The United States and Canada Friday announced their contribution to the “Joint Program for the Haitian National Police,” a multi-donor basket fund on security in the country.
The United States Department of State said the fund is managed by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in coordination with the Haitian National Police (HNP), UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) and other stakeholders.
Canada launched the fund with a donation of CAN$10 million and, Washington announced a donation of three million US dollars to complement ongoing US security assistance activities.
In a joint statement, Washington and Ottawa also commended the commitments made on Friday by Japan, the European Union, and Mexico.
“We hope today’s event will generate additional donations by international partners in the near future,” said the statement, adding that the security basket fund aims to increase the HNP’s capacity to improve security, conduct law enforcement activities and address “some of the persistent institutional weaknesses within the HNP.”
Through the fund, the US and Canada said the UN and partner nations will assist the HNP to improve its administration/logistics, train police and strengthen operational capacity to counter gang violence in Haiti.
“The mounting insecurity should be addressed with urgency to help Haiti move towards stability and sustainable development.
“A holistic approach is needed to re-establish security, encompassing measures to strengthen the HNP and initiatives to successfully address the socioeconomic drivers of violence, as Haiti remains one of the poorest countries in the world, with significant structural impediments to sustainable development,” the statement added.
The two North American countries commended the international community for mobilizing more than US$294 million in new commitments since December 2021 to support Haiti’s most pressing needs.
“In these very challenging times for the Haitian people, we are convinced that international partners should redouble our efforts to help the Government of Haiti ensure citizen security and improve conditions on the ground,” the statement said.
“We urge partner nations to contribute to the UN Basket Fund to restore peace and citizen security for the Haitian people.
“Together with the Haitian government, the United States and Canada affirm the importance of working together to support the restoration of security in Haiti in partnership with the international community,” the statement added.
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