[Senate Hearing 118-279]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 118-279
HAITI: NEXT STEPS ON THE
INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON WESTERN
HEMISPHERE, TRANSNATIONAL
CRIME, CIVILIAN SECURITY,
DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS,
AND GLOBAL WOMEN'S ISSUES
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
JULY 27, 2023
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Relations
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via http://www.govinfo.gov
______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
55-541 WASHINGTON : 2024
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey, Chairman
BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland JAMES E. RISCH, Idaho
JEANNE SHAHEEN, New Hampshire MARCO RUBIO, Florida
CHRISTOPHER A. COONS, Delaware MITT ROMNEY, Utah
CHRISTOPHER MURPHY, Connecticut PETE RICKETTS, Nebraska
TIM KAINE, Virginia RAND PAUL, Kentucky
JEFF MERKLEY, Oregon TODD YOUNG, Indiana
CORY A. BOOKER, New Jersey JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming
BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii TED CRUZ, Texas
CHRIS VAN HOLLEN, Maryland BILL HAGERTY, Tennessee
TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois TIM SCOTT, South Carolina
Damian Murphy, Staff Director
Christopher M. Socha, Republican Staff Director
John Dutton, Chief Clerk
SUBCOMMITTEE ON WESTERN HEMISPHERE,
TRANSNATIONAL CRIME, CIVILIAN SECURITY, DEMOCRACY,
HUMAN RIGHTS, AND GLOBAL WOMEN'S ISSUES
TIM KAINE, Virginia, Chairman
JEFF MERKLEY, Oregon MARCO RUBIO, Florida
BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland TED CRUZ, Texas
JEANNE SHAHEEN, New Hampshire TODD YOUNG, Indiana
CHRISTOPHER MURPHY, Connecticut TIM SCOTT, South Carolina
(ii)
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Kaine, Hon. Tim, U.S. Senator From Virginia...................... 1
Rubio, Hon. Marco, U.S. Senator From Florida..................... 3
Nichols, Hon. Brian, Assistant Secretary of State, Western
Hemisphere
Affairs, United States Department of State, Washington, DC..... 5
Prepared Statement........................................... 7
Escobari, Hon. Marcela, Assistant Administrator, Latin America
and the
Caribbean, United States Agency for International Development,
Washington, DC................................................. 8
Prepared Statement........................................... 10
Additional Material Submitted for the Record
Responses of Mr. Brian Nichols to Questions Submitted by Senator
Robert Menendez................................................ 23
Responses of Ms. Marcela Escobari to Questions Submitted by
Senator Robert Menendez........................................ 26
Written Statement of Assistant Secretary Todd Robinson........... 27
(iii)
HAITI: NEXT STEPS ON THE
INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
----------
THURSDAY, JULY 27, 2023
U.S. Senate,
Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere,
Transnational Crime, Civilian Security,
Democracy, Human Rights, and
Global Women's Issues;
Committee on Foreign Relations,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:04 a.m., in
room SD-419, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Tim Kaine
presiding.
Present: Senators Kaine [presiding], Cardin, and Rubio.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. TIM KAINE,
U.S. SENATOR FROM VIRGINIA
Senator Kaine. Good morning. This hearing of the Senate
Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere,
Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human
Rights, and Global Women's Issues will come to order.
It is a pleasure to welcome our distinguished panel of
government witnesses for this important hearing on Haiti. I
want to thank the ranking member, Senator Rubio, and his team
for his help in crafting this hearing.
I am proud of the work that we have done together over a
number of years on Latin American and Caribbean issues during
our time in the Senate together and there is much more to be
done.
The focus of today's hearing is on the security crisis in
Haiti and the next steps in potential international response.
In July 2021, President Jovenel Moise was brutally
assassinated in his home. A month later a magnitude 7.2
earthquake devastated the country still in recovery from the
2010 earthquake that killed over 200,000 people.
Since then, criminal gangs have been fomenting terror and
violence in the country, leading interim Prime Minister Ariel
Henry to formally request international help last October.
In the meantime, Haitians continue to suffer from
reprehensible, brutal violence perpetuated by gangs who are
backed by business and political patrons in Haiti.
Homicides in the country have risen sharply, increasing by
over 35 percent between 2021 and 2022. Kidnappings have more
than doubled as gangs fight over territory. Gangs have used
collective rape and other horrific gender-based violence
against women, children, and the elderly.
The violence has been compounded by natural disasters,
leading to a humanitarian crisis where nearly 5 million
Haitians are facing acute levels of hunger. Haitian Government
agencies face difficulties addressing these challenges
including cholera because vulnerable neighborhoods have been
choked up by gangs fighting for territory.
Understandably, Haitians are desperate to escape this
violence, fleeing to neighboring countries throughout the
region in increasing numbers and to the United States.
Just in the last few days we have seen scenes of Haitians
fleeing neighborhood violence and gathering at the U.S. Embassy
in Haiti because they feel like they have nowhere else to go if
they want to be safe.
At the center of violence, we have to acknowledge, is an
illegal flow of American firearms into Haiti. We see reports of
the Haitian National Police, who the U.S. Government have long
supported, being consistently outgunned by Haitian gangs.
Federal law enforcement agencies have described the
recovery of sophisticated weapons destined for Haitian ports--
50 caliber sniper rifles, belt-fed machine guns. Tragically, it
is no surprise that the number of Haitian police officers being
killed has only increased since 2019.
We have to acknowledge that firearms trafficking is a
problem not just in Haiti, but in other parts of the Caribbean,
Mexico, and throughout the hemisphere. It is no coincidence
that countries in the region have some of the highest rates of
homicide in the world.
The violence unleashed by firearms trafficked out of the
U.S. destabilizes the Western Hemisphere and it also increases
the pressure for irregular migration.
I am pleased to see that the Biden administration named the
creation of a coordinator for Caribbean firearms prosecutions
within the Department of Justice in June, and in the Senate,
Senator Rubio and I have introduced the Caribbean Basin
Security Initiative Authorization Act.
We are also both co-sponsors of Chairman Menendez's Haitian
Criminal Collusion and Transparency Act. These pieces of
legislation would help strengthen regional security cooperation
in the Caribbean and sanction political and business elites who
empower gangs in Haiti.
For those interventions to work, security needs to be
reestablished, first, alongside a Haitian-led solution to the
political crisis. As recently as this month, U.N. Secretary
General Antonio Guterres reiterated his call for a robust
international security presence in Haiti.
I am interested in hearing from our witnesses from both the
Department of State and USAID on its latest discussions with
international and multilateral stakeholders on this front.
I am also interested in hearing about the U.S. efforts to
support Haitian people through humanitarian aid.
Let me now turn it over to my ranking member, Senator
Rubio, for his remarks, following which I will introduce our
panel.
STATEMENT OF HON. MARCO RUBIO,
U.S. SENATOR FROM FLORIDA
Senator Rubio. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for convening this
and thank you both for coming.
Haiti right now is a complete disaster. This is as bad as
it has ever been and I followed it not just because south
Florida where I live is an enormous Haitian-American community
650 miles from Miami, it is--everything that happens there is
both heartbreaking and at the same time has a direct impact on
the state of Florida and ultimately on the country.
I think it is about as bad a situation as any on the
planet. It does not get the attention I believe it deserves,
but I know a few places on Earth right now that are confronting
the challenges that they are facing, and despite Haiti's long
history of problems and challenges this is probably--and I can
be corrected, but this is probably as bad as it has been in a
long time.
Sixty percent of the country is controlled by gangs. When
the most powerful person in your country is nicknamed
``Barbecue,'' that is not a good thing, okay, and it is 60
percent of the country that is controlled by gangs led by
people like that guy.
Seventy-five percent of its major cities controlled by
gangs. I think it was last year that they seized the Varreux
Port and denied--people could not get water. They could not get
fuel. They could not get medicine. They could not get--just
unbelievable that would happen.
They have not had an election since 2017. There is not a
single democratically-elected leader in the entire country.
Then you think about the impact it has had on migration. I
think in 2023 alone, the Coast Guard just this year has
intercepted 7,400 people and those are the ones that live long
enough to be intercepted.
We do not know how many people have died in that path, but
we know many have, and that does not count those who are
stranded in the Bahamas and other places, as well.
Since 2020, 146,000 migrant encounters, albeit some
obviously coming from third countries where maybe they were
working construction. The work dried up and then they made
their journey here as well, but also a very dangerous voyage.
Look, the talk has been about an international force. The
truth of the matter is the last one that was there did not end
very well. They brought cholera. They were accused of abuses
against the population including sexual abuse.
I understand the reluctance of countries from around the
world in getting engaged in this endeavor.
Frankly, we spend a lot of time thinking about--we filed
our bills together. We have the Haitian Criminal Collusion
Transparency Act that Senator Menendez and I have filed.
Senator Warnock and I introduced the Haitian Economic Lift
Program Extension Act to ensure that the trade benefits are
extended to 2035, but as we--I do not want to pretend that I
have an answer in my back pocket here over how to solve this
problem. This is a really difficult Rubik's cube to line up.
There is a lot of problems going on. Some are historic and long
standing. Some are more recent.
There is the whole structure of their government. It is not
on us to structure their government, but they tried to marry up
this French and American system and ended up with a system of
government constitutionally that I think is flawed by design
and has contributed somewhat to some of this.
Security is something everybody agrees you have to have
before anything else is possible, but you got a significant
percentage of the national police are applicants currently
waiting for the parole program that the Biden administration
has created.
That is never a good sign when the people that are supposed
to be doing that believe their best option is to leave the
country.
I think as much as anything else in today's hearing, and I
know it is an unfair question in many cases, but asking what is
the Biden administration's plan or view of what the solution
here is.
I know there has been some efforts at the U.N. Security
Council and so forth because, frankly, I am at a loss for
understanding what the--this is not a blame assignment.
