Message from the Resident Representative

Hello everyone.

Welcome to JICA Haiti Homepage.

The Republic of Haiti is a small country, with a land area of 27,750 square kilometers, and its territory is the western side of the Hispaniola Island in the Caribbean region. It also has a population of approximately 11.45 million (WB, 2021), making it the most populous country in this region. It has two official languages: Haitian Creole and French. It is also a unique country with a blend of Latin and African cultures, with 95% of the population having African roots. Haiti has much to be proud of, including a warm climate, the blue Caribbean Sea, warm and friendly peoples, etc.

However, the situation in Haiti today is very difficult. Haiti gained independence from France in 1804. This was long before the Meiji Restoration in Japan. However, political turmoil continued long after independence, and the economy and society are still not stable due to the long-lasting dictatorship and frequent coups.

On July 7, 2021, President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in his home by a group of armed bandits. Shortly thereafter, on August 14, 2021, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck southwest Haiti. The earthquake killed 2,200 people, injured 12,700, and destroyed 53,000 homes, and reconstruction work has not yet been completed. As a result of the long-lasting political instability combined with natural disasters, Haiti's current GNI per capita is only US$1,430 (WB Atlas method, 2021), making it the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The Human Development Index (HDI) also remains low at 0.535, ranking 163rd out of 191 countries (UNDP, 2021).

JICA has been working closely with the Haitian people to improve their living environment by cooperating with the international community in the areas of food production, drinking water supply, road transportation, basic education, etc., in order to improve their living environment.

However, due to the ongoing deterioration of the security situation, JICA Haiti has temporarily moved to the neighboring Dominican Republic to continue its operations since August 2022, and the scope of its work has had to be limited.

In this year 2023, the situation in Haiti continues to be difficult, but on the other hand, there is a movement to improve this situation involving the international community, and we will make the necessary preparations to resume and expand our operations as soon as the security situation improves.

JICA will continue to respect the initiative of the Haitian people, while at the same time, utilizing Japan's experience in development, we will continue to provide steady support with a focus on human resource development.

January 2023
NODA Hisanao
Resident Representative
JICA Haïti