FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 15, 2023
Contact: alexandra@quixote.org | 301-699-0042
The crisis in Haiti deepens. Criminal gangs continue to control the population and have gained territory. Catastrophic food insecurity is turning into famine. In the past weeks, an earthquake and deadly floods have devastated parts of Haiti. Vigilante attacks against suspected gang members are on the rise. And the United States continues to support the illegitimate and corrupt government of Ariel Henri, despite the fact that he has dismantled democratic institutions and caused much of the current crisis.
In this context, Vice President Kamala Harris met with Caribbean leaders last week and announced measures to address the security and humanitarian crises in Haiti.
We celebrate the Biden administration’s new efforts to combat illegal arms trafficking in the Caribbean. Illicit gun sales are a major driver of violence, allowing gangs to consolidate their power, surpass the authorities and operate with total impunity. We applaud the long-overdue implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a concrete step to curtailing the gangs’ influence.
The U.S. also announced $53.7 million in additional funding to USAID to be directed to Haiti, without providing details about how USAID will use the funds. We hope that this will provide immediate relief to hunger; however, $53.7 million is not enough to address Haiti’s real crisis: most people cannot earn enough to survive and have no options for doing so in the future.
Together with our partners, Quixote Center recently conducted a survey in Haiti’s south to understand a local community’s sense of what is needed to move out of extreme poverty. The answers overwhelmingly asked for jobs and meaningful, community-led agricultural development that leads to job and food security. We call on the USAID to direct funding toward empowering local communities to lead their own development and path out of poverty.
We also call on the Biden Administration to stop propping up the Henri government and instead insist that Henri engages in constructive dialogue and negotiations with civil society to map a transition back to democratic rule.
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The Quixote Center empowers vulnerable families and communities to become the artisans of their own destiny through transforming oppressive systems and structures. Inspired by liberation theology and Catholic Social Teaching, we do this through sustainable development, advocacy, economic justice, environmental, and educational initiatives. Our current focus is on Nicaragua and Haiti, where we support programs to empower impoverished families and communities, and support for migrants in Mexico and Central America, where we work to mitigate the damage of US immigration policies. Together with our partners, we dream of a world more justly loving.
