MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Haiti

26.11.2019 - (2019/2928(RSP))

with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 144 of the Rules of Procedure

Anna Fotyga, Karol Karski, Ryszard Czarnecki, Angel Dzhambazki, Andrey Slabakov, Assita Kanko, Adam Bielan, Raffaele Fitto, Carlo Fidanza, Ruža Tomašić, Alexandr Vondra, Jan Zahradil, Jadwiga Wiśniewska, Veronika Vrecionová, Valdemar Tomaševski
on behalf of the ECR Group

B9‑0219/2019

European Parliament resolution on Haiti

(2019/2928(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Haiti,

 

– having regard to the Cotonou Agreement,

 

– having regard to the declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the EU of 7 November 2019 on the situation in Haiti,

 

– having regard to the EU annual report on human rights and democracy in the world 2018,

 

– having regard to Rule 144 of its Rules of Procedure,

 

A. whereas Haiti, a Least Developed Country, still bears the legacy of the past dictatorship and poor governance while it continues to grapple with the aftermath of the earthquake in 2010 and natural disasters including hurricanes;

 

B. whereas Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas and has one of the highest levels of inequality in the world and chronic socio-economic fragility;

 

C. whereas humanitarian needs persist in internally displaced camps set up after the 2010 earthquake where around 37 500 Haitians are still sheltered and access to water and basic services remains limited;

 

 D. whereas the human rights situation in Haiti is critical and weak democratic governance, insufficient respect for the rule of law and a deficient judicial system remain serious obstacles to address this situation;

 

E. whereas Haiti is facing an energy crisis because, after receiving cheap petroleum products from Venezuela for years, it is unable to pay its debt to Caracas and the government had to raise the price of petrol by 20%;

 

F. whereas a deepening fuel shortage, on top of spiraling inflation, a lack of safe drinking water, food scarcity and a sense of crippling corruption at the highest levels that has gone unpunished led to riots and massive marches against the government;

 

G. whereas more than 40 people have been killed and dozens injured in the last months of demonstrations demanding the resignation of president Jovenel Moïse over economic mismanagement and failure to investigate corruption;

 

H. whereas the UN human rights office expressed concern about violence targeting journalists covering the political and human rights situation in Haiti  and  whereas Amnesty International said that the police must stop using firearms carrying live ammunition in the context of protests, in violation of international human rights law and standards on the use of force;

 

I. whereas the months of protests have paralyzed the country and led to closed down roads, banks, schools, postal services, and disrupted hospitals and emergency services;

 

J. whereas, especially in regions outside the capital, many have had serious difficulty accessing food, drinking water, medicine, and fuel; and whereas the United Nations has said that 3.7 million people in the country of nearly 11 million lack access to enough food amid the political turmoil;

 

H. whereas Haiti has not had a government since March as parliament is required to ratify the president’s choice of prime minister and the opposition has blocked such a vote from taking place; and whereas from next year, Haiti will no longer have a parliament either since the mandates of deputies and most senators ends in January and Haiti failed to hold legislative elections in October as required by the constitution;

 

1. Expresses its concern about the grave deterioration of the living conditions of the Haitian population and the profound worsening of the security situation while there is no functioning government and the legislative elections have not been held on the due date;

 

2. Asks that the right to demonstrate freely and peacefully should be ensured and urges all actors to avoid violence and to refrain from targeting journalists and to respect the freedom of the media to report on the situation;

 

3. Urges all actors to engage in an open and inclusive inter-Haitian dialogue that should lead to an urgent consensus to better respond to the basic needs of the population and should identify lasting solutions to the current political, economic and humanitarian crisis;

 

4. Asks the Commission and the High Representative, in cooperation with the international partners, to support this dialogue and quest of stability, development and democracy in Haiti;

 

5. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and the Parliament and Government of Haiti.