MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Haiti

18.5.2021 - (2021/2694(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

Nathalie Loiseau, Malik Azmani, Stéphane Bijoux, Izaskun Bilbao Barandica, Dita Charanzová, Olivier Chastel, Katalin Cseh, Klemen Grošelj, Bernard Guetta, Svenja Hahn, Karin Karlsbro, Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Karen Melchior, Frédérique Ries, María Soraya Rodríguez Ramos, Michal Šimečka, Nicolae Ştefănuță, Ramona Strugariu, Hilde Vautmans
on behalf of the Renew Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B9-0282/2021

NB: This motion for a resolution is available in the original language only.

B9‑0285/2021

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Haiti

(2021/2694(RSP))

The European Parliament,

-  having regard to its previous resolutions on Haiti, notably that of 28 November 2019,

-  having regard to the President of the UN Security Council Press Statement on Haiti of 24 March 2021,

-  having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

-  having regards to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR),

-  having regard to the American Convention on Human Rights,

-  having regards to the UN Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary,

-  having regard to the Universal Charter of the Judge, and the Statute of the Ibero-American Judge,

-  having regard to the Cotonou Agreement,

-  having regard to the Constitution of the Republic of Haiti from 1987,

-  having regard to the joint report of OHCHR and BINUH on the “Unrest in Haiti: Their impact on Human Rights and the State’s obligation to protect all citizens “ of 18 January 2021,

-  having regard to the statement by Human Rights Watch on “Haiti: Attacks on Judicial Independence” of 22 February 2021,