This is sort of a testament to the intricacy of this
problem, how difficult it is. What is the way forward? Because
it is having an impact on the United States. This is not
halfway around the world. This, as I said, is not far from
Florida and the southeast United States.
I appreciate you coming in to answer this very difficult
question, at least begin to get a sense of what the outlines
are of what the way forward is and what we can do, what the
United States can do, to be a part of a solution, some ray of
hope in what otherwise continues to be an escalating disaster.
As a side note, I did want to mention both to the witnesses
and to the chair that the Appropriations Committee is meeting.
We have four votes today. They do not let you vote by proxy for
the bills, so you may see me run out.
Luckily, it is in the same building. That is the good news.
The bad news is it is at 10:45, but as soon as I am done with
those votes I will get back here if we are still in session.
Thank you for coming and thank you for holding this.
Senator Kaine. Thank you, Senator Rubio. Let me now
introduce our witnesses.
Brian Nichols is the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of
Western Hemisphere Affairs at the State Department.
He previously served as U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe and
before that, Ambassador to Peru, and previously was the
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. Also
served as our DCM in Colombia.
In May, President Biden nominated Secretary Nichols to the
rank of Career Ambassador, which is the highest rank in the
Foreign Service.
Marcela Escobari is the Assistant Administrator for the
Bureau of Latin America and the Caribbean at the U.S. Agency
for International Development.
Ms. Escobari previously served in this role in 2016 during
which time she helped reinforce U.S. support for Peace
Colombia, mobilized humanitarian response to the disaster to
the response points of Hurricane Matthew in Haiti, and also
supported efforts to deliver humanitarian aid in Venezuela.
Prior to her government service, Ms. Escobari was a senior
fellow at the Brookings Institution and executive director of
the Center for International Development at Harvard University.
It is great to have you both with us today. I would like
now for each of you to offer your opening statements beginning
with Secretary Nichols.
Before you start, the Assistant Secretary Todd Robinson was
invited to join us today, but was unable to talk about some of
the security dimensions of this challenge. He has, however,
submitted a written statement that I will include as part of
the record.
[Editor's note.--The information referred to above can be found
in the ``Additional Material Submitted for the Record'' section
at the end of this hearing.]
With that, Secretary Nichols, we will begin with you.
STATEMENT OF HON. BRIAN NICHOLS, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE,
WESTERN HEMISPHERE AFFAIRS, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
WASHINGTON, DC
Mr. Nichols. Chairman Kaine, Ranking Member Rubio, members
of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify
regarding our efforts to address the security and humanitarian
crisis in Haiti.
We remain committed to supporting the Haitian people's
right to a democratic, peaceful, and prosperous future. The
Haitian people must determine their own future through dialogue
and elections.
We will support them to do so, working with them, our
international partners, and members of Haiti's dedicated
diaspora to support Haitian-led efforts to create a better
future for the country.
To do so, we support the process of political
reconciliation. We train and equip Haiti's police. We also have
significantly increased our efforts to implement financial and
visa restrictions to promote accountability for those who seek
to destabilize the country.
We provide development and humanitarian assistance. We
encourage private sector-led growth and we seek to mobilize
international security assistance for Haiti.
Haiti remains a top priority for President Biden, for
Secretary Blinken, and for me. My colleagues from across the
interagency and I have visited Port-au-Prince numerous times.
We are in daily contact with Haitian stakeholders and the
diaspora in the United States, as well as the region.
Gang activity including targeted sexual violence,
recruitment of minors, widespread kidnappings, and sniper style
killings of neighborhood residents plagues the Haitian people.
Gangs also hamper the Haitian Government's ability to
deliver public services and combat poverty. As we work with our
partners to urgently respond to Haiti's request for a
multinational force to support the Haitian National Police, we
intend, with congressional support, to allocate more than $120
million to strengthen police capacity.
This funding will strengthen the Haitian National Police's
counter gang unit through recruitment and training, technical
assistance, and equipment. Since 2021, we have donated 100
vehicles, more than 1,000 sets of protective equipment, 37,400
meals ready-to-eat, and additional equipment for the counter
gang intervention unit.
Our funding will also improve Haiti's overcrowded and
deteriorating prisons both by building infrastructure and by
implementing health programs to stem cholera outbreaks. We are
also working with DHS to establish a transnational criminal
investigative unit within the police. This will enable us to
partner better with Haiti to investigate and prosecute
transnational crimes with a U.S. nexus.
Our financial sanctions and visa restrictions have a
chilling effect on political and economic elites who finance
gang leaders and foment the ongoing crises in Haiti.
The United States has imposed visa restrictions and
financial sanctions on more than 50 individuals involved in
street gangs, other Haitian criminal organizations, drug
trafficking, significant corruption, or gross violations of
human rights. We have designated more people than any other
country.
In addition, we continue to press other nations and
international institutions to follow suit. The United States
proudly co-sponsored with Mexico the U.N. resolution creating a
new sanctions regime for Haiti, the first within the Western
Hemisphere.
On July 14, with U.S. support, the United Nations Security
Council unanimously renewed the mandate of the United Nations
Integrated Office in Haiti.
The United States also supports the Haitian people as they
forge a path for their country's democratic governance and
development including through the Global Fragility Act. The Act
allows us to build long-term solutions with Haitians while we
address today's acute multi-dimensional crisis.
We encourage Haiti's political, economic, religious, and
civil society actors to work together to resolve Haiti's
political and security challenges. The United States supports
the Caribbean community--CARICOM--in its efforts to encourage a
Haitian-led political dialogue, a process brokered by former
prime ministers from the region.
On July 6, I joined Secretary Blinken in Trinidad and
Tobago where he urged Prime Minister Henry to negotiate in
earnest with other political forces to achieve a broader
political consensus leading to elections as soon as possible.
Haiti has made important progress in resolving its
political impasse over the past year, but more must be done and
urgently.
We welcome the creation of the High Transition Council in
Haiti, which is crucial for restoring democratic order and
improving security. An even broader and more inclusive
leadership structure will provide greater confidence to all
Haitians.
On the economic front we strongly support the HOPE and HELP
Acts. During this critical time, producers and investors in
Haiti, those they do business with, and the workers upon whom
they rely, need certainty about the uninterrupted continuation
of the HOPE/HELP preferences.
The garment sector, created, largely, thanks to the HOPE
and HELP Acts, accounted for approximately 90 percent of
Haiti's exports, employed more than 34,000 Haitians, and
supported more than 205,000 Haitians in 2022, but in the past
year, some garment manufacturers have closed their factories
and laid off workers, decisions made in part because of
uncertainty about whether Haiti will continue to enjoy these
preferences.
We must continue to support economic growth, job creation,
and investment where possible. Equally important, we must
leverage the enormous talents and expertise of the Haitian
diaspora who remain critical to a brighter, more stable, and
secure Haiti.
Chairman Kaine, Ranking Member Rubio, members of the
committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify before you
today. I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Nichols follows:]
Prepared Statement of Mr. Brian Nichols
Chairman Kaine, Ranking Member Rubio, members of the committee,
thank you for the opportunity to testify regarding our efforts to
address the security and humanitarian crisis in Haiti. We remain
committed to supporting the Haitian people's right to a democratic,
peaceful, and prosperous future.
The Haitian people must determine their own future through dialogue
and elections. We will support them to do so, working with them, our
international partners, and members of Haiti's dedicated diaspora to
support Haitian-led efforts to create a better future for the country.
To do so, we support the process of political reconciliation. We
train and equip Haiti's police. We also have significantly increased
our efforts to implement financial and visa restrictions to promote
accountability for those who seek to destabilize the country. We
provide development and humanitarian assistance. We encourage private
sector-led growth, and we seek to mobilize international security
assistance for Haiti.
Haiti remains a top priority for President Biden, for Secretary
Blinken and for me. My colleagues from across the interagency and I
have visited Port-au-Prince numerous times. We are in daily contact
with Haitian stakeholders and diaspora in the United States and the
region.
Gang activity--including targeted sexual violence, recruitment of
minors widespread kidnappings, and sniper-style killings of
neighborhood residents--plagues the Haitian people. Gangs also hamper
the Haitian Government's ability to deliver public services and combat
poverty.
As we work with our partners to urgently respond to Haiti's request
for a multinational force to support the Haitian National Police, we
intend, with Congressional support, to allocate more than $120 million
to strengthen police capacity. This funding will strengthen the Haitian
National Police's counter gang unit through recruitment and training,
technical assistance, and equipment. Since 2021, we have donated 100
vehicles, more than 1,000 sets of protective equipment, 37,400 Meals
Ready to Eat, and additional equipment for the counter-gang
intervention unit. Our funding will also improve Haiti's overcrowded
and deteriorating prisons--both by building infrastructure and by
implementing health programs to stem cholera outbreaks. We are also
working with DHS to establish a Transnational Criminal Investigative
Unit within the police. This will enable us to partner better with
Haiti to investigate and prosecute transnational crimes with a U.S.
nexus.
Our financial sanctions and visa restrictions have a chilling
effect on political and economic elites who finance gang leaders and
foment the ongoing crises in Haiti. The United States has imposed visa
restrictions and financial sanctions on more than 50 individuals
involved in street gangs, other Haitian criminal organizations, drug
trafficking, significant corruption, or gross violations of human
rights. We have designated more people than any other country. In
addition, we continue to press other nations and international
institutions to follow suit. The United States proudly co-sponsored
with Mexico the UN resolution creating a new sanctions regime for
Haiti--the first in the Western Hemisphere. On July 14, with U.S.
support, the United Nations Security Council unanimously renewed the
mandate of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti.
The United States also supports the Haitian people as they forge a
path forward for their country's democratic governance and development,
including through the Global Fragility Act. The Act allows us to build
long term solutions with Haitians while we address today's acute,
multidimensional crisis. We encourage Haiti's political, economic,
religious, and civil society actors, to work together to resolve
Haiti's political and security challenges.
