Statement Condemning Violence and Calling Attention to Hunger Crisis in Haiti
ParlAmericas and the Parliamentary Front Against Hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean strongly condemn the ongoing violence being perpetrated by criminal gangs against the people of Haiti. They draw urgent attention to reports of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UN World Food Program (WFP) highlighting that Haiti is at risk of famine with nearly half the population experiencing acute food insecurity.
Gang violence and control of supply chains has exacerbated an economic crisis in Haiti marked by food price inflation. Populations exposed to risks of gang violence in neighborhoods of Port au Prince and surrounding food producing areas are struggling to earn livelihoods and access food products. Aid groups warn that hunger is also being used as a coercive weapon. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the number of displaced persons in Haiti has surged from 362,000 to more than 578,000 in the past three months.
The gang violence adds to agricultural challenges including recent years of droughts and floods worsened by climate change and deforestation. The UN signals that the hurricane season is also forecast to be more severe due to the La Niña weather phenomenon, posing a further potential threat to food security.
ParlAmericas and the Parliamentary Front Against Hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean acknowledge recent political developments, including the publishing of decrees on the appointment of a new interim Prime Minister on May 29, 2024 and an interim Cabinet on June 11, 2024 by the Transitional Presidential Council that was formed in April 2024.
ParlAmericas and the Parliamentary Front Against Hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean underscore the importance of ensuring that international assistance to Haiti is rooted in human rights principles and appeals for humanitarian aid efforts that also support the long-term stability and resilience of the country’s food economy.
