José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), received a delegation of 14 officials from the Haitian Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MAST) on Tuesday, September 1st, 2026. The delegation was led by Director General Marie Herolle-Michel and included Marie Judith Fanfan, Coordinator of the Economic and Social Assistance Fund (FAES).

This visit to the headquarters of the United Nations regional agency in Santiago, Chile, was part of a regional technical exchange workshop for MAST officials on information systems, management, and social registries for social protection programs. Drawing on the experiences of Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Paraguay, the workshop was organized by ECLAC’s Social Development Division to strengthen Haiti’s capacity.

This four-day workshop included: training sessions led by ECLAC specialists; technical exchanges with representatives from the Ministries of Social Development and Civil Registry Services of Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Paraguay; and presentations by representatives of international organizations, including the World Food Programme, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank, on social protection and social registries.

On Thursday, September 3rd, a technical visit was conducted in the Chilean municipality of Lo Espejo, in coordination with the Chilean Ministry of Social Development and Family (MIDESOF). During this visit, workshop participants learned about the operation of the One-Stop Shop for Social Services for Public Sector Employees, Local Social Management (LSM), and social transfers. A visit to the MIDESOF offices was also organized on the same day. The delegation was received by Cristóbal Ruiz-Tagle, Head of the Social Policy Division, to exchange experiences on social registration, proposed programs, and the use of social registries in emergency situations.

During the last session, concrete recommendations were formulated to address the persistent challenges in various areas of social protection and social registries in Haiti. These recommendations are essential for progressing toward inclusive social development based on universal, comprehensive, sustainable, and resilient social protection.

This regional exchange workshop reaffirms CEPLAC's commitment to supporting the Haitian Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor through technical assistance and training.

Since 2019, these activities have been carried out in partnership with the WFP office in Haiti through various projects. It is particularly important to highlight the support provided for the design and implementation of the National Policy for Social Protection and Promotion (PNPPS), the country's main framework for action in this area, approved in 2020 and still in effect, as well as the publication "Analysis and Recommendations Concerning the Institutionalization of the National Policy for Social Protection and Promotion in Haiti" (available in French), presented this year at a hybrid seminar in Port-au-Prince in June, and the new version of the 2026 course on social protection and promotion, available in September 2026.

HL/ HaitiLibre