The United States supports the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)'s
efforts to encourage a Haitian-led political dialogue--a process
brokered by former prime ministers from the region. On July 6, I joined
Secretary Blinken in Trinidad and Tobago, where he urged Prime Minister
Henry to negotiate in earnest with other political forces to achieve a
broader political consensus leading to elections as soon as possible.
Haiti has made important progress in resolving its political
impasse over the past year, but more must be done and urgently. We
welcome the creation of the High Transition Council in Haiti--which is
crucial for restoring democratic order and improving security. An even
broader and more inclusive leadership structure will provide greater
confidence to all Haitians.
On the economic front, we strongly support the HOPE and HELP Acts.
During this critical time, producers, and investors in Haiti, those
they do business with, and the workers upon whom they rely, need
certainty about the uninterrupted continuation of the HOPE/HELP
preferences. The garment sector--created largely thanks to the HOPE and
HELP Acts--accounted for approximately 90 percent of Haiti's exports,
employed more than 34,000 Haitians, and supported more than 205,000
Haitians in 2022. But in the past year, some garment manufacturers have
closed their factories and laid off workers--decisions made in part
because of uncertainty about whether Haiti will continue to enjoy those
preferences. We must continue to support economic growth, job creation,
and investment where possible.
Equally important, we must leverage the enormous talents and
expertise of the Haitian diaspora, who remain critical to a brighter,
more stable, and secure Haiti.
Chairman Kaine, Ranking Member Rubio, members of the committee,
thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today. I look
forward to your questions.
Senator Kaine. Thank you.
Ms. Escobari.
STATEMENT OF HON. MARCELA ESCOBARI, ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR,
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN, UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, WASHINGTON, DC
Ms. Escobari. Chairman Kaine, Ranking Member Rubio, thank
you for the opportunity to testify about USAID's work in Haiti.
When I went to Haiti earlier this year I saw, as many of
you have, the situation on the ground. Gang violence is leaving
Haitians vulnerable to horrific crimes. The staff at our
mission live with that reality day-to-day, especially our
courageous Foreign Service nationals who have in some cases
been displaced from their homes or even been victims of
kidnapping, but our staff has kept going because they know that
our work is making a critical difference in the lives of the
Haitian people. Our budget of more than $150 million a year
supports economic, health, and governance work that we have
adapted to the security situation.
We have also amped up our humanitarian response. USAID has
provided an additional $112 million just in FY23 to respond to
acute needs. We are providing clean water, food, and medical
supplies.
We responded quickly to the cholera outbreak and are
supporting survivors of gender-based violence. We are reaching
hundreds of thousands of people a month with food assistance
and have helped bring nearly 20,000 people out of famine-like
conditions in Port-au-Prince.
We also continue building the foundations for long-term
stability in Haiti. Over the last 10 years, USAID's investments
in food security have helped over 100,000 farmers adopt new
technologies, generating nearly $30 million dollars in new
sales and supplying local markets.
We have invested in promising Haitian companies who now
sell products like peanut butter, moringa, and limes to stores
across the U.S. and Canada. These investments have meant new
jobs and growing incomes.
USAID has also made strides in fortifying the country's
water system, which are foundational for progress in every
other sector from health to economic growth.
We have helped set up 22 micro utilities that are now fully
functional with water meters and data tracking devices that can
tell you when water is cut off or disrupted in case of natural
disasters.
Most importantly, these investments have provided reliable
drinking water to over 320,000 Haitians and are self-
sustaining. Some things are working in Haiti.
Improving health outcomes is also a major focus for USAID.
Our partners operate more than 160 health clinics. Forty
percent of people who access health services in Haiti do so in
a USAID-supported clinic. We vaccinate 76,000 kids every year--
50 percent of all fully vaccinated children in Haiti.
The years we have spent strengthening the Ministry of
Health and investing in public health infrastructure proved
invaluable in containing the most recent cholera outbreak, but
as our staff in Haiti know, protecting those gains and making
further progress will require significant improvements in
security. USAID and INL have joined forces in addressing gang
violence in some of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Port-
au-Prince.
Just last month, USAID launched a $12.5 million program to
support community policing, provide life skills to at-risk
youth, and help the government of Haiti provide social services
to survivors of violence.
We recognize that we can and should continue to protect
livelihoods. Joblessness puts families further at risk and
contributes to insecurity. Vice President Harris has signaled
the Administration's strong support for the extension of HOPE/
HELP trade preferences. This certainty will keep jobs in Haiti
and preserve and even grow the labor-intensive textile sector.
Business is still possible in Haiti. Just last month, we
helped broker a $4.5 million equity investment between two
Haitian companies to expand a unique leasing model for solar
energy.
Despite the challenges, USAID programs are not only
responding to acute needs, but also contributing to long-term
stability and that includes supporting institutions, including
those that will lead to elections that Haitian people can
trust.
To make sure that Haitians can participate, we are helping
distribute more than 2 million national identity cards that
Haitians can use to access services like banking services, but
also to be able to vote.
Thanks to our team in Port-au-Prince, our partners on the
ground, and the generosity of this Congress, we believe that
not all is lost in Haiti, but there is more left to lose and
more will be lost if we do not continue to back these critical
efforts.
Thank you, and I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Escobari follows:]
Prepared Statement of Ms. Marcela Escobari
intro
Chairman Kaine, Ranking Member Rubio, distinguished members of the
Subcommittee--thank you for the opportunity to testify and to speak
with you today about USAID's work in Haiti at this critical time.
current situation
When I went to Haiti earlier this year, I saw--as many of you who
have visited have seen--that the situation on the ground is dire. Gang
violence is on the rise and the Haitian National Police is struggling
to curtail it, leaving Haitians vulnerable to heinous atrocities.
The staff at our Mission live with those day-to-day realities,
especially our courageous foreign service nationals. Their
neighborhoods are overrun with violent gangs. Some have been kidnapped
themselves or had family members kidnapped for ransom.
But whenever I speak with them, they make it clear that ``all is
not lost in Haiti''--and that they are willing to face these risks
because they know their work is making a difference. And it is.
Our budget of more than $150 million a year supports economic,
health and governance work--and we have continued to pivot those
investments for maximum impact as the security situation changes. We
have also amped up our humanitarian assistance to meet growing
immediate needs.
impact of humanitarian programming
USAID has provided more than $110 million in life-saving
humanitarian assistance to Haiti since the start of fiscal year 2023.
And since the stand-up of our humanitarian Disaster Assistance Response
Team, or DART, last October, USAID's Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance
has provided clean water, medicine and medical supplies to communities
affected by violence. We have responded to new cholera outbreaks. We
are supporting survivors of gender-based violence. And we are
responding to widespread food insecurity with food assistance that
reaches hundreds of thousands of people a month and has helped to bring
nearly 20,000 people out of famine-like conditions.
building long-term stability
And we continue working to make the country more food secure long-
term. USAID investments have helped over 100,000 farmers adopt new
technologies over the last 10 years and generate nearly $30 million in
agricultural sales.
USAID has catalyzed equity investments in promising Haitian
companies, leveraging $28 million since 2018. For example, we provided
support to Acceso Haiti which works with smallholder farmers to boost
their production and aggregate their output to help them bring products
like Lavi Spicy Peanut Butter to grocery stores in the U.S. and Canada.
With USAID support, Acceso is working to expand its network of farmers,
double farmers' yields and incomes, and connect new crops, like mango,
lime, and moringa, to new markets.
USAID has also made strides in fortifying the country's water and
sanitation systems, which are foundational to making progress in every
other area from health to economic growth. We've helped re-establish 22
micro-utilities, improve their technical capacity, identify leaks,
install meters so they can collect and share data--including in the
wake of natural disasters--and generate revenue. Three of those 22
utilities have already mobilized over $70,000 in domestic revenues.
These types of USAID investments have helped increase access to
reliable, potable water service for over 320,000 people in Haiti since
2018. And our investments in sanitation management--which help ensure
waste doesn't pollute water sources--have increased sanitation services
for over 78,000 people.
Improving health outcomes across the country is also a major focus
for USAID. With USAID support, our partners operate more than 160
health clinics, which account for 25 percent of the health services
provided in the country. We vaccinate 76,000 kids every year. Since
2022, one in every two fully vaccinated kids in Haiti were vaccinated
with USAID support. That's critical to long-term health in the country.
The years we've spent strengthening the health system, operating
public health education campaigns, bolstering data gathering
capabilities and operationalizing failed water utilities proved
invaluable during the most recent cholera outbreak. The 2010 outbreak
saw more than 10,000 people lose their lives to cholera. The years we
spent building up the Ministry of Health and public health
infrastructure meant that during the most recent outbreak in October
2022, the Ministry was able to limit the number of deaths to 800. That
kept this outbreak's fatality rate under the World Health
Organization's standard of 1 percent.
long-term solutions require security
But as our staff in Haiti know, protecting those gains and making
further progress toward long-term solutions will require significant
improvements in security.
So, we continue to simultaneously address the urgent needs of the
moment and build a path to long-term stability. Under the Global
Fragility Act we have created a 10-year plan that allows us to better
coordinate our development work with our interagency partners' efforts
to meet Haiti's security goals.
USAID and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement
Affairs (INL) are more aligned than ever, designing joint programming
to address gang violence. While INL provides support for the Haitian
National Police, USAID is doing our part on citizen security.
Just last month, USAID signed a 3-year award with an initial
investment of $12.5 million to reduce violence and strengthen security
in gang-controlled neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince, focusing on:
implementing community development activities and, assisting the
Government of Haiti to provide social services for at-risk populations
and survivors of violence. These services include supporting at-risk
youth with psychosocial services, life skills, and help finding jobs
and livelihoods outside of joining a gang. This approach recognizes
that police can't solve this problem on their own and is based on
proven models implemented across the world, from Los Angeles to San
Pedro Sula.
economic security
We recognize that we can and should work to protect livelihoods,
even in the current security environment. Joblessness puts families
further at risk and contributes to insecurity.
