Thursday February 1st, 2024, Stefano Gatto, the Ambassador of the European Union (EU) in Haiti, signed a contribution agreement of 3 million Euros with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Office of United Nations Against Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to the Joint Support Program for the Haitian National Police (PNH) to support, among other things, the fight against the proliferation of weapons and ammunition in Haiti across border points.

This contribution of 3 million euros responds to the need to strengthen security in the country, in particular by combating arms and ammunition trafficking and improving border controls. This funding will make it possible to intervene specifically at nine essential border points: two airports (Port-au-Prince and Cap Haïtien), three ports (APN, Lafiteau and Cap-Haïtien), and four border posts (Ouanaminthe, Belladère, Malpasse and Anse -à-Pitre). To do this, mixed teams made up of customs officers and police officers equipped with control equipment will be trained and set up at each of the nine border crossings.

Funding from the European Union will allow the PNH to recruit more women within the police institution, by investing in infrastructure to improve working conditions at the PNH. It will also make it possible to improve police investigations against sexual violence, by strengthening the capacities of the units fighting sexual crimes (ULCS).

The implementation of the Program is already underway and some training has already taken place to strengthen the control teams of the National Port Authority (APN), Lafiteau and Ouanaminthe, responding to the Government's priorities. Over the coming months, control institutions will be equipped with important equipment, such as X-ray scanners, to allow in-depth inspections of containers entering the country.

In his intervention, Ambassador Stefano Gatto launched an appeal calling on all those responsible within the PNH, every police officer, politicians and the government to value service to the State and "to work together for a peaceful future, democratic and prosperous in Haiti. The EU is ready to support you in this work !"

HL/ HaitiLibre