Marc-Elie Nelson, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, opened a seminar on the budgetary institutionalization of the National Policy for Social Protection and Promotion (PNPPS) on June 30, 2026, at the Karibe Hotel.

This hybrid event brought together government officials, members of the Sectoral Roundtable, officials, and invited experts from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Bank, as well as representatives from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

In his opening remarks, Marc-Elie Nelson emphasized the importance of the PNPPS in sustainably strengthening the fight against poverty, inequality, and vulnerability in Haiti. He highlighted the results of the Klere Chimen program (https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-47419-launch-of-the-psara-klere-chimen-project-in-the-southern-department.html) and the Multisectoral Emergency Program (PUM) for appeasement and social reintegration of vulnerable groups, which serve as benchmark experiences for the implementation of an integrated national social protection program, supported by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor's Information System (SIMAST) as the reference social registry.

The Minister also emphasized the need to integrate the National Social Protection Program (PNPPS) into the 2026-2029 Three-Year Action Plan and align it with the program budget to ensure sustainable funding, better coordination of interventions, and strengthened governance. He concluded by calling for a concerted mobilization of all public institutions, as well as technical and financial partners, to guarantee the population more equitable, effective, and sustainable access to social protection services.

Indeed, the presentation of the document entitled "Analysis and Recommendations for the Budgetary Institutionalization of the National Policy for Social Protection and Promotion in Haiti," written by Lordis Bernard (Expert in Economics and Public Finance, External Consultant to ECLAC), highlights the main challenges related to the sustainable financing of social protection in Haiti. The study analyzes the socio-economic context, the institutional framework of the National Policy for Social Protection and Promotion (PNPPS), and the Haitian budgetary system, before proposing mechanisms to sustainably integrate this policy into the State's budgetary priorities, particularly through the program-based budgeting approach. Finally, the study formulates strategic recommendations aimed at strengthening the viability, governance, and sustainability of the PNPPS.

For his part, Lucny Cadet, Coordinator of the Studies and Programming Unit (UEP) at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MAST), commended the quality of the study presented and stated that the fundamental concern is no longer whether to finance social protection, but how to better plan, target, coordinate, and evaluate these investments in order to maximize their economic and social impact. The ultimate goal is to build a more integrated, more efficient, more responsive, and more sustainably financed national social protection system. "Social protection should not be seen as an unproductive expense, but as a strategic investment in human capital, social stability, household resilience, and more inclusive growth," he explained.

Along the same lines, Erwan Rumen, Acting Country Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), is convinced that social protection is an essential investment for Haiti’s development.

In closing the seminar, Ms. Marie Herolle Michel, Director General of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MAST), reaffirmed the Ministry's commitment, as the sector's leader, to actively pursue exchanges and collaborations with national and international stakeholders in order to equip Haiti with a more coherent, integrated, resilient, and better-funded social protection system, supported by sustainable mechanisms that effectively meet the needs of the Haitian population.

Download the document "Analysis and Recommendations for the Budgetary Institutionalization of the National Policy for Social Protection and Promotion in Haiti" (PDF in French, 57 pages) : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/Analyse-et-recommandations--institutionnalisation-budgetaire.pdf

Download the opening address of the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, Marc-Elie Nelson : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/Discours-d-ouverture-de-Marc-Elie-Nelson-Ministre-des-Affaires-Sociales-et-du-Travail.pdf

HL/ HaitiLibre