Vice President Harris has signaled the Administration's strong
support for the extension of the HOPE/HELP trade preferences program,
which will keep jobs in Haiti. At this critical time, producers,
investors, clients, and workers in Haiti need certainty about the
continuation of HOPE/HELP. Maintaining this program will be essential
in preserving and growing the labor-intensive textile sector.
At USAID, our work to create economic opportunities continues
across the country. For example, we recently brokered a $4.5 million
equity investment between two Haitian businesses to expand and
accelerate a solar energy company's unique solar leasing model for
residential, commercial and industrial customers.
political security
Despite the challenges we face, USAID continues working to ensure
our programs not only operate in the short term, but really take root,
so they can contribute to long-term stability when the security
situation improves.
That includes supporting institutional improvements, like national
identification cards Haitians can use to vote and to access banks and
other services. To make sure people everywhere can get these cards,
USAID is partnering with the Organization of American States to
distribute 3 million cards throughout the country.
We stand ready to use our convening power to help Haiti move toward
democratic elections. USAID recently launched a new elections-support
program to work with Haitian institutions and civil society to take
concrete steps forward, including: creating a realistic electoral
calendar; developing security plans for voting; and supporting Haitian
efforts to carry out constitutional and electoral reforms.
conclusion
Thanks to our incredible staff and partners on the ground, and the
generosity of this congress, our local staff are right: ``all is not
lost in Haiti.'' But there is more left to lose--and more will be
lost--if we don't continue to back these critical efforts across the
country.
I thank this subcommittee for its ongoing support, and I look
forward to your questions.
Senator Kaine. Thank you, Assistant Administrator Escobari.
We will begin a round of questions.
Secretary Nichols, I will start. The title of this hearing
is ``Next Steps on the International Response,'' and so I would
like to begin there.
We have barely scratched the surface in all of our opening
comments about the depth of the challenge. To that end, what
can the Department now share publicly regarding a potential
international, multinational force in Haiti to assist with
security?
Talk a little bit about what we are doing as a Department
and also share discussions that you can with respect to the
U.N. Security Council or our international partners.
Mr. Nichols. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
We have been working intensively on this for as long as I
have been in this position, and the most recent activities have
been the renewal of the U.N.'s office in Haiti and in that
resolution that was renewed earlier this month, it called on
the Secretary General to provide recommendations for more that
could be done to address the security situation in Haiti within
30 days of the passage.
August 15 would be the deadline for that report.
Senator Kaine. Just as we are having a dialogue here, that
was notable because that is the U.N. Security Council
resolution, unanimous vote of countries such as Russia and
China, that sometimes are not with us on these. They worked
together with us on this initiative and that is at least a
positive sign, correct?
Mr. Nichols. That is correct, Mr. Chairman, and we continue
to consult with fellow council members, both permanent and
elected, with key peacekeeping contributors around the world.
Assistant Secretary Robinson is doing that right now. That
is why he could not be with us today. He is continuing those
conversations.
We talk to potential contributors to a multinational force,
which we consider the fastest deploying solution and
specifically responsive to the request from the Haitian
Government, as we contemplate other solutions that could
include some type of assessed peacekeeping operation in the
future.
We believe it is urgent to get forces on the ground that
can support the Haitian National Police as they carry out
missions specifically targeting the gangs that prey on the
Haitian people.
Senator Kaine. The challenge with the multinational force
idea has been that--I think you have done a good job in
identifying not only the United States, but other nations that
are willing to participate if it is scoped correctly.
It has been hard to get a nation to agree to lead it and
that--Senator Rubio referred to this in his opening
statements--and there are many reasons for that.
Some nations have histories with Haiti that would make them
leading a challenge because of historical challenges, and also
the history of other peacekeeping or multinational efforts in
Haiti have had their own challenges that makes some skittish
about taking the lead.
What are lessons learned from past multinational efforts or
peacekeeping operations that we should keep in mind as we are
trying to approach this particular formation of a multinational
effort?
Mr. Nichols. Well, I think having a focused narrow scope
for the operation. The security situation in Haiti is very much
differentiated by where you are in the country. The situation
in Port-au-Prince, the capital, is extremely bad. It is
something that requires urgent assistance.
Other parts of the country, the situation is substantially
better. A force needs to provide security around key
infrastructure sites. The ranking member referred to the
seizure of the Varreux fuel terminal late last year as one
incident.
We need to protect sites like that so that the Haitian
National Police can interact with the populace and provide
security. We also need to grow the police force in tandem with
the deployment of a multinational force.
Senator Kaine. Let me ask you one more question and then I
will cede to my colleague. I might have some more USAID
questions in a second round for you, Ms. Escobari.
You mentioned that in Trinidad and Tobago, Secretary
Blinken urged interim Prime Minister Henry to engage in good
faith dialogue with all sectors of Haitian society to look at a
next political chapter.
My Haitian-American diaspora community in Virginia has been
very critical. I will not say it is monolithic as a criticism,
but there has been significant criticism of the interim Prime
Minister's lack of willingness to engage broadly with all
sectors of Haitian society as we talk about a next political
chapter.
What has been your observation thus far, Secretary Nichols,
about the efforts being made by the Prime Minister to do what
Secretary Blinken has encouraged him to do?
Mr. Nichols. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Prime Minister
traveled to Jamaica under CARICOM auspices, met with a diverse
section of political and social stakeholders from Haiti in
offsite conversations.
Those were under the auspices of three eminent former prime
ministers from other Caribbean countries. Those conversations
have continued in Port-au-Prince. That is a positive step.
He has offered to not seek reelection or seek election, I
should say, as well as his cabinet, which is an important
guarantee for the process.
He needs to expand the political representation in his
cabinet and, frankly, I think the High Transition Council
should be expanded to include other political forces.
There was robust debate within Haiti over how you would do
that. The December 21 agreement that he and many of those who
view him more favorably have signed does not provide for an
expansion of the High Transition Council. That is a point of
significant debate within the country, but a broad national
effort to take the country to elections as quickly as security
will allow is vital.
Senator Kaine. Thank you. I will yield to my colleague,
Senator Rubio.
Senator Rubio. Well, just on that point of security, so I
think we all would hope to see a Haiti that has a prosperous
economy that provides opportunities and a functional
government.
I think a precondition to both of those things being
possible--you are not going to drive investment in the country
without security and I do not know how you hold elections,
given the current security situation.
Security is first and foremost, and that is a really tough
one to deal with. Number one, the argument for a multinational
force, which is what the Administration and others have been
supportive of, is not unanimous either among all political
actors inside of Haiti, correct? There are many who are against
that as a solution.
Mr. Nichols. The----
Senator Rubio. There are some, I should--yes.
Mr. Nichols. I have spoken with scores of Haitians in Haiti
and members of the diaspora. I would say that opinions toward a
multinational force have evolved over time and people that I
talk to who were against that 18 months ago are now very
supportive of that.
The guarantee that they want is this will not be used as a
way to maintain the Prime Minister in power indefinitely, and I
think that we have ample assurances from him directly to the
Secretary of State and to other actors in the country that he
will not remain in power and that his goal is to hold an
election.
We need to have that security, as you rightly state, to be
able to do that.
Senator Rubio. Under what auspices? For example, I guess
the August 15 deadline is for the U.N. recommendation on what
the steps forward are through the Security Council. Have the
Chinese expressed opposition to international force inside of
Haiti to provide security?
Mr. Nichols. I want to be careful in characterizing another
country's position, but they have expressed concerns about how
any future effort would be different from the MINUSTAH effort
that lasted for 13 years.
They did support the resolution that passed earlier this
month and they have said they would like to see the text of the
recommendations from the Secretary General and what a
resolution says before presenting a final opinion.
Senator Rubio. Which countries have expressed an openness?
For example, the Kenyans--are they a potential partner or a
lead in a peacekeeping effort?
Mr. Nichols. They are. Secretary Robinson is--has just
departed from Nairobi and we have talked to them. They are one
of the leading contributors to U.N. peacekeeping and
multinational operations around the world.
We have talked to many other countries as well. One of the
things I think it is important to focus on is that while we may
be asking a specific country to be the lead, we envision this
as a multinational force with members from this hemisphere,
from developed and developing countries, with different levels
of skill sets that they would bring to bear to the problem.
Senator Rubio. Yes. I guess the reason why I ask about that
is just it is historically the U.N., the U.S., Canada, others
have come under criticism in the past for these efforts for a
lot of reasons--the 13 years or whatever may have happened
during that time, other incidents that happened during those
interventions for peacekeeping purposes.
I think it is--that has made it more difficult to get the
Canadians or the French or anybody to be excited about this. I
am glad to hear that some countries have expressed. What about
in the Caribbean?
Mr. Nichols. CARICOM member states have stated publicly
their willingness to participate in a multinational force.
Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and The Bahamas have all publicly
said that they would be willing to participate. Other countries
in the Caribbean as well.
Interestingly, some of the smaller Caribbean countries do
have Creole speakers and that could be an important resource
for a multinational force for interpretation and translation.
Senator Rubio. The issue here is not finding nations that
potentially are willing to be contributors. The issue is
finding a nation willing to say, and will be the lead on
command?
Mr. Nichols. Yes, sir. That has been the challenge that we
face.
We believe that we are making progress in that area and it
is vital to do so, and I would note that any country that does
take the lead, I am confident will enjoy support from other key
peacekeeping contributors as well as from the United States,
from Canada, from France, in terms of supporting their efforts.
Senator Rubio. My last question, and I apologize again
because an appropriations vote is coming up here in a few
minutes.
