In 2024, a new international intervention was deployed to Haiti, the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSSM) led by Kenyan security forces, after then Prime Minister Ariel Henry requested international support to address the rapidly declining security in the country facing high rates of gang violence and instability.
In this policy paper, Amnesty International USA consulted with more than 40 Haitian civil society organizations to provide their reflections on a Haitian-led solution to the crisis and human rights protections needed in the MSSM.
A human rights-based approach to U.S.-Haiti policy means that Haitian civil society are actors, execute their agency when demanding to be heard and are consulted for policymaking decisions. Many civil society groups felt sidelined in past international interventions. This policy paper analyzes information from civil society interviews, desk research, and existing policy to make recommendations to the U.S. government related to plugging human rights gaps in international interventions and supporting more long-term human rights reforms championed by Haitian civil society.
The policy paper:
- Provides background information on the political context leading to the MSSM
- Examines past international interventions and the need for human rights accountability
- Makes recommendations to the USG to address issues raised by Haitian civil society organizations, including how to:
- Address human rights accountability gaps in international interventions and
- Support the government of Haiti in addressing the long-standing need for reform of the criminal legal system.
Twenty years ago, Amnesty International stated in a report, “Haiti is confronted with a number of human rights challenges it must meet if the country is to break with the violence and impunity that has characterized it for so many years.” It further stated that “Haitian ownership of human rights and justice programs is essential if lasting progress is to be achieved.” Both remain true today. However, Haitian civil society feels the international community, including the U.S. government, has left it out of the process.
This paper supports efforts to bring Haitian civil society’s reflections into the policy conversation in Washington, D.C.
Read “A Rights-Based Approach to U.S.-Haiti Policy: Centering Haitian Voices in a Haiti-led Solution.”