IJDH continued our efforts to center Haiti’s fight for restitution and democracy free from foreign interference on the international stage at the Fourth Session of the United Nations (UN) Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (PFPAD), held from April 14 to 17 at the UN Headquarters in New York City. You can watch videos of the Session here.
From left to right: Monique Clesca (Founding Member and Spokesperson for the Kolektif Ayisyen Afwodesandan), Verene Shepherd (Vice-Chair of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Gaynel Curry (Vice-Chair of the Permanent Forum), H.E. Pierre Ericq Pierre (Permanent Representative of Haiti to the United Nations), Amb. Martin Kimani (Chair of the Permanent Forum)
IJDH’s advocacy at the Fourth Session was part of a broader movement led by Haitian civil society to secure reparations for the devastating consequences of the “Independence Debt” – the ransom extorted from Haiti by France as compensation for the value of the lives of formerly enslaved Africans that it considered its “property.” During the Session, Haitian civil society leaders, including IJDH Advisory Council Member Charlot Lucien, delivered powerful calls for France to pay restitution.
“Haiti has a strong, unique claim for restitution, and that has the potential to unlock reparations for all people…harmed by enslavement and colonialism. Its claim should [thus] be understood in the context of an urgency of history for both Haiti and France.”
– Charlot Lucien
Haitian and non-Haitian speakers alike placed a powerful emphasis on Haiti at this year’s session, reaffirming the global importance of Haiti’s long-standing demand for restitution and reparations and calling for international solidarity. In honor of the 200th anniversary of France’s extortion of the Independence Debt, the Forum dedicated its final discussion entirely to Haiti, with Forum Vice-Chair Gaynel Curry reiterating the Forum’s commitment to standing with the Haitian community. “Haitians deserve peace, justice, and dignity,” said Professor Curry. “There can be no meaningful conversation on reparations without Haiti.” In response to French President Emmanuel Macron’s same-day announcement of a binational commission to examine the historical impact of the Independence Debt, panelists made clear that any meaningful response from France must go beyond rhetoric and center Haitian perspectives. “We will not settle for symbolic gestures,” said KAAD Founding Member and Spokesperson Monique Clesca, echoing the resounding demand from Haitian civil society for truth, accountability, and repair. You can watch the discussion on Haiti here.
CIVIL SOCIETY-LED “SIDE” EVENT
HAITI: TIME FOR ACTION IS NOW! A CONFERENCE ON REPARATION, JUSTICE AND SOLUTIONS FOR HAITI
IJDH co-sponsored a side event together with the Kolektif Ayisyen Afwodesandan (KAAD), the New York University School of Law Global Justice Clinic, and other Haitian civil society organizations, entitled “Haiti: Time for Action is Now! A Conference on Reparation, Justice and Solutions for Haiti.” The event, organized by civil society to accompany formal PFPAD sessions on April 13, brought together activists and experts to explore concrete actions and reparative measures to advance justice and rebuild human dignity for Haitians.
“We are commemorating 200 years of the biggest historical injustice that the world has known – the payment of the debt of indepence, or the ransom of independence.”
– Panelist Nixon Boumba (Haitian human rights activist)
Mr. Boumba and his fellow panelists, Carine Jocelyn (Founder of the Haitian Women’s Collective) and IJDH’s Charlot Lucien, discussed what restitution should look like for Haiti. “Restitution, for me, is really a sense of freedom and emancipation that allows people to live their lives so that we’re not in such a restrictive approach of how we are doing things,” said Ms. Jocelyn. “It’s freedom, it’s justice, it’s access, but it’s also political participation for women in Haiti.” For Mr. Lucien, “restitution is part of a larger construct of restoration, except that one calls for immediate intervention and response, and the other will call for a multidimensional approach and long-term, protracted engagement.”
Mr. Lucien also emphasized the need for concrete documents to advance Haiti’s claim, like the Eight Point Framework Document for Restitution for Haiti, submitted to the UN PFPAD during its Third Session by IJDH, BAI, and Haitian partners Mouvement de Liberté, d’Égalité des Haïtiens pour la Fraternité (MOLEGHAF), Étude et action pour les droits de l’homme (EADH), Sant Karl Levêque (SKL), and Ensemble des Citoyens Compétents à la Recherche de l’Egalité des Droits de l’Homme en Haïti (ECCREDHH). The Framework, which remains open for endorsement, lays out a plan for restitution for the Independence Debt illegally coerced from Haiti by France, including a long-term repayment plan focusing on areas of socio-economic development most impacted by the debt.
Sign on to the Eight Point Framework for Restitution for Haiti
Join over 200 Haitian, diaspora, and allied organizations and individuals who have pledged their support for the Eight Point Framework!