The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns joined 145 organizations in releasing the following statement on the crisis in Haiti.
Read the statement as a PDF. The PDF version is also available in Kreyol.
July 2021
In response to the crisis in Haiti, which has deepened in the wake of the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, we, the undersigned individuals and organizations, express our condolences and sympathy to all of the Haitian families that have lost a loved one to the ongoing violence. We further recognize that activists and human rights defenders in Haiti are currently facing grave danger as they continue to work for a better future for all Haitians.
In light of the horrific events of the past month in Haiti, including the massacre at Delmas 32 and the high profile killing of prominent activist Antoinette Duclaire and journalist Diego Charles; the ongoing gang fighting and arson attacks in poor neighborhoods that have displaced more than 18,000 people; and the shocking assassination of Jovenel Moïse in his home on the night of July 6-7;
Considering that the Haitian people have been living in a brutal climate of insecurity that makes it hard to get to work, and that there is a growing food crisis; that crops have failed as a result of rising temperatures
and climate disruption; that gang violence has blocked roads and shut off access to markets, and more than 4.4 million people do not have enough food to eat every day;
Considering that COVID cases are spiking, and that lack of security and gang violence make it impossible for life saving materials to reach hospitals in other parts of the country while also blocking the capital’s main petrol depot, leading to massive gas shortages;
We call on the international community to stand in solidarity with Haitian calls for:
(1) A Haitian solution. Haitians should lead in building the path forward. Foreign actors must not impose solutions from abroad. Even prior to Moïse’s murder, Haitian organizations have been building consensus for a transitional government. Foreign governments and international institutions must not overstep their role by declaring who has authority in Haiti, particularly when that conflicts with Haitian law.
We need only look to the recent MINUSTAH mission to see that foreign efforts fail to create lasting public democratic institutions that are necessary for any country to function. Despite spending 13 years and $7 billion -- ten times Haiti’s GDP-- the MINUSTAH mission left Haiti with more guns and less democracy. The mission also afflicted Haiti’s citizens with sexual exploitation and abuse, leaving behind hundreds of children fathered by peacekeepers, and was responsible for introducing cholera to Haiti, killing an estimated 10,000 people.
(2) A commitment to a participatory democratic process. After decades of foreign intervention and aid policies that have destabilized Haiti, each branch of the Haitian government has been systematically dismantled, and public confidence in Haiti’s governance has declined to nearly nothing. Haitian organizations and civil society have long been calling for a transition government to restore stability, basic security, and democracy. Haiti must have a transition process in order to rebuild its democratic institutions, and this process must be inclusive of all sectors of Haiti’s population.
(3) Ensuring that conditions for fair, participatory, and credible elections are in place before rushing Haiti to the polls. Elections are a fundamental part of the democratic process. However, they must be free and fair and perceived as legitimate in order to strengthen democracy. Elections will not be free and fair without inclusive voter registration, an independent and legitimate electoral body, and the security necessary not only to vote, but also to campaign leading up to election day. Meaningful participation requires that women and other marginalized groups also participate in the electoral process. A race to hold elections on an internationally-imposed timeline risks further eroding democracy in Haiti.
(4) Protection for the right to free expression and the right to life. Over the past three years, all Haitian people have learned that there is no safety; there is no guarantee that they will make it home when they leave. Human rights defenders, journalists, and activists are frequent targets of threats and attacks, and essential health care workers have been injured and killed through kidnappings, attacks and gang violence. Gender-based violence, including rape, has been increasing during this crisis, and thousands of women and girls have been displaced from their homes, making them even more vulnerable.
Three years ago, on July 6-7, 2018, the emerging evidence that government officials had stolen more than $2 billion from state coffers and rising gas prices sparked the first in a series of protests against corruption and impunity. These massive mobilizations of Haitians across class and political lines marched together to call for accountability and democracy. They were consistently met with brutal repression from the government and indifference from the international community.
There have been 18 massacres documented in Port-au-Prince over these past three years. Perpetrators have targeted neighborhoods active in opposition protests, and have not been held accountable. Human rights groups have documented connections between officials and the armed groups responsible for these massacres, including Moïse and other government ministers. Further, some argue that these massacres constitute crimes against humanity.
(5) Recognition of how foreign interventions have contributed to current conditions in Haiti. While many are calling Haiti a “failed state”, what we see is the failure of centuries of policies imposed on Haiti by the international community, including aid policies, that prioritized foreign interests and short-term gains over sustainable democracy and prosperity for Haitians. The 2010 earthquake was an opportunity to rebuild Haiti with strong public institutions. However, despite hundreds of millions of aid dollars, Haiti’s entire public administration was outsourced to foreign institutions and NGOs.
