On Thursday, April 10, 2025, as part of an advocacy mission aimed at strengthening regional cooperation around the security and humanitarian situation in Haiti, Presidential Advisor Smith Augustin, on official business in Washington, D.C., and New York, accompanied by Myrtha Désulmé, Haiti's Representative to the OAS, Mathias Pierre, Chief of Staff, and Arold Julien, Electoral Affairs Advisor, met in Washington with Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS). During the meeting, Counselor Augustin provided an overview of the security situation in Haiti, highlighting the transnational nature of the crime prevalent there, given that armed groups operating on Haitian territory are fueled by international networks trafficking arms, ammunition, drugs, and other resources.

Faced with this major threat, Smith Augustin called for increased support from international partners, particularly with a view to supporting the request of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres for the mobilization of US$900 million for the full and effective deployment of 2,500 members of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MMSS) in Haiti.

"We agreed on the need to increase international cooperation for Haiti, obtain stronger UN support for the Haitian police and military in terms of human, material, and financial resources, and support improved UN conditions for providing logistical responses to Haiti's security needs," declared Luis Almagro, who also expressed his support for Councilor Augustin's proposal to urgently organize a regional symposium on the security situation in Haiti. The objective will be to :

- Deepen understanding of the structural causes, national challenges, and transnational dimensions of crime in Haiti;

- Contribute to the development of an international strategic response plan;

- Secure international commitment to fund the plan. Furthermore, Smith Augustin reiterated the Presidential Transitional Council's firm commitment to a return to institutional democratic order through the organization of a constitutional referendum and upcoming elections, which should lead to the transfer of power to an elected president in 2026.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-44655-haiti-politic-advisor-smith-augustin-on-official-mission-to-washington-dc-and-new-york.html

HL/ HaitiLibre