On Wednesday, June 17, 2026, a technical meeting with the World Bank, dedicated to flagship social protection programs in Haiti, was held at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MAST).

This meeting brought together William Wiseman, Head of the Social Protection Division for Latin America and the Caribbean, representatives of the international financial institution, and Haitian officials to discuss the progress and challenges of the Adaptive Social Protection Project for Increased Resilience (PSARA), also known as MAST's Kleren Chimen, and the Project for the Productive Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PROPIPED).

In his remarks, Minister Nelson of Social Affairs commended the World Bank's continued support of Haiti in a particularly demanding context. He emphasized that social protection is no longer simply one public policy among others, but rather "an instrument of stability, resilience, and social cohesion." Faced with multiple crises—security, economic, climate, and migration-related—strengthening social protection mechanisms has become a national imperative for the Haitian government.

The PSARA program is the flagship of this strategy. Launched in March 2022 under the leadership of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MAST), this program aims to distribute cash transfers and support measures to the most vulnerable households.

Discussions focused on three key points for consolidating the Haitian social protection system:

1- The territorial anchoring of the PSARA program, initially deployed in all municipalities of the Grande Anse department and six municipalities in the South (https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-47419-launch-of-the-psara-klere-chimen-project-in-the-southern-department.html), is intended to expand nationwide. This territorial anchoring aims to strengthen the State's presence throughout the country and adapt interventions to local realities.

2- Ensuring the sustainability of the PSARA program requires its integration into the institutional structures of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Solidarity (MAST) and strengthening the capacities of the Project Management Unit, the program's executive body.

3- Addressing the needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs) within the framework of additional funding (nearly 1.5 million displaced persons in Haiti) and integrating this particularly vulnerable population into social protection mechanisms is a priority for the Government and its partners.

Minister Nelson expressed his hope that these discussions would "lead to clear guidelines, specific commitments, and concrete actions likely to sustainably improve the living conditions of our citizens."

The World Bank, which provides structural support to MAST through the financing and technical assistance of these projects, reaffirmed its commitment to helping Haiti identify solutions to address recurring crises.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-47419-launch-of-the-psara-klere-chimen-project-in-the-southern-department.html

HL/ HaitiLibre