On the security assistance we are providing now, the
training mission, the equip and train and so forth, what is
more detail? Obviously, the training occurring in country, out
of country. Obviously, part of that involves retention. All of
the security workforce there faces the same challenges that our
locally employed--our local employees at the mission would
confront.
They have the same housing challenges, security challenges,
and the like. I--and obviously it is telling when you have a
substantial percentage of those in the current security forces
looking to leave the country.
If you could describe a little bit more about how that
program is functioning. Where are we doing with the training
in-country, how is that--and, obviously, is recruitment a part
of that as well?
Mr. Nichols. Absolutely, sir. The Bureau of International
Narcotics and Law Enforcement has 14 subject matter experts
embedded within the Haitian National Police that are providing
training and assistance within the police.
Alongside that, there are United Nations political
officers, actually two of them right now, who are also
providing training within the police.
We work with the police to recruit, to vet, to train at the
police academy in the Port-au-Prince area, as well as some
other facilities, as well as programs to develop their anti-
gang unit, their transnational criminal investigative unit,
their sexual gender-based violence unit, the inspector general
function, which is like their office of professional
responsibility to ensure that bad actors are identified and
removed from the police force.
We have had conversations with the police around their
growth plans, their maritime operations with the Haitian Coast
Guard, which is associated with the police.
We also provide assistance to maintain and equip Coast
Guard vessels within Haiti. In addition to the United States,
other countries provide assistance to the Haitian National
Police. Mexico, France, Brazil, Canada, just to name a few,
have provided training both within Haiti and outside of Haiti
to the police.
I can continue if you like.
Senator Rubio. Pretty comprehensive. That was
comprehensive. I appreciate your answer on it. I apologize. I
will come right back after I--great--after we vote on those
things.
I was trying to think of any of the appropriations bills we
are going to vote on, have to do with the funding for any of
this, but we already did that last week.
Senator Kaine. Thank you, Senator Rubio. I will have a
series of questions.
I want to stick with you for a minute, Secretary Nichols.
As I mentioned in my opening remarks, Senator Rubio and I have
introduced the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative
Authorization Act. It is bipartisan.
We believe we have a--we are on a good path on this. We
were trying to get it connected to the National Defense
Authorizing Act. I am not sure we are going to be able to do
that, but I wanted to ask you a question about Assistant
Secretary Robinson. We have referenced him during this hearing.
He was unable to join today for the reasons that you described.
Our federal law enforcement agencies are focused on
firearms trafficking, and can you briefly describe what the
Department's role is in combating firearms trafficking to Haiti
and the Caribbean region?
Mr. Nichols. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Department of State has supported, alongside with the
Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and the Department of
Justice, the creation of the transnational criminal
investigative unit within Haiti.
There is also the gun crime investigative unit in Port of
Spain, Trinidad. We are providing training and access to the
eTrace software platform that allows police officers anywhere
in the world to trace the serial numbers of weapons found at
crime scenes for investigative purposes.
You referenced in your opening statement, Mr. Chairman, the
new coordinator position within the Department of Justice,
which we think is going to be a very important tool in aiding
prosecutions of straw purchasers.
The bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which this body
passed--and thank you very much for that--provides important
tools that allows us to prosecute straw purchasers of weapons
that are used in crimes overseas who have the knowledge or
expectation that the guns that they purchase would be used in a
criminal activity.
We have, I think, made important progress in attacking the
gun trafficking into the region, but there is much, much more
work to be done, and as you rightly signaled, this is a vital
task for this Administration and our partners around the
region, and I know, sir, that you personally heard this from
our partners during your trips and participation in the Summit
of the Americas.
Senator Kaine. Again and again, I have heard this all
throughout the region. You referenced earlier the U.N.-
integrated office in Haiti, which I think is referred to as the
BINUH, and the fact that the Security Council extended its
mandate by a year.
Share a little bit about what that integrated office does.
What is the scope of their work?
Mr. Nichols. They coordinate the United Nations country
team activities in Haiti, so all of their specialized agencies.
They provide political mediation and intervention. They have
dedicated police officers who provide training within the
Haitian National Police as well as some of their own site
security.
The number of police officers in the mission actually
nearly doubled in the renewal of the resolution so they will be
able to do more things around training. The coordination of
humanitarian efforts in Haiti, not just within the U.N. country
team, agencies like World Food Programme or UNICEF also extends
to other donors as well, and Assistant Administrator Escobari
could tell you about how they work with BINUH in that regard.
Senator Kaine. Excellent. You mentioned in your testimony,
Secretary Nichols, the role of the Haitian diaspora in the
United States and I think that is an intriguing reference that
there is a significant diaspora in the DMV, in this region.
Senator Rubio talked about the diaspora, very significant in
south Florida.
Talk a little bit about how you see the role of the Haitian
diaspora--Haitian Americans--in assisting a transition to a
better chapter in the life of the country.
Mr. Nichols. The Haitian diaspora--I have met with them in
Miami, I have met with them here in this area, I have met with
them in New York, virtual meetings from people--with people
around the country--they are an incredibly talented group--as
you well know, business leaders, doctors, lawyers, dentists--
and they want to help Haiti.
They have economic resources. They have professional
skills. Historically, we have worked with Haitian-American
police officers to support the Haitian National Police in the
past.
The ability of that community to provide assistance depends
also on the security situation in Haiti. It has to be safe for
them to travel there and work with Haitians in-country around
the broad areas of development, and we are proud to have
Haitian-Americans who work in the State Department and even on
the Haiti account. This is very important for us.
Senator Kaine. Excellent.
I want to switch to humanitarian issues, Assistant
Administrator Escobari. In my opening comments, I mentioned the
fact that this latest spate of political unrest and violence
following the assassination of the President, shortly following
was an earthquake.
There have been even more recent challenges. Flooding and
earthquake just in June of this year led to 55 deaths, but left
more than 13,000 people homeless, and the U.N. indicated in a
March 2023 report that gang violence had displaced at least
160,000 people.
The magnitude of this challenge is very striking, but your
point was there are some good things going on. I thought the
statistics that you referenced about the health care system,
the percentage of Haitians that receive health care in clinics
that have been supported by USAID, the work that is done
between USAID and the Haitian Government on health care
facilities, I thought those were very powerful.
How are these health care facilities operating in an
environment where the gangs control so much of the country? Are
health care clinics kind of viewed as safe spaces where the
gangs have not overly interrupted their work or are you seeing
significant restrictions of the work of these facilities
because of gang violence in the country?
Ms. Escobari. Thank you, Senator, for your question and
your enduring support of Haiti.
Health is probably the place where we are strongest in
USAID. There is over 160 clinics that are run with support from
USAID and 90 percent of them are currently operational, and I
think it is because of a mix of the things that you talked
about.
A lot of our partners come from those communities, work in
those communities, and serve those communities. I think that
everybody is motivated to keeping them open more so in the
current circumstance, and they provide everything.
They provide primary health. They were instrumental during
the cholera outbreak. They are the first point-of-contact on
response to gender-based violence.
They are really integral to these communities and have
been--have remained open even in the worst moments.
Senator Kaine. Are these facilities part of the government
public health network or are they facilities run by NGOs and
nonprofit organizations?
Ms. Escobari. There is a mix, but our--most of our support
is supporting the Ministry of Health in Haiti and this has been
investments for the last 10 years to not only build the
capacity of the ministry and build that public health
infrastructure, those norms for people to know how to respond
to cholera, and really all of that investment has come to
fruition in these institutions that were able to respond and
the government was able to respond during the recent cholera
outbreak in October and really keep that at the WHO 1 percent
fatality.
Eight hundred people have died of cholera in that recent
outbreak.
Senator Kaine. Just--and just----
Ms. Escobari. After 2010, it was 10,000. I am just saying
there is a big difference in how the government was able to
respond to the crisis.
Senator Kaine. Right. The U.S. investment along with other
partners in this public health infrastructure connected to the
Ministry of Health that began a decade ago was absolutely
critical during COVID, for example.
Before that, there might have been one-off clinics or
people running health institutions, but not a robust public
health infrastructure under the Ministry of Health. The
creation of that architecture has helped with cholera, helps
with the pandemic----
Ms. Escobari. HIV. Yes.
Senator Kaine. --helped under the HIV--helps under the
current situation.
Describe a little bit, because I think it is hard to wrap
our head around the fact there is not a functioning democratic
government in this sense. There is no elected official in Haiti
right now who has a mandate. There have not been elections that
have led to people serving terms pursuant to a mandate.
How does the Ministry of Health maintain itself? I mean,
how does it fund the clinics? How does it provide security to
the clinics so that gang violence does not interrupt it?
Describe that a little bit.
Ms. Escobari. Yes. USAID works in very complicated places.
We work in South Sudan. We work in war zones in Ukraine, and we
have learned to work with the partners that we have.
In Haiti--and many times we work at the level of the
community and we work with the institutions and the civil
servants that exist and with partners that want to work with us
and we have found that, and I have met with the Minister of
Health when I was there in January.
They are partners in the provision of health care in
responding to the emergencies and we have found partners like
that in other institutions, and when we find those partners we
double down on strengthening them irrespective of sometimes the
instability at the national level.
Senator Kaine. I focus on the health issue because I think
Senator Rubio correctly pointed out that before you get to
significant economic activity, investment, or new elections you
have to have a base of security and I would argue that a
functioning health care system is another one of these
preconditions.
Of all the things that we could do while we are looking for
that next step forward, hopefully, with a multinational force
to provide security assistance doing what we can do to continue
to train police and maintain through our assistance this
functioning health care network, those are the two
preconditions that if all else is not working, we have to make
sure that those things work because those will be the
foundation upon which a political resolution will have to be
built.
I encourage USAID in that effort and I think you are right,
that of all the work that USAID does in Haiti and maybe many
other countries that the health care work is probably the
foundational work that is the most important.
