GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC -Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders Friday welcomed the publication of the decree establishing the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT) in Haiti, saying it “signals the possibility of a new beginning” for the French-speaking CARICOM country.
“CARICOM has supported Haiti, its sister nation, through the challenging process of arriving at a Haitian-owned formula for governance that will take the troubled country from elections to the restoration of the lapsed state institutions and constitutional government,” the 15-member regional integration movement said in a statement.
Last month, CARICOM, which is spearheading efforts for a Haitian-led solution to end the political and socio-economic crisis, said that an agreement had been reached that would allow for Prime Minister Ariel Henry to step down and for a transitional governance arrangement “which paves the way for a peaceful transition of power, continuity of governance and action plan for near term security and the road to free and fair elections.”
CARICOM also agreed to create a CPT comprised of seven voting members and two voting observers.
Last Friday, the CPT said the political agreement had been finalized between the different political, economic, and civil society sectors that constitute it.
“This agreement, which has been harmonized with the decree document on the organization and operation of the CPT, will be immediately signed by the stakeholders, and then the two documents will be officially transmitted to the Government via CARICOM, the body facilitating the dialogue process,” the CPT said in a statement.
“The political agreement expresses a common vision of the transition constructed by the sectors and represents a responsible commitment to the Haitian people. It indicates the broad outlines of the road map for the transition period that the Presidential Council will be responsible for executing jointly with the next consensus government. To put the country back on the path to stability, peace, union, and progress.”
In its statement, CARICOM said the CPT “devised a framework setting out the creation, organization, and functioning of the Council, and arrived at a Political Accord articulating the way forward.
”The CARICOM Heads of Government fully endorse the principles of the Political Accord, and in particular, they take note of Article 16, which states, “The mission of the Presidential Council is to put Haiti back on the road to dignity, democratic legitimacy, stability, and sovereignty and to ensure the proper functioning of the State’s institutions,” Friday’s statement added.
It said it is also clear that one of the priorities of the newly installed Presidential Council will be to urgently address the security situation “so that Haitians can go about their daily lives in a usual manner; safely access food, water, and medical services; children can return to school; women can move around without fear of horrific abuses; and so that businesses can reopen.
”There are still daunting challenges ahead. CARICOM stands ready to continue to support the Haitian people and their leaders as they determine their future in a sovereign manner through this transitional period on the path to stability, security, and long-term sustainable development for Haiti,” the statement said.
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