Patriotic Forum Spells Out Challenges and Opportunities for Haiti’s Future
Camille Chalmers from the Haitian Platform for Alternative Development
From August 27 to 31, 2019, under an initiative organized by the 4G Kontre platform – which brings together all of Grassroots International’s Haitian partners (Haitian Platform to Advocate Alternative Development, National Congress of Papaye Peasant Movement, Peasant Movement of Papaye, and Platform of Haitian Human Rights Organizations), several civil society organizations, trade union movements, students’ movements, peasants, women, human rights, workers and community organizations as well as political parties – the Patriotic Forum gathered at the Lakay Center in Papaye to discuss the major problems facing the country.
They flagged rising inflation, corruption, migration, exploitation, and colonialism as the major issues causing increased inequality and poverty. At the close of the meeting, the Patriotic Forum chose to create a General Assembly composed of two members from each of the organizations that sign this declaration and also to build a Follow-up Committee with eleven members, who will continue to provide strategic reflections. These representatives of the Patriotic Forum will be responsible for integrating new forces and strengthening and coordinating the actions defined by the Statement of Papay (EN) that was created during the meeting.