Let me ask you this. The GAO released a report in March
that recommended that USAID and State improve the management
and assessment of reconstruction activities.
It looked at USAID's post-2010 earthquake investments and
found that despite efforts of USAID to increase partnership
with local entities to manage funding--and that is a capacity
building as well as a service delivering value--the U.S.-based
partners implemented the majority of the USAID reconstruction
activities rather than local partners and received most of the
funding obligated between 2010 and 2020.
What might we do to--in reconstruction activities? Now we
are talking outside the healthcare space, other kinds of civil
society reconstruction activities. What might we do to increase
localization efforts as a way of both delivering services and
building capacity?
Ms. Escobari. Thank you, Senator. As you know, renewing our
commitment to localization is part of our priority throughout
the agency.
Senator Kaine. Right. Ambassador Power has stated that we
should be doing 25--a minimum of 25----
Ms. Escobari. Of 25 percent----
Senator Kaine. --percent of assistance going through local
partners by 2024 throughout the USAID portfolio.
Ms. Escobari. She often says that even 25 percent seems low
when we think that our major mission is to really create
capacity in the places that we work in. That is important for
the agency and it is still important and a priority for Haiti,
even though we do have to acknowledge that localization
involves more staff, more people, more money, which is
challenging. All of those are challenging in Haiti.
Despite those challenges, actually Haiti had made a huge
improvement just last year in doubling the percentage of
funding
that went to local partners from 10 percent to 22 percent from
FY21-22.
We have established a new partner engagement unit within
our mission to be able to work with civil society and really
not only help them do their functions, but also work with them
to help them work with us.
We know we are sometimes an onerous organization because we
have to account for every dollar of taxpayers and we do so, but
we are working to train those organizations to work with us and
we are making progress.
Senator Kaine. Let me explore just one example during your
opening testimony. I am curious as to how this is being
localized.
You talked about USAID investments in micro utilities for
clean water access and possibly other utility service for
hundreds of thousands of Haitians and you used the phrase in
your testimony that these investments were self-sustaining. Are
these utility investments being done with local partners?
Ms. Escobari. Well, these are run by communities. This is
what--what we want to bring is institutionality, that these
utilities can not only provide services, but that people are
willing to pay for them and that is what we have seen in these
micro utilities is that they are not only functioning,
providing drinking water, but they have a water meter.
They have the capacity for people to pay online. They have
gone from really receiving nothing and being bankrupt to three
of them, I think, have received over $70,000 in revenue. They
are self-sustaining.
Same with sanitation and water management, which is really
making a difference. Haitians are willing to pay for services
if they are provided and what we have done is help those be
managed at the community level.
Senator Kaine. Thank you.
Secretary Nichols, I was in the Dominican Republic in
October and met with Prime Minister Abinader and we talked
about the Haitian-Dominican border and some of the challenges,
the percentage of births in Dominican hospitals that are to
Haitian women who have fled across the border because they do
not have any option that they find acceptable in Haiti. That is
a good thing that they have this option in the Dominican
Republic. Yet, it does create its own set of challenges.
Talk to me a little bit about the Haiti-Dominican Republic
relationship. Dominican Republic is a good ally of the United
States. They are also a pro-democracy nation, having formed the
Alliance for Development and Democracy in the region.
Talk a little bit about Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Now, in the past there have been challenges, court cases in the
Dominican Republic and other efforts that were seen as sort of
trying to close off or reduce the historic sense of welcome
that Haitians have found there, but talk a little bit about the
current state of the relationship.
Mr. Nichols. The Dominican Republic has been very vocal in
their demanding, exhorting the international community to
support Haiti.
They have stressed that the global responsibility to help
the Haitian people is something that they--they are focused on
the value. The Dominican Republic hosts thousands and thousands
of Haitians as well as many hundreds, thousands more people who
have historic or ethnic roots to Haiti.
They have provided training and assistance to the Haitian
Government over time. President Abinader, Foreign Minister
Alvarez, in our conversations with them repeatedly stressed the
importance of providing assistance to Haiti.
The future of the island of Hispaniola depends on a
prosperous and successful Haiti and the Dominican Republic, as
prosperous and successful as it is, will become even more so.
They need to have a neighbor that is stable and prosperous as
well.
I just note that we are very honored--I am proud to hand
over the chair of the summit coordination process for the
Summit of the Americas to the Dominican Republic, which will
host the next Summit of the Americas.
As you alluded to, they have been very committed to
strengthening democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and
private sector-led growth in our region. We consider them a
valuable partner.
Senator Kaine. Excellent. Well, one of the things we can
do--let me finish up with a question to both of you, the kind
of wrap-up question unless other colleagues come, and that is
what would you ask of Congress right now to enable you to do
the work you need to do in Haiti? What can we be doing that
would be more helpful?
I will give you one answer. We had a really good hearing
yesterday with ambassadorial nominee Hankins to be the
Ambassador to Haiti. It is always better to have a confirmed
ambassador.
Ambassador Hankins has served in Haiti earlier in his
career, understands the situation, anxious to get back. We have
had a little bit of a slowdown in some of the ambassadorial
confirmations, particularly in the hemisphere, and I have done
a lot of work with my colleagues to free up a number of them.
I think getting a confirmed ambassador in Haiti is
something that would be a very important step for the Senate to
take, but in addition to that, how about each of you take some
time as we conclude and offer any additional comments you would
have about things we can do to be helpful?
Mr. Nichols. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Obviously, I agree wholeheartedly with the importance of
confirming Dennis to be our Ambassador in Port-au-Prince.
Beyond that, the renewal of HOPE and HELP legislation will be
incredibly valuable to provide economic stability and economic
growth for Haiti.
I believe that we are currently well-positioned to provide
resources for a multinational force in Haiti, but this body's
continued generosity in supporting our efforts to aid the
Haitian people and provide security in Haiti are vital and I
thank you for your leadership on that and for this body's
willingness to support that generously.
The final note that I would make is, broadly, in our
efforts to promote greater stability and security in
challenging places around the world, resourcing our colleagues
in diplomatic security to ensure that our people can be safe
wherever they are in the world is very important.
Thank you for your support, which has been steadfast in
that area, as well.
Senator Kaine. Virginia is home both to the training
facility for the Marine security guards who provide security to
embassies, but also the State Department Foreign Affairs
Security Training Center in Southern Virginia.
We care very, very deeply about keeping our folks safe and
are proud to host the security training facilities in the
Commonwealth.
Administrator Escobari, how can we be more helpful?
Ms. Escobari. Thank you so much, Senator, for that
question.
Let me reiterate what my colleague said. HOPE/HELP right
now would be extremely valuable. You are correct that there are
certain things that are needed that are basic. Security is one
of them. Health is one of them.
Things are still happening in Haiti. The worst of the
violence is happening in Port-au-Prince. We work in the north
and the south where people are still exporting their goods they
are producing. One in every two jobs are in agriculture.
People need those jobs, and the textile sector has employed
at some point over 50,000 people. They work within free trade
zones where they have some protection of institutionality, and
I think those investors are making those decisions now and your
commitment to the continuation would send a really strong
signal.
The second thing would be engaging our continued--to bring
attention, like, with this hearing to our international
partners and the importance of them joining us.
We are the largest donor and--but this needs to galvanize
the whole international community for us to make a difference
because the humanitarian needs are immense, and I do think that
not all is lost, but we need to have sustaining power to make
sure that we can continue to save lives as we try to turn the
course of Haiti.
Thank you.
Senator Kaine. Thank you very much.
Well, I know that I am really looking forward to this
report from the Secretary General, the recommendations back to
the Security Council in mid-August, and I do not know that we
will have a hearing on that, but you can expect that we will be
reaching out to State once those recommendations are delivered
to have further dialogue about whether there seems to be a
gelling plan to move forward.
My assessment of this before today, but it has certainly
been emphasized in your testimony, is that there are a number
of partners that really want to participate in this
multinational effort if it is scoped correctly, defined
correctly. Learn some of the lessons from some past challenges.
I think the challenge is not finding willing participants.
The question of leadership is a tough one, but at least there
are partners around the table that want to participate and that
should give us hope.
I look forward to the report on the 15th and then further
dialogue with you about how we can move forward to provide
appropriate security assistance.
I am going to ask that the record of this hearing stay open
until close of business tomorrow in case members who were not
able to come would like to submit questions for the record. If
they do, I would encourage you to respond fully and promptly.
With that, the hearing is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:04 a.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
----------
Additional Material Submitted for the Record
Responses of Mr. Brian Nichols to Questions
Submitted by Senator Robert Menendez
Question. For over 6 months, Haiti has had zero democratically
elected officials. Prime Minister Henry, who the United States and
international community recognize as Haiti's de facto leader, had his
term constitutionally expire in November 2021 and is viewed as
illegitimate by a significant portion of the Haitian population. And
despite the signing of the December 21 Accord, it seems to me that a
true political consensus between Henry and key opposition groups
remains elusive as does any concrete, realistic timetable for the
peaceful holding of free, fair, and transparent elections in the
immediate future.
Is it time for a more inclusive transitional government in Haiti or
do you believe the December 21 Accord is sufficient to set Haiti back
on the path towards democratic governance?
Answer. We believe Haitians must decide what an acceptable
political consensus looks like. To that end, the U.S. Government has
supported Haitian-led efforts facilitated by actors such as the Eminent
Persons Group from CARICOM, which includes former prime ministers of
Jamaica, The Bahamas, and St. Lucia. These efforts aim to facilitate
greater political dialogue and broader consensus, paving the way for
elections when security conditions permit. The National Consensus for
an Inclusive Transition and Transparent Elections, also known as the
December 21 accord, represents a positive step towards resolving
Haiti's political impasse. This accord has broader support than
previous efforts and its leadership, including Prime Minister Henry,
continues to engage opposition parties including the Montana Group and
the Group of Eight political parties. Since the signing of the December
21 accord, Prime Minister Henry took several significant steps towards
creating a path forward for inclusive elections, including installing
the High Transition Council, reconstituting the Supreme Court, and
holding political roundtables and ongoing discussions with opposing
political parties.
