OHCHR in Haiti

Profile

OHCHR works in Haiti through the Human Rights Component of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) and as part of the transition to the new UN Development Framework. The activities of BINUH and the UNCT in Haiti are integrated, with the country team assuming UN programmatic and technical assistance activities. BINUH’s mandate includes advising the government on issues related to promoting and strengthening political stability and good governance, the rule of law, an inclusive inter-Haitian national dialogue, accountability for human rights violations and abuses, and protecting and promoting human rights. The establishment of the special political mission of BINUH followed the closure of MINUJUSTH on 15 October 2019 and marked the end of 15 years of peacekeeping in Haiti.

The Human Rights Service monitors and investigates allegations of human rights violations and abuses, and provides technical assistance to the Office of the National Human Rights Ombudsperson, the Inspectorate General of the Haitian National Police (HNP) and the Inter-ministerial Committee on Human Rights, as well as to civil society and victims’ organisations. It also ensures mainstreaming of human rights in UN action.

Achievements

• The HRS strives to strengthen the capacity of the Office of the National Human Rights Ombudsperson (Office de protection du citoyen et de la citoyenne, OPC) to increase its independence and autonomy as a pillar of the national human rigths protection framework. In 2020, the HRS assisted the OPC in preparing its stragetic and operational plans for 2019-2024. Further, it increased its focus on inequalities by prioritizing work on economic and social rights and specific groups in need such as children, women, persons with disabilities and the LGBTIQ community.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, the HRS, together with the OPC, took the co-lead of the Protection sector of the Humanitarian Country Team. The HRS, together with the OPC, civil society and the HNP conducted awareness-raising against COVID-19 related stigma in seven departments of Haiti. As a result, attacks, including lynching, death threats, hate speech and assaults against persons with COVID-19 and health personel decreased considerably.
• In 2020, the HRS engaged civil society in the assessment of the implementation of recommendations issued by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the UPR. As a result of a capacity-building workshop organized by the HRS together with UNFPA in Cap-Haïtien, civil society increased its engagement in following up implementation at the local level of recommendations by international human rights protection mechanisms regarding equality and women’s rights.
• With the support of HRS, and following over two years of consultations, civil society adopted its Strategic Plan on Transitional Justice and Past Crimes, stressing its engagement towards accountability, despite little progress led by authorities. The Plan focuses on identifying less traditional entry points to advance transitional justice mechanisms in Haiti and maintain visibility on the issue, including through truth-seeking mechanisms, recognition and guaranties of non-repetition.
• Elaborated with the technical assistance and support of HRS, the National Action Plan for Human Rights was validated on 13 December 2019 by the Inter Ministerial Committee, the national human rights institution, and representatives of civil society. The 2019 – 2021 Action Plan reflects all initiatives necessary to implement recommendations issued in the 2016 Universal Periodic Review (UPR), and is now set to be endorsed by the Executive.

Partners and Donors

Partners: UN agencies, Government of Haiti, Haitian National Police, the Office of the National Human Rights Ombudsperson, international and national organizations.

Donors: Norway and United States of America.

UN Human Rights Focus Areas

Thematic pillars

• Mechanisms: Increasing implementation of the international human rights mechanisms outcomes
• Peace and Security: Early warning, prevention and protection of human rights in situations of conflict and insecurity
• Accountability: Strengthening rule of law and accountability for human rights violations
• Development: Integrating human rights in sustainable development
• Non-discrimination: Enhancing equality and countering discrimination
• Participation: Enhancing & protecting civic space and people’s participation

Shifts

• Prevention
• Global constituency
• Civic space
• People on the move

Spotlight populations

• Women
• Young people
• People with disabilities
• Migrants

Last reviewed: November 2020