Canada and Haiti have long been united by a deep friendship, which is reinforced by a common language, the close ties between our peoples and a long history of cooperation.
Today, the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, joined by the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, hosted a virtual Foreign Ministers meeting, where the international community reaffirmed its solidarity with Haiti and highlighted the importance of promoting solutions developed by and for Haitians.
At the meeting, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau highlighted the long history of collaboration between our two countries, and outlined Canada's work to support the Haitian people alongside our international partners.
As a long-standing partner of Haiti, Canada remains committed to supporting Haitians' aspirations to a more democratic, secure and inclusive future. That is why during this meeting, Minister Joly and Minister Sajjan announced a financial contribution of $50.4 million for 9 initiatives that will support health services for Haitians, strengthen Haiti's security capacity and infrastructure, support sexual and reproductive health and rights and help address food insecurity and other humanitarian challenges.
Minister Joly expressed solidarity with the people of Haiti, and reaffirmed Canada's commitment to work toward the development of a more stable, democratic and prosperous future for Haiti.
Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry and Jean Victor Généus, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Religious Communities, along with foreign ministers of like-minded democracies and high-level officials from multilateral organizations, discussed ways that the international community can support Haitians in implementing sustainable solutions to tackle growing insecurity, strengthen political dialogue and improve aid coordination.
Projects supported through this investment include, but are not limited to the following:
- $12.35 million to increase the capacity of the Haitian National Police through essential training and increased efficiency, while increasing the meaningful participation of women in policing.
- $3 million to increase the number of female police officers in the Haiti National Police, contributing to improved security and peace in the country.
- $17.48 million across three projects to improve the sexual and reproductive health rights of the most vulnerable women and adolescents
- $12 million across two projects to address food insecurity and support humanitarian services through the World Food Programme.
