Center for Post-Conflict Peace and Stability Operations

Haiti Working Group

René Préval, Haiti’s new president, entered office in June 2006 on a wave of international goodwill. He must now translate good wishes into assistance programs that help the Haitian people. This task will be difficult because of Haiti’s history of political instability, violence, and economic decline. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Two thirds of Haiti’s eight million citizens live in poverty. Half of its adult population is illiterate. The 8,700 soldiers and police of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) are responsible for maintaining public order.

The purpose of the Haiti Working Group is to help focus the attention of Washington policymakers on Haiti. The Working Group meets monthly to discuss a major challenge to Haiti’s development and the response from the U.S. government and the international community. Meetings alternate between public forums and invitation only roundtable discussions. Membership is open to anyone interested in Haiti.

Events/Multimedia

• Haiti After the Storms: Weather and Conflict
  October 28, 2008
• Should Haiti Violate its Constitution One Last Time?
  December 19, 2007 (Audio Available)
• Gangs of Port-au-Prince
  November 28, 2007
• Haiti's Drug Problems
  June 8, 2007 | Read Summary
• Haiti: Open for Business
  April 13, 2007
• Haiti: No Longer a Failing State?
  February 7, 2007
• Justice, Security and Development in Haiti
  January 24, 2007
• A New Mandate for Haiti
  September 29, 2006
• Haiti's Diaspora: Can it Solve Haiti's Enduring Social Conflict?
  July 25, 2006
• Haiti's Security
  March 2006 (Audio Available)
• Haiti's Future
  February 2006 (Audio Available)
    Enter Photo Gallery

Publications

• Haiti: Confronting the Gangs of Port-au-Prince
  Special Report, September 2008
• Paper Versus Steel: Haiti’s Challenge of Constitutional Reform
  USIPeace Briefing, January 2008
• Haiti's Drug Problems
  USIPeace Briefing, June 2007
• Haiti: Hope for the Future
  Special Report, June 2007
• Can the Diaspora Solve Haiti's Enduring Social Conflict?
  USIPeace Briefing, August 2006
• Haiti's Economic Challenge
  USIPeace Briefing, July 2006
• Haiti's New Government Faces Historic Dilemmas
  USIPeace Briefing, May 2006

The Haiti Working Group is directed by Senior Program Officer in the Center for Post-Conflict Peace and Stability Operations Robert Perito.