OAS Secretary General Albert Ramdin
The Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Ambassador Albert Ramdin, announced that Haiti will be his priority throughout his mandate from 2025 to 2030. Its mission is to seek lasting solutions to the political, security and governance crises that are worsening in the country. However, it questions the absence of a legitimate government.
« I have made Haiti a priority, and we are currently working hard on this issue. It is a commitment that touches at the heart of the fundamental principles of the OAS: democracy, human rights, security and development. However, in Haiti, unfortunately, all these dimensions are being challenged because of the absence of a legitimate government. », he told Sunday Gleaner last week.
The forced migration of Haitians to neighbouring countries such as Jamaica and the Bahamas highlights the regional impact of the crisis. The diplomat reiterated his intention to revive the « Group of Friends of Haiti » within the OAS and to strengthen cooperation with CARICOM and international partners. He discussed the situation with several leaders, including Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, at the CARICOM summit in Montego Bay.
Albert Ramdin praised CARICOM's essential role in facilitating a governance process in Haiti, including through the establishment of the Transitional Presidential Council, in the absence of elections. He also highlighted the efforts of the Group of Eminent Persons and CARICOM leaders, in particular those of Guyana, Suriname, Barbados and, more recently, Jamaica.
He also indicated that the OAS will align its actions with the framework established by CARICOM, by contributing to the « Haitian road map » built around five pillars, designed in collaboration with the Haitian authorities. The first pillar aims to restore security, in particular by ensuring access to vulnerable communities, securing roads and ports, and an effective organisation of humanitarian aid. He said that this plan, currently in the final phase of development, will be presented to the Haitian authorities, as well as to the United Nations and CARICOM, in order to demonstrate the scale of the efforts made to support Haiti.
The OAS is also working on a citizen identification programme to support future elections in the country. Coordination meetings with CARICOM and the United Nations are planned to harmonize actions. In addition, other institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Inter-American Institute of Cooperation for Agriculture (IICA) are actively involved in the reconstruction of Haiti.
Albert Ramdin stressed the importance of intervening in the areas of health, education and security in order to lay the foundations for the necessary political, constitutional and economic reforms. It calls for regional mobilization, considering that Haiti shares major challenges — such as climate change, debt, migration and a fragile education system — with other Caribbean countries.
W.E.
