Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau and Mia Mottley of Barbados have agreed to “continue to work closely together” on a variety of global issues, including the ongoing political and socioeconomic situation in Haiti.
According to a statement released by the Office of the Prime Minister, the two leaders “spoke” over the past weekend, expressing “concern over the deteriorating security in Haiti and the need to assist in addressing the political, security, and humanitarian crises in the country.”
The statement reads, “They emphasized the importance of CARICOM’s (Caribbean Community) role in supporting an inclusive political dialogue and recommitted to working together to help address the urgent needs of the Haitian people.”
In a joint statement issued at the end of the month, Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden expressed concern over the deteriorating situation in the French-speaking CARICOM country and pledged to increase community support for the people of Haiti, particularly by offering them security and humanitarian aid and bolstering support for the National Police of Haiti (PNH).
Trudeau stated that in order to combat the crisis and support peace and security, “Canada is investing an additional CAD$100 million (One Canadian dollar = US$0.74 cents) to provide enhanced policing support and equipment to the Haitian National Police, to bolster Haitian-led solutions to the crisis and support peace and security” as opposed to leading a multinational force of several thousand men in Haiti.
Since July 2021, the situation in Haiti has deteriorated significantly.
According to the statement, Trudeau and Mottley also discussed “the importance of improving access to concessional financing for countries vulnerable to the effects of climate change” during their discussions.
“They agreed to collaborate on innovative and inclusive solutions to address the global financing needs of developing countries today. In addition, they agreed to collaborate on efforts to reform the international financial system. This would ensure equitable access to the resources required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” the document stated.
The leaders also discussed their roles as co-chairs of the United Nations Secretary-SDG General’s Advocates group and the next steps to advance priorities and ensure continued progress, according to the statement.
The statement concluded, “Prime Ministers Trudeau and Mottley agreed to continue working closely together.”