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

1. whereas Haiti is the only LDC of America; whereas the extreme poverty and political instability in Haiti has led to an increase of violence such as kidnappings, rapes, homicides and massacres, mostly perpetrated by armed gangs; whereas these attacks target the civilian population but also the police authorities;
2. whereas between August 2020 and February 2021, around 4 million people[1] in Haiti were facing acute food insecurity; whereas economic decline, poor harvests, hurricane Laura (on 23 August 2020) and the COVID-19 pandemic are among the main drivers of worsening the food security situation;
3. whereas Haiti received unprecedented aid from the international community to finance reconstruction after the 2010 earthquake; whereas these efforts are in no way perceptible by the Haitian population today, raising fears of bad governance and substantial mismanagement of funds;
4. whereas due to mismanagement of international funds received, high charging fees of education, coupled with widespread low-income families, and low quality of education available, approximately half of Haitians aged 15 and above are illiterate; Whereas due to unrest and pandemic further worsened  Haitians daily living kept 70 percent of Haitian children out of school;
5. whereas the political opposition and civil society groups claim that President Moïse's mandate came to an end on 6 February 2021, as ruled by Haiti’s Superior Council of the Judiciary, and insist on the nomination of a provisional president; whereas the ongoing fight over the exact date for the next presidential elections continue fuelling nation’s unrest;
6. whereas the kidnapping in Port-au-Prince on Sunday 11 April 2021 of several clerics (who have been released since then), whose activities are for the benefit of the local population, has deeply shocked the Haitian and international public opinion and intensified the demonstrations against the current government;
7. whereas the mandate of all legislators in the Chamber of Deputies and of two-thirds of the Senate ended in January 2020 and the one of all mayors ended in July 2020; whereas no elections have been organised to replace them and President Moïse is ruling since then by decree, a slew of them strengthening the power of his presidency; whereas President Moïse has scheduled parliamentary, local and presidential elections only for 19 September 2021;
8. whereas on 5 January 2021, President Moïse decreed that a constitutional referendum should be organised on 27 June 2021 and recently confirmed his decision despite the protests in the country and from the international community; whereas the proposed constitutional reform would further concentrate executive powers; whereas the Haitian Constitution in its article 284.3 stipulates that "Any Popular Consultation tending to modify the Constitution by way of Referendum is formally prohibited”;
9. whereas on 6 May 2021, the EU announced that it would neither finance the organization of the referendum scheduled for June 27 in Haiti nor send observers for this election, deeming the process insufficiently transparent and democratic in a country plagued by insecurity and political instability;
10. whereas the results of the senatorial survey and a report from the Superior Court of Accounts of Haiti implicated President Moïse in a case of embezzlement and fraud with funds received from the PetroCaribe programme;
11. whereas the Haitian Supreme Court Judge Dabrésil was arrested on 7 February 2021 together with 18 other people and accused of conspiring against the government; whereas Judge Dabrésil was released on 11 February 2021 but the other 17 people remain in detention;
12. whereas on 8 February 2021, the opposition and civil society organisations appointed another Supreme Court Judge, Mister Jean-Louis, as interim president; whereas on the same day, President Moïse issued a decree ordering the "retirement" of three Supreme Court judges (judges Dabrésil, Jean-Louis and Wendelle Coq Thelot), accusing them of trying to reach the presidency without elections and issued another decree few days later appointing three new judges to the Supreme without following the procedures provided in the law;
13. whereas thousands of Haitian peoples are protesting since 14 January 2021 against the one year extension of President Moïse’s term as well as against the referendum; whereas the protests are suppressed by force; 
14. whereas the increasing violence and deteriorating security  in the country is leading to a sharp increase in asylum seekers from Haiti, particularly in French Guyana;
    1. Firmly insists that Haitian authorities must step up its efforts to end the clashes between gangs, as well as the armed attacks on civilians and on authority forces and bring those responsible to justice in fair trials;
    2. Reiterates its deep concern at the worsening humanitarian, political and security situation in Haiti; strongly condemns all human rights violations and acts of violence, especially the increases in kidnappings, child trafficking to the Dominican Republic, homicides and rape and stresses the need to combat violence against women, girls and elderly people; strongly condemns the kidnapping of several clerics last month in Port-au-Prince; recalls that the violence in Haiti is strongly linked to armed gangs, some of which are supported and funded by the local oligarchy; calls for an immediate and coordinated response by Haitian authorities to prevent violence, to address its root causes and to end impunity for those responsible;
    3. Condemns the alleged use of deadly force against protesters and arbitrary arrests and detentions; condemns violence against journalists; urges the Haitian government to end the practice of prolonged pre-trial detention; calls on the Haitian authorities to respect fundamental rights, freedom of expression and freedom of association;
    4. Stresses the importance of an independent judiciary and calls on the Haitian government to respect the Haitian Constitution of 1987, especially its article 284.3, and to respect the fundamental principles of democracy and to strengthen the rule of law; reiterates the crucial role of the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women and the inclusion of all Haitians, including youth, persons with disabilities and the civil society in Haiti’s political processes; calls on the Haitian authorities to ensure better governance at all levels of the state and society, including the fight against corruption and clientelism; strongly requires the European Commission to systematically ensure that all aid, including humanitarian aid provided to countries, is effectively monitored to ensure that it is used for the specific projects for which it is intended,  corruption has the component of corrupt administration and the lack of vigilance of those in power;
    5. Urges the Haitian authorities to organize free, fair, transparent and credible legislative, local and presidential elections in 2021 and to guarantee sustainable security during this electoral processes; recalls that as long as the conditions of transparency, fairness and democracy are not met, there will be no financial and technical support, such as elections observers, from the EU, as recently announced by its Ambassador in Haiti;
    6.  Calls on the Haitian authorities to clarify the suspicions of fraud and mismanagement of the international funds received following the earthquake of 2010 and to condemn the perpetrators;
    7. Calls on the European Union to continue to provide funding to Haiti in order to address the severe food insecurity and malnutrition that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemicand; also calls on the responsible European Union services to ensure the monitoring and the appropriate management of the European aid so that it directly beneficiates to the population in need;
    8. Expresses it concerns about the massive arrival in French Guiana of Haitian nationals seeking asylum or in an irregular situation and calls on the EU to support the administration of this European territory by strengthening measures to combat human trafficking and illegal immigration;
    9. Calls on the Haitian government to ensure the well-being of its citizens on all essential manners; stressing that failing to do so could result in a irrecoverable brain-drain and constitute an unsustainable functioning of the Haitian government;
    10. Reiterates the importance of harmonized, coordinated and strengthened international efforts to support the people of Haiti; highlights the importance of continued EU and international support to Haiti to help create the conditions for peaceful and democratic elections as well as to realize the long-term stability, development and economic self-sufficiency of the country;
    11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the European Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the ACP-EU Council of Ministers and Joint Parliamentary Assembly, the institutions of the Cariforum, and the authorities of the Republic of Haiti.

 

• [1] data: Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)