Chairs Statement: Meeting on Haiti at the General Assembly of the Organization of American States

Yesterday, 19 countries of the Organization of American States met under the co-chairmanship of Canada, United States and Haiti to discuss how the international community can help respond to the crisis in Haiti.

During the meeting, we jointly affirmed that:

• We reaffirm our solidarity with Haiti, the importance of promoting solutions developed by and for Haitians and the need to quickly promote targeted assistance and collaborative mechanisms aimed at achieving sustainable results for the benefit of the Haitian people.
• We commit to working closely together to restore a climate of peace in Haiti.
• We condemn the abuses committed by armed gangs.
• We urge the parties at the heart of the conflict to set up humanitarian corridors immediately and restore the supply of fuel from the Varreux terminal, as well as drinking water in order to meet the basic needs of the Haitian population and allow hospitals to respond to rising cholera cases in the country.
• We affirm our commitment to help Haitians overcome the complex security challenges facing the country and call on the international community to provide robust security assistance, including strengthening the Haitian National Police.
• We encourage all stakeholders in Haitian society, including women and youth, to continue an inclusive, peaceful and constructive political dialogue in order to identify a viable and lasting political solution. Without such agreement, restoring security will remain a challenge, as will the holding of free and fair elections.