HAITI: Political Participation of Women in National Affairs

Earlier this week, through the promotion its Gender Unit, the Minustah held at the Hotel Montana, workshops with eleven women leaders from nine departments. On this occasion, Mr. Mariano Fernandez, the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations in Haiti, and Mr. Nigel Fisher, Deputy Representative and Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, focused on the actions taken by the UN Mission to support the efforts of government and civil society organizations of Haiti in the gender equality promotion and increase the political participation of Haitian women.

These discussions have allowed these women to express their concerns and opinions about what they believe should be the priorities of the Minustah and Haitian leaders as part of efforts to maintain peace and rebuild the country. These discussions have also facilitated the formulation of concrete proposals to improve efforts to ensure the protection and respect of fundamental rights of women.

It's in this perspective that that Minustah intends strengthen the efforts to promote women's political participation in the affairs of the country, by providing to theme the necessary logistical and financial resources but also by ensuring a safe environment for women candidates and their representatives in elections. The UN Mission will also continue to assist the Ministry for Women's Affairs and Women's Rights (MCFDF) in the elaboration of a national action plan to end violence against women, in cooperation with women leaders and the National Police of Haiti (PNH).

At the end of these exchanges, women have provided a list of demands to the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Mariano Fernandez. This document of great importance will be forwarded to the Security Council of the UN and will be included in the next report of the Secretary-General on the Mission in Haiti. A monitoring committee has been formed to work in synergy with the MINUSTAH and the UN system to materialize the main ideas discussed during this meeting. Committee members have also the mission to share with members of various local and regional women's organizations the fruit of their reflections.