Canada will open an office in the Dominican Republic to coordinate international security assistance to Haiti. The unit’s main mandate will be to respond to the needs of the Haitian National Police in order to re-establish peace in the country.
The government is investing $20 million to open the office, which will act as an interlocutor between the international community and the Haitian authorities, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly announced on Thursday.
The head of Canadian diplomacy, Mélanie Joly, said she “hopes this coordination unit will be up and running by this summer in the Dominican Republic, adding that Canada will also have a team in Port-au-Prince to work hand in hand with front-line experts, the PNH and Haitian authorities”.
Canada will play a leadership role in coordinating international security assistance, particularly with regard to building the capacity of the Haitian National Police, and will set up a joint coordination mechanism between civilians, the military and the police, Ms. Joly said.
For several months, the United States had been pressuring Canada to lead a multinational force to intervene in Haiti. Justin Trudeau’s government had always refused to deploy troops, saying instead that it was looking for a solution by and for the Haitians.
Canada is finally taking the lead in coordinating international aid to Haiti, without actually setting foot in the country, as Radio Canada points out.