The American Chamber of Commerce in Haiti (AmCham-Haiti), the Franco-Haitian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CFHCI) and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Haitiano-Canadian (CCIHC), deplore a legitimate popular anger which is unfortunately wrongly directed towards companies that create jobs in Haiti and wish to set up a dialogue table between all the actors concerned.

American Chamber of Commerce in Haiti :

"The Board of the American Chamber of Commerce in Haiti (Amcham Haiti) fully understands the frustration and distress of the population, but strongly condemns the acts of violence perpetrated in the country since February 7, 2019.

[...] The Amcham-Haiti notes a more than dangerous escalation in the expression of the legitimate popular anger, which is, unfortunately wrongly oriented towards the companies that create jobs in the country. It is time for the demonization of the private sector to cease and for the real problems of the country to finally be solved.

The Amcham-Haiti asks the Government to assume its responsibilities vis-a-vis the nation whose claims are justified [...] it thinks that the exit of crisis passes necessarily by the dialogue between the various [...] actors of the society only viable way for to obtain proposals for realistic and sustainable solutions for an immediate resolution of the crisis."

French-Haitian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CFHCI) :

"[...] The credibility of the necessary political dialogue necessarily involves the much requested accountability of all sectors of civil society.

[...] As a formal private sector association that pays its royalties to the State that accounts for the vast majority of the national budget contribution, we are entitled to demand that the Prime Minister, Jean-Henry Céant creates as soon as possible a mixed observatory composed of credible personalities for:

• Reassess the budget so that there are no more unproductive and ineffective allocations that are not used to improve the living conditions of the population but rather to increase the state of life ;

• Ensure immediate and reliable audits of State institutions such as ONA, OFATMA, OAVCT, APN, NAA.

In addition, the CFHCI calls for a political agreement to be obtained as soon as possible in order to reduce the number of ministers, reducing it to 10 or 12 in order to drastically reduce the state's expenses and increase efficiency. Government [...]"

Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIHC) :

"The Chamber of Commerce and Industry Haiti-Canadian (CCIHC) is particularly concerned by the desperation of the population in search of wellness and opportunities for its young people. It protests against this situation of violence and looting in which the country is plunged for several days now that has led to the loss of many lives that it deplores. It profiles for :

• Urge people to demonstrate peacefully to claim their legitimate rights to food, decent housing, work, health, education and others, and to force our leaders to do the work for which they are paid and receive all the benefits while some layers of our society languish in the most abject misery.

• [...] To condemn in the strongest terms the destruction of public and private property which can only contribute to the impoverishment of our moribund economy.

• Recall that this multifaceted crisis (economic, financial, political, social) can only be solved by an Inter-Haitian dialogue [...]

"

HL/ HaitiLibre