In March 2006, Rights & Democracy opened its office in Port-au-Prince after much delay, due to the political crisis and lack of security in Haiti. Recent presidential and parliamentary elections, in which over 60% of the electorate participated, give hope for a transition toward democracy.

Our programme, carried out in partnership with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), is aimed at strengthening civil society in the transition toward democracy. In Haiti, civil society organizations have traditionally had little capacity to influence national policies, and have also lacked open spaces for participation in promoting human rights and making public policy proposals. In response, a newly developed advocacy training programme, drawing on the original and positive experience of two Haitian civil society coalitions, Coordination nationale de plaidoyer pour les droits des femmes (CONAP) and Forum citoyen pour la réforme de la justice, will be conducted by Rights & Democracy’s local staff in a number of regions across the country. It will be offered to different sectors of civil society engaged or wanting to engage in advocacy, including women’s rights groups, human rights organizations, peasant organizations and groups working for the rights of Haitians with disabilities. The material will also be widely disseminated through publications. The project as a whole, led by the Haiti Office Coordinator and her team, will take place over a 16-month period.          

For more information, please click here.