In response to the request for security assistance requested by the Government of Haiti following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34193-haiti-flash-the-government-requests-the-sending-of-american-soldiers-to-the-country.html , 3 American advisers from the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) visited Haiti on July 27 to help strengthen the security of important infrastructure in the country, including the seaport, terminals receiving petroleum products and electoral facilities.

The team used a critical infrastructure security assessment tool, called "Security Assessment at First Entry" (SAFE), to analyze infrastructure security needs in Haiti, and trained Haitian officials in its use. The SAFE tool provides options to improve the security of critical infrastructure based on current conditions. The objective was to train Haitian representatives on the use of the tool, with the intention of giving it to the Haitian authorities so that the government of Haiti can use it to continuously assess its infrastructure and consult representatives of CISA on the short and long term on results. This would be the very first time the U.S. government has given the SAFE tool to another country.

The U.S. CISA delegation briefed the assembled group of APN port partners on using the SAFE tool and methodology, then conducted a walking assessment of the Port using the tool. At the conclusion of the assessment, the U.S. CISA delegation discussed some of the findings and will provide a report on the results, need for continuous assessment, and availability for future advising assistance.

The team met with Nation Polcie of Haiti (PNH) Election Security Cell (ESC) officials at PNH Headquarters. They provided a demonstration to Haitian election security practitioners on the SAFE tool in order for it to be used to assess and improve physical site security for election security infrastructure sites, such as storage for election materials, mega voting locations, and transportation sectors. CISA met with HNP and counterparts at Haiti's electoral commission (CEP) and toured CEP and HNP facilities for the storage of election materials. HNP, including UN (BINUH) members of the ESC, visited Haiti's voting tabulation center, a mega voting center, and CEP headquarters in Port-au-Prince.

HL/ HaitiLibre