📋 Tender Overview
July marks the two-year anniversary of the assassination at his home of then-Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. With the country mired in crisis, it is virtually impossible to get regular water or fuel, or access health services because of the violence.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) team working in Port-au-Prince has seen a substantial increase in the presence and reach of armed groups in Haiti: there are already up to 300 gangs in and around the surviving capital, largely under your control. Therefore, it is not surprising that the dominant discourse on the situation in the country focuses on security and on whether and how to respond to requests that international forces be deployed to intervene and restore order.
But by focusing so much on security, an equally important conversation has been left out: how to achieve tangible progress in responding to the basic needs of the population, which is suffering the effects of the upsurge in violence. Several Haitian and international organizations are working hard to alleviate this suffering, but they need more funding and resources.
As the ICRC's regional director for the Americas, I fear that talking only about security when it comes to Haiti will divert support and attention from vital humanitarian relief and ultimately reduce our capacity and that of other actors to continue providing assistance. We need a combined approach that takes the population into account and includes the essential humanitarian action in parallel with security, not least, to build political confidence both at home and abroad.
Half of Haitians go hungry and few more have access to drinking water. Schools and medical facilities are closed. And these are only the visible consequences; the invisible ones are no less serious. Many people are affected by the daily fear of kidnapping or being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The humanitarian needs of the population are deep and alarming, and are on the same scale as those that my organization encounters in contexts of armed conflict in all parts of the world and that are constantly reported by the media. However, outside of Haiti, the discourse is circulating that the gravity of the situation is such that it is impossible to achieve results, which produces hopelessness and fatigue.
A few months ago, I visited the country to observe our operational activities, through which, often in collaboration with the Haitian Red Cross, we deliver emergency medical resources to local clinics and hospitals that care for people affected by high levels of violence. . The ICRC preserves their access thanks to its neutral attitude, the dialogue it maintains with communities about their urgent needs and its initiatives to strengthen the capacity of the villagers to give first response.
So that's the message: It's not impossible to make progress. While many communities in Port-au-Prince are extremely difficult to reach due to widespread insecurity, humanitarian access is still possible, and we must all do more to address ongoing emergency and longer-term development needs. We can save lives if we focus on community and access issues, and if the people of Haiti are the focus of the conversation.
For this reason, as an international community, we must not abandon the country, but support it in the search for a viable political solution, and redouble the efforts of humanitarian and development actors, both national and international, that today are trying to respond to the needs of the more vulnerable.
We must also start a new conversation that goes beyond the security discourse with a compassionate, inclusive and forward-looking approach to Haiti. Calls for support and solidarity must be backed up with action while there is room for action.