Question. Are you satisfied with progress made under the December
21 Accord?
Answer. Much work remains ahead but, Haitian stakeholders made
important progress through the December 21 accord. The installation of
the High Transition Council, reconstitution of the Supreme Court, and
political roundtables with opposing political parties were important
steps in the path towards elections. Now Haitian stakeholders must
reach a compromise on the distribution of executive powers and
remaining steps towards elections, including naming members of the
Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) and logistics around identifying
polling places, updating voter lists, and issuing voter registration
cards.
Question. It is clear to me that the Haitian National Police
unfortunately cannot solve the urgent security crisis in Haiti alone.
To this end, I was glad to see the United States introduce a resolution
at the UN Security Council this month, which was adopted unanimously,
requiring the UN Secretary General to develop a comprehensive list of
international responses to address Haiti's security challenges,
including the potential creation of a multinational force. While I know
the United States has been in discussions with partner countries on the
creation of such a force for close to a year, I am frankly frustrated
at how long this process has taken and at the ongoing lack of clarity
over the leadership, composition, duration, and mission objective of a
multinational force.
What specific information can you share on each of these points?
Answer. The United States continues engaging the international
community on the potential creation of a multinational force (MNF). A
MNF could assist the Haitian National Police (HNP) in securing critical
infrastructure sites and enabling the HNP to focus on curtailing gangs'
use of kidnapping, hijacking, extortion, murder, and sexual violence.
The United States stands ready to provide support to a MNF where it
would be most effective, potentially including the provision of
training, logistics, and/or equipment.
Question. What is being done to ensure that any future
multinational force avoids the shortcomings of previous internationally
led efforts in Haiti?
Answer. We are drawing lessons from prior international efforts in
Haiti to avoid shortcomings from these experiences and to maximize the
ability of a MNF to pave the way towards sustainable peace and security
and maintain credibility and popular support. We remain committed to
introducing language in a UN Security Council Resolution authorizing a
MNF that encourages the MNF to comply with applicable international law
and follow best practices the international community has established
on gender, the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, and
environmental management. In addition, we will use the upcoming United
Nations Secretary General report, which we expect to outline the full
range of support options the United Nations can provide to enhance the
security situation, to help guide development of the MNF.
The deployment of a MNF should provide short- to medium-term
security assistance. The United States will also continue to support
Haitian National Police (HNP) capacity building efforts, which would
complement a MNF. We will supplement these efforts with longer term,
strategic planning under the Haiti Strategy to Prevent Conflict and
Promote Stability (SPCPS) 10-year plan, which provides a comprehensive
U.S. Government approach to address the drivers of instability, in
close coordination with local stakeholders in Haiti and the
international community. We actively coordinate on implementation of
this 10-year plan and apply lessons from past experiences.
I believe a MNF with a narrow scope could assist the HNP in
securing critical infrastructure sites and better enable it to curtail
lawlessness and stop rampant gang violence. Continuing to support the
growth of the HNP will also play a critical role in ensuring a positive
outcome in Haiti.
Question. The Haitian people cannot afford to wait another year for
the international community to figure this out. When do you expect a
multinational force to be ready for deployment?
Answer. Given the urgency of Haiti's security situation, we
actively engage the international community to advance a multinational
force as soon as possible. Timing of deployment of a multinational
force would depend on several factors, including the identification of
a lead country, and that country's review of conditions on the ground
in Haiti.
Question. For 2 years, armed criminal gangs have launched a
horrific wave of violence across Haiti. Murdering civilians and
ambushing police officers. Kidnapping American nationals. Sexually
assaulting women and girls. They have done so with the political and
financial backing of Haitian elites. That is why I introduced the Haiti
Criminal Collusion and Transparency Act, which has the support of over
a dozen Haitian civil society and diaspora groups, to expose the links
between these actors and ensure both Haitian gangs and their sponsors
are targeted for economic sanctions and visa restrictions. That is also
why I supported the establishment of a sanctions regime at the United
Nations last October.
Can you provide an update on progress towards holding Haitian
criminal gangs and political and economic elites accountable through
the use of sanctions? What more needs to be done?
Answer. The United States' financial sanctions and visa
restrictions--rolled out at an unprecedented pace--placed significant
pressure on political and economic elites who finance gang leaders and
foment the ongoing crises in Haiti. Since October 2022, the United
States took steps to impose sanctions and visa restrictions on over 50
individuals involved in street gangs, other Haitian criminal
organizations, drug trafficking, significant corruption, gross
violations of human rights, and serious human rights abuses. In October
2022, the United States also secured unanimous approval for the first
ever UN sanctions regime in the Western Hemisphere and persuaded
partners like Canada and--following my hearing--the EU to create their
own Haiti sanctions programs. We continue to press other actors to
follow suit.
A key factor in the success of our sanctions policy is carefully
choosing targets who are doing the most damage and whose sanctioning
will motivate others to improve their behavior. U.S. financial sanction
and visa restriction laws and regulations that remain narrow in scope
and/or require evidentiary standards limit the efficacy of our
sanctions due to limited information collection capabilities in Haiti.
I would welcome a chance for my team to brief your staff in-depth about
our sanctions successes so far and how to ensure that your well-
intended legislation does not have unintended consequences that would
harm the effectiveness of sanctions as a tool.
Question. What is the current status of the UN sanctions regime,
and has the U.S. proposed additional targets for inclusion?
Answer. Establishing this sanctions regime proved an important step
to help the Haitian people push back against a culture of impunity
among certain elites and criminal actors, and had an immediate
deterrent effect on actors supporting or involved in criminal activity.
However, the peace and security of the Haitian people requires more. We
continue to work with members of the UNSCR 2653 Sanctions Committee to
co-sponsor additional designations against those who finance and foment
violence and instability in Haiti.
Question. The United States has a global responsibility to prevent
U.S.-manufactured guns from falling into the hands of criminal actors
overseas. For decades, we have failed to live up to this
responsibility, and the trafficking of American guns has directly
contributed to widespread insecurity and violence across communities in
our hemisphere. This includes Haiti, where the United States is the
principal source of licit and illicit firearms, according to a recent
report by the UN Office on Drugs and crime. We should all be ashamed
that the horrific wave of murder, kidnappings, and sexual assaults
being unleased by Haitian gangs is most likely being committed with the
assistance of U.S.-made weapons.
What is your assessment of the extent to which arms trafficking
from the U.S. is contributing to insecurity in Haiti?
Answer. The illicit flow of firearms enables gangs to carry out
their crimes and to stockpile weapons that can often surpass the
firepower of the HNP. We also know that the proliferation of small arms
and light weapons can be linked to conflict-related sexual violence. We
recognize that arms trafficking is a critical issue in Haiti as well as
the broader Caribbean, and we remain committed to addressing this
issue.
Question. What are we doing to effectively address this issue, and
what challenges remain?
Answer. In June, Vice President Harris announced a new position
within the Department of Justice, the first ever Coordinator for
Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions. The Coordinator will support the
Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which established stiffer penalties
for international weapons trafficking. As the Vice President also
announced in June, the Department of State will support the Department
of Homeland Security in collaboration with the HNP to develop a
Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit (TCIU) to facilitate
investigations and prosecution of transnational crimes with a U.S.
nexus, including firearms and ammunition smuggling. We continue
providing training and access to the eTrace software platform that
allows police officers anywhere in the world to trace the serial
numbers of weapons found at crime scenes for investigative purposes.
The United States has been a strong supporter of the Crime Gun
Intelligence Unit in Trinidad and Tobago, which is a regional effort to
understand issues related to gun trafficking. We recognize the
challenges to stopping firearms flow, tracing trafficked weapons,
identifying perpetrators, and holding criminals accountable. Aligning
our efforts strategically and leveraging all available tools to advance
the Haiti Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability 10-year
plan can enable us to address gun trafficking in Haiti and the broader
Caribbean in the most comprehensive manner.
______
Responses of Ms. Marcela Escobari to Questions
Submitted by Senator Robert Menendez
Question. For over 6 months, Haiti has had zero democratically
elected officials. Prime Minister Henry, who the United States and
international community recognize as Haiti's de facto leader, had his
term constitutionally expire in November 2021 and is viewed as
illegitimate by a significant portion of the Haitian population. And
despite the signing of the December 21 Accord, it seems to me that a
true political consensus between Henry and key opposition groups
remains elusive as does any concrete, realistic timetable for the
peaceful holding of free, fair, and transparent elections in the
immediate future. It is imperative we make sure Haiti is equipped to
hold elections when the time comes.
What democratic governance programming is USAID undertaking now to
help the Haitian people prepare for this?
Answer. In Haiti's contested political environment, USAID is
focused on facilitating a process that builds trust between citizens
and their institutions and starts to renew Haitians' faith in
democracy. In alignment with the State Department's efforts to build
consensus around a path to elections, USAID is supporting the
Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS) to
work with Haitian institutions and civil society actors on election
planning and preparations. CEPPS is fostering dialogue on a range of
reforms to Haiti's electoral process, including a required revision of
the Electoral Law, which could include improvements to the structure
and functions of the electoral council; a realistic elections calendar,
including the synchronization of presidential, legislative, and
municipal elections; and identifying polling places. They also plan to
hold dialogues on the Political Parties Law, which will involve
political actors, the Provisional Electoral Council, and civil society.
In addition, the CEPPS partners are supporting civil society
organizations so they can build their capacity for advocacy in these
discussions and can lead efforts for constitutional and electoral
reforms and election observation.
