©️photo : MICT
Port-au-Prince, January 20, 2026.- On 19 January, the main institutional and municipal actors opened a two-day workshop on financing local authorities and local development at Hotel Montana. Initiated by the Ministry of Interior and Territorial Communities (MICT) and the National Federation of Mayors of Haiti (FENAMH), this meeting aims to reflect on the challenges of decentralization and to promote the financial autonomy of communities.
The Minister of the Interior, Paul Antoine Bien-Aimé, called for the repatriation of the Fund for the Management of Territorial Communities (FGDCT) to the direct benefit of the municipalities and communal sections, which depend almost entirely on it. According to him, the current concentration of public resources hampers local autonomy and undermines the effectiveness of public action.
FENAMH President, Mayor Anténord Denoil, reiterated that decentralization is an essential lever for territorial development. He called on the central authority to transfer to communities the financial means necessary for the provision of basic services, in accordance with constitutional requirements. The Ministry of National Education and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) highlighted the impact of underfunding on social inequalities.
However, there are questions about the workshop. Some observers find this initiative inappropriate within three weeks of the end of the government's mandate, especially for a project that should have been implemented for nearly 20 months. They believe that it is up to the next government to ensure a sustainable local funding process, without foreign intervention, ensuring community autonomy.
The participation of André Joseph Lafontant, Coordinator of GRID and ODDL, in this initiative also informs the debate on the legitimacy and timing of this approach.
R.J.
