Haïti à Travers les Pages

  Are IHSI's GDP Numbers Understated? A Critical Perspective On December 28, 2024, Haiti’s Institut Haïtien de Statistique et d’Informatique (IHSI) announced a GDP contraction of -4.2% for the year 2024 [1]. While this represents a significant decline, particularly as Haiti marks its sixth consecutive year of negative growth, the figure is markedly lower than the dire projections made earlier in the year, which estimated a 10% GDP reduction due to escalating gang violence and economic collapse. This discrepancy raises critical questions about the accuracy of the IHSI’s calculations and whether the true extent of Haiti’s economic crisis is being underestimated. The Projection vs. Reported Reality In April 2024, we estimated that the direct and indirect costs of gang violence alone amounted to $1.53 billion in 2023, equivalent to nearly 10% of Haiti's GDP. These calculations encompassed the value of lost lives, medical expenses, ransoms, productivity losses, heightened security e...

  Haiti: Young Leaders Revolutionize New Year with Soup Libèté 2025 By Patrick Prézeau Stephenson  (Le Français suit) Port-au-Prince, Haiti – As the New Year approaches, a wave of solidarity is sweeping across the nation. This year, the traditional Soup Joumou, a symbol of freedom and independence, takes on new significance thanks to an inspiring collective of young Haitian leaders. Guided by the powerful slogan “ Nap Reziste Ansanm pou nou Libere Ansanm ” (We Resist Together to Liberate Together), Soup Libèté 2025 blends hope, innovation, and resilience in an inclusive national celebration. A Movement Backed by Committed Partners The organizers of this bold initiative include influential groups such as Opérasyon Men nan Men, Jeunesse Debout, the STO Foundation, STOInternational.org, and Lakou Savalouwè. Together, they are transforming the tradition of Soup Libèté into a nationwide project with significant social and cultural impact. Despite limited resources and ongoing comm...

  Haiti in 2024: A Nation at the Crossroads of Internal Migration and the Quest for Security By Patrick Prézeau Stephenson (Le Français suit) As the year 2024 draws to a close, Haiti remains mired in a multidimensional crisis, entangled in escalating insecurity, economic collapse, and massive population displacements. These formidable challenges, however, also present an opportunity to rethink the nation's foundations and implement bold structural reforms. The Spiral of Insecurity and Economic Instability The breakdown of security in Haiti, particularly in Port-au-Prince, the country's economic engine, has sent shockwaves throughout the territory. Gangs, now omnipresent, paralyze trade, hinder the movement of essential goods, and force thousands of families to flee their homes. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 20,000 people were displaced in just four days in November, exacerbating tensions in already fragile rural and semi-urban areas[...

  La Situation Précaire des Contractuels du Ministère de l’Intérieur et des Collectivités Territoriales : Une Grave Conséquence d’Abus de Pouvoir Par Patrick Prézeau Stephenson   (Ancien dirigeant de syndicat, Le Créole suit) Depuis plusieurs années, le Ministère de l’Intérieur et des Collectivités Territoriales (MICT) s’enlise dans une gestion injuste et précarisante de ses employés contractuels. Alors que le cadre légal régissant l’administration publique haïtienne stipule des normes claires pour le recrutement et le traitement des agents publics, le ministère s’illustre par une exploitation systémique des contractuels, réduisant leurs droits à néant et cultivant l’incertitude professionnelle. Un système conçu pour précariser Le cadre légal actuel, notamment l’article 15 de la loi sur l’administration publique, prévoit que les agents contractuels peuvent être recrutés pour une durée déterminée allant de six mois à un an[1]. Or, le MICT a abusé de ce mécanisme pour maintenir ...

From Ruins to Rebirth: One Haitian Man’s Fight to Rebuild Amid a Nation’s Turmoil By Patrick Prézeau Stephenson (Le Français suit) Port-au-Prince, Haiti — The acrid smell of burning debris lingers in the air as Georges walks through the ruins of his neighborhood in Solino, a place he once called home. His bullet-riddled house and the smoldering remains of his car stand as silent witnesses to the gang violence engulfing much of Haiti’s capital. “I thought we were safe,” Georges confesses during a Zoom meeting with supporters and donors, his voice trembling. “But safety here is now just an illusion.” Georges is one of the hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Haiti, forced to flee their homes as gangs tighten their grip on neighborhoods, turning once lively communities into war zones within months. His story reflects that of a nation teetering on the edge, where resilience is no longer an option but a necessity. Today, Georges and his children find temporary re...

 Building Model Communities in Haiti: Envisioning A New Beginning for Internally Displaced Persons By Patrick Prézeau Stephenson   (Le francais suit) Introduction: Why Model Communities? The issue of internal displacement (IDPs) in Haiti goes beyond a simple humanitarian problem. It exists within a context of deep crises—ecological, social, political, and educational—that hinder the country’s development. In 2004, observers of Haitian affairs proposed a model community project to turn these challenges into opportunities [1]. Revived in 2024, ‘Operasyon  Men Nan Men’ vision goes beyond simply relocating IDPs, envisioning a "New Haiti" where mutual aid, sustainability, and innovation intertwine to redefine the living conditions of citizens[2, 3]. Why Internally Displaced Persons Need Models Internally displaced persons are the most vulnerable in Haitian society. Victims of natural disasters, political unrest, and extreme poverty, they often lack basic resources such as acce...

 Haiti’s 1803 Proclamation Revisited: Diplomacy, Defiance, and Lessons for a 'complot des gens de bien'? By Patrick Prézeau Stephenson  (Le francais suit) Haiti’s Proclamation of Independence, signed on November 29, 1803, at Fort-Dauphin, marked a defining moment in world history. As the first nation founded by former enslaved people, Haiti’s leaders—Dessalines, Christophe, and Clervaux—declared their unyielding determination to break free from French colonial rule. However, this historic document’s tone and strategic decisions have sparked centuries of debate [1,2]. Was it a pragmatic masterstroke to secure Haiti’s survival, as librarian Patrick Tardieu suggests [2], or a missed opportunity to set a firm precedent of justice and sovereignty? And what lessons can it teach us in today’s Haiti, mired in crises of governance, security, and sovereignty? A Document Torn Between Defiance and Pragmatism The Proclamation is a study in duality. On one hand, it delivers an unrelenting ...