Also, in partnership with the Organization for American States,
USAID has launched a program to support Haiti's National Identification
Office to renew expired national identity (ID) cards. This activity
will help register, issue, and deliver 2 million new national ID cards
to Haitian adults who do not have one. In Haiti, national ID cards
serve as voter ID cards. Importantly, this program will also update
Haiti's voter registration system, helping to bolster future turnout.
Question. We are currently witnessing one of the world's worst
humanitarian and food security crises unfold in our own hemisphere,
mere miles from Florida. Haiti is per capita the second most food
insecure country in the world, with more than half the population in
need of humanitarian assistance. At a time when Haitians desperately
need support from the international community, however, such support
has been lacking. Only one-fourth of the UN Humanitarian Response Plan
request has been met, and the World Food Program has announced it will
be forced to cut hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries without
additional funding. While I recognize USAID's significant contribution
of over $100 million in humanitarian assistance this year, this is
clearly insufficient to meet Haitians' dire needs.
Does USAID have sufficient resources at its disposal to bolster
humanitarian support to the Haitian people? If not, what additional
funds and programs are needed this year to prevent the humanitarian
crisis from worsening?
Answer. Thanks to the continued support of Congress, the United
States is the top humanitarian assistance donor to Haiti ($112
million), followed by the EU ($10.5 million), Canada ($8 million), and
Japan ($7.1 million). Since FY 2021, the United States has provided
more than $265 million in emergency humanitarian assistance to Haiti.
Since its deployment to Haiti in mid-October of 2022, USAID's Disaster
Assistance Response Team has worked closely with partners to assess
needs on the ground and to provide life-saving assistance such as food
assistance, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and protection services, and
critical health and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) supplies to
partners responding to the ongoing cholera outbreak. While USAID will
continue its lifesaving work through humanitarian assistance and will
advocate for a robust budget in FY 2024 based on humanitarian needs,
the hard reality is that more support from the international community
is required to fully address the widespread needs of the Haitian
people.
The UN launched a 3-month system-wide scale-up in April aimed at
bolstering resources, increasing UN staff and coordination, raising the
profile of the emergency, and addressing acute food security and
malnutrition, child protection, cholera, and gender-based violence
(GBV) needs across Haiti. The scale-up has since been extended to mid-
October. USAID has been a strong advocate and supporter of the scale-up
since its inception, and we continue to advocate for other
international donors to increase their funding toward the underfunded
Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP). USAID continues to advocate that
Haiti remains in the spotlight of higher-profile emergencies
considering the deepening humanitarian situation that exceeds the
Government of Haiti's capacity to manage.
Meanwhile, USAID works through a wide range of capable and
longstanding partners to reach the most vulnerable populations despite
operational challenges and the unpredictable security environment. For
example:
USAID partners continue to provide emergency food assistance
and nutrition support to at-risk populations despite
significant security challenges. Specifically, the World Food
Program (WFP) reached nearly 26,600 households with cash
distributions in Artibonite, Centre, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, and Sud
departments during July. Further, BHA's funding contributed to
a WFP effort that brought 20,000 people in the Cite Soleil
commune of Port-au-Prince out of Catastrophe--IPC 5--levels of
acute food insecurity.
In response to massive protection violations and sexual
violence, BHA partners have provided critical protection
services, including GBV prevention and response, as well as
psycho-social services. USAID partner, Concern Worldwide,
reached nearly 2,900 people with GBV prevention and response,
including GBV sensitization, in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan
area as of June.
In partnership with the logistics nonprofit Airlink, USAID
established a humanitarian air bridge to deliver critical
health and WASH supplies to relief organizations combating
cholera in Haiti, transporting more than 232 metric tons (MT)
of assistance to eight humanitarian organizations as of July
2023. Overall, BHA has transported more than 682 MT of health
and WASH commodities to humanitarian partners in Haiti in FY
2023.
USAID currently supports 11 partners implementing WASH
activities to disseminate disease prevention messaging; provide
hygiene kits and safe drinking water to vulnerable households;
repair WASH infrastructure, and conduct awareness campaigns on
hygiene best practices to reduce disease transmission.
------
Written Statement of Assistant Secretary Todd Robinson
Submitted by Senator Tim Kaine
Prepared Statement of Todd D. Robinson
Chairman Kaine, Ranking Member Rubio, and distinguished Members of
the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today regarding
the Department of State's efforts to address the security and
humanitarian crises in Haiti. Addressing the current emergency in Haiti
is a key foreign policy objective that supports our goals of reducing
instability and illegal trafficking in one of the United States'
closest neighbors.
When I traveled to Port-au-Prince in January, I saw firsthand the
effects of the instability and violence devastating Haiti. In my
conversations with the Prime Minister and Haitian National Police (that
is, HNP) Director General, we discussed the urgent challenges facing
the police, and the message was clear: HNP officers need our support
with training, equipment, logistics, and vetting. In their work to
counter increasingly sophisticated and violent gangs, HNP officers are
outnumbered and outgunned, leading to low morale and making clear the
HNP needs the help of the international community to grow and maintain
the force. Experiencing the public outpouring of discontent shed a new
light on Haiti's security, humanitarian, and economic crises, and
prompted me to redouble my efforts alongside U.S. interagency, Haitian,
and international partners to improve the security situation, thereby
laying the foundation for meaningful progress in Haiti.
The U.S. Government has led the international community in
responding to the security situation in Haiti. Since 2021, the Bureau
of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), has
allocated approximately $122 million, including $30.3 million recently
approved by Congress, to address rampant insecurity and support the
Haitian state's ability to provide a safer country for its citizens. We
have provided key equipment donations, including 100 unarmored
vehicles, 1,200 sets of body armor, and 37,400 emergency food rations
for police officers. We will donate additional strategic equipment in
the coming months, including armored vehicles for U.S.-vetted HNP
officers, armored heavy equipment to help police dismantle roadblocks
created by gangs, and advanced GPS trackers to protect donated
vehicles.
Our support includes training and advising, and we fund 16 advisors
to specialized units and senior leaders of the HNP, nearly all of whom
bring U.S. law enforcement experience paired with Haitian Creole
language abilities to offer capacity-building expertise. In addition,
our training program has grown the HNP counter-gang intervention unit
to approximately 110 officers as of this month, which represents a 50
percent increase in the force size. To mitigate the risk of gang
influence and corruption, U.S.-certified polygraphers vetted
approximately 240 current and prospective officers in the specialized
units.
Our assistance helped to establish and develop new units in the HNP
and contribute to stronger HNP leadership. Over the past 10 years, we
supported the creation and professionalization of the HNP's
counternarcotics, crowd control, border patrol, and community policing
units. Through long-term INL training programs, eight individuals INL
trained are now in key leadership positions across the HNP, including
the Acting Director General.
Our efforts have helped the overburdened officers in the
corrections sector. Prison infrastructure support since the devastating
2010 earthquake helps reduce overcrowding and create more humane
conditions for those detained. We also trained Haitian prison
authorities and developed food production programs to reduce
malnutrition and health issues among the prison population, including
cholera mitigation efforts amid the ongoing outbreak. This support
continues today despite the incredibly challenging security and
operational environment.
INL developed new partnerships with our interagency colleagues. We
coordinated with the Department of Defense (DoD) to deliver HNP-
purchased armored vehicles to Haiti in 2022 and 2023. These vehicles
helped the HNP to end the fuel blockade and reopen the Varreux Fuel
terminal in November 2022. We are partnering with Homeland Security
Investigations to establish a Transnational Criminal Investigative
Unit, the first of its kind in Haiti. Starting in fall 2023, this
specially vetted HNP unit will work with HSI special agents on the
ground in Haiti and analysts in Miami to investigate and prosecute
transnational crimes impacting both U.S. and Haitian security,
including firearms, drugs, and human trafficking.
Under the umbrella of the Global Fragility Act (GFA), we intend to
join our colleagues at USAID to undertake a new phase of INL's ongoing
community violence prevention program. Aimed at improving community
police units, restoring trust within communities, and delivering key
health, educational, and economic services, this effort would bring
together the best of INL and USAID expertise to build the resilience of
communities through violence prevention, including sexual violence
prevention, provide incentives to reject gangs, and offer alternatives
for at-risk youth. We welcome the efforts of our USAID and other
interagency colleagues under the GFA 10-year plan to address the
development and humanitarian components of the crisis that continues to
plague Haiti's citizens, which also will shore up Haitian Government
resources for investment in security.
INL's work has saved lives in Haiti, but the challenges facing the
HNP are daunting--gangs continue to terrorize Haitian citizens, recruit
young men and boys into a life of violence, and outnumber the HNP. Our
brave HNP counterparts face extreme danger every day and are asked to
carry out high-risk operations well beyond typical police duties.
Thirty-two HNP officers have been killed in the line of duty since the
beginning of 2023. With approximately 14,000 officers on HNP records in
July 2023, the Haitian police need to double the force to adequately
provide security and meet UN-recommended force levels. We anticipate
this will be a long-term effort, and we are looking at ways to increase
the recruitment and retention of the HNP in the short- and medium-term.
INL cannot do this alone--corruption, firearms trafficking, and
irregular migration continue to hinder Haiti's ability to emerge from
the crisis and move towards political stability. We need the support
and cooperation of the international community and regional law
enforcement partners to investigate and counter criminal organizations.
We are encouraged by the continued collaboration with our international
partners--we are actively coordinating with our Canadian counterparts
on their March 2023 announcement of 100 million CAD ( 76 million USD)
towards improving security in Haiti. The UN-led multi-donor police
support fund is another key mechanism for us to harmonize security
assistance with international partners, and we have provided funding
for this effort to assist the HNP with emerging needs.
Within our own government, a coordinated response is more important
than ever, and we are pleased to have increased our collaboration with
our partners at USAID, HSI, and DoD. We will continue to seek further
opportunities to improve interagency efforts and deploy expertise that
can improve conditions in Haiti.
Thank you for the opportunity to share INL's work in Haiti.