytical purposes), whose effective interactions (coordination, sharing of expertise, calendar) were not yet fully documented publicly at the date of the sources consulted. (Elysée, April 2025)
As a result of these major advances in this issue, which is of paramount importance, three key observations emerge:
- Technical institutionalization of the file. The CNHRR translates a professionalization strategy: mobilization of academic experts, research schedule, actuarial costing mechanisms and conference programming. Linking to the UEH aims to legitimize the scientific position of the dossier while linking it to administrative capacity (budgeting, executive secretariat). (UEH, October 2024);
- Diplomatic and multi-level dimension. The explicit mandate to represent with CARICOM and the formal link with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs show that Haiti is seeking to combine national action with regional/international coordination. The concomitant presence of a Franco-Haitian commission makes it necessary to read carefully the respective perimeters (historical study vs. Encrypted restitution claim); (UEH, October 2024)
- Tension between memory, science and politics. The file requires both the production of knowledge (historical, legal, economic) and public mobilization. The instruments announced (national investigations, school integration, white paper) demonstrate a strategy of legitimization by proof and the formation of a shared national narrative. Procedural issues, method of calculation, updating of amounts, auditing of historical sources will remain decisive for the scientific credibility of claims. (Mémoire-Esclavage, March 2025)
Conclusion
The creation and installation of CNHRR marks a significant institutionalization of the Haitian restitution and reparations file. The committee appears to be a technical and memorial platform, rooted in the academic world and connected to regional diplomacy. However, the presence of a joint Franco-Haitian commission and the absence, on the date of the documents consulted, of full transparency on the actual arrangements for cooperation between these bodies leave open questions as to the timetable, methods and expected results.
References
The World. (April 2025). Bicentennial coverage and double debt analysis.
The Monitor. Official Journal of the Republic of Haiti. Special No. 26. (2025). Order establishing the Haitian National Committee for restitution and reparation.
The Newlist. (August 2025). « Double ransom for independence: CPT appoints CNHRR members ».
State University of Haiti (UEH). (2024) Road map of the Haitian National Committee of Restitution and Reparation (CNHRR).
Elysée. (April 2025). Statement by President Emmanuel Macron. Announcement of the Franco-Haitian Joint Committee.
Memoir-Esclavage (March 2025). « Haiti's double debt »historical and economic synthesis.
Watson AUDIBERT
Haiti Science and Society (HaSci-So)
Haiti-Caribbean Pole