For a stronger Haiti,
Adrian Dominican Sisters
AL- AHAD
American Friends Service Committee
American Jewish World Service
Association d’Initiative Civique Culturelle et Communautaire (ASPIC)
Benedictine Sisters of Erie
Beyond Borders
Border Network for Human Rights
Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI)
Caribbean Evaluators International
Casa Generalizia della Societa del Sacro Cuore
Center for Economic and Policy Research
Center for Gender & Refugee Studies
Centre de sante
Church of the Brethren, Office of Peacebuilding and Policy
Communities for Haitian Entrepreneurs and Startups (CHES),.Inc
Community Coalition for Haiti
Community Powerhouse Consulting & Coaching, LLC
Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace
Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces
Congregation of Sisters of St Agnes and CSA-USA Associate Community
Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes
Congregation of St. Joseph Peace and Justice Team
Congregation of the Mission
Congregations of St. Joseph
Daughters of Wisdom US Province
Defend Haiti's Democracy
Diaspora Community Services
Dominican Leadership Conference
Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids
Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt, NY
Dominican Sisters of Hope
Dominican Sisters of Houston
Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa Peace and Justice Office
Environmental Justice Initiative for Haiti
Erie Benedictines for Peace
Faiths for Safe Water
FEWGI
FONDAMA
Fondatione PROCLADE internationale ONLUS
Franciscan Action Network
Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart
Free the Slaves
Friends of Matènwa
Global Justice Clinic, Washington Square Legal Services
Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ
GOALS Haiti
Groupe d'Appui au Développement et à la Démocratie (GRADE)
Haiti Design Collective
Haiti Dream Keeper Archives
Haiti Justice Alliance
Haiti Response Coalition
Haiti Solidarity Network of the North East
Haitian Bridge Alliance
Haitian Studies Association
Health and Education for Haiti
Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH)
Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center
International Human Rights Clinic, Harvard Law School
Just Haiti, Inc.
La Troupe Makandal
Latin America Working Group (LAWG)
Latter-day Saint Democrats of America
Leadership Conference of Women Religious
MADRE
Maryknoll Lay MIssioners
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic
Mennonite Central Committee U.S.
Mercy Beyond Borders
Micatal
Missionary Oblates
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC)
NJ State Industrial Union Council
Nou Pap Dòmi
Oblats de Marie Immaculée - JPIC
OBMICA
Office of Peace, Justice, and Ecological Integrity/ Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth
OKAP KONEKTE
Organisation for Dondon’s Intégral Development
Overture Outreach International
Passionists International
Pax Christi USA
Plateforme haïtienne de Plaidoyer pour un Développement Alternatif (PAPDA)
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Presentation Sisters San Francisco, CA
Prince of Peace Christian Fellowship
PRODEV
Progressive National Baptist Convention,Inc.
Project Blueprint
Quixote Center
RDC Social Justice Board
Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance
Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Western American Province
Repatriate Our Patriots
Rights Action
Robert F Kennedy Human Rights
Salesian Missions
School Sisters of Notre Dame - CP JPIC Office
School Sisters of Notre Dame Atlantic Midwest Province
Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation Committee
Sisters of Bon Secours, USA
Sisters of Charity Federation
Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Congregational Leadership
Sisters of Charity of New York
Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, PA
Sisters of St. Francis Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation Committee
Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, Iowa
Sisters of St. Francis, Oldenburg
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet Albany Province
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, LA
Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester
Sisters of the Divine Compassion
Sisters of the Holy Cross
Sisters of the Humility of Mary
Sisters of the Presentation, Dubuque, IA
Société du Samedi Soir
Society of Helpers
Society of the Sacred Heart US Canada Province
Sojourners
Solidarité Québec-Haïti
Southern California Partners for Global Justice
Springfield Dominican Justice, Peace, & Integrity of Creation Committee
St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church Atten; Patricia Waddell , Coordinator of Haiti Mission
Summits Education
Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods (SOIL)
The Afiya Center
The El Paso (TX) Chapter, The Links, Incorporated
The Episcopal Church
The Haitian Women’s Collective
The United Methodist Church - General Board of Church and Society
U.S. Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph
UNANIMA International
Unlocking Communities
Washington Office on Latin America
Wheaton Franciscans JPIC Office
Win Without War
Xaverian Brothers
Zanmi Lakay
