On Thursday, October 15, 2026, on the sidelines of the 2026 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group, Sandra Paulemon, Minister of Planning and External Cooperation, held separate meetings in Bangkok, Thailand, with Hara Shohei, Vice President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and Jorge Moreira da Silva, Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).

Meeting with Hara Shohei (JICA) :

This meeting provided an opportunity to examine prospects for strengthening cooperation between Haiti and Japan, with a particular focus on job creation and the economic and social recovery of vulnerable populations.

During the discussions, Minister Paulemon acknowledged Japan’s long-standing commitment to Haiti’s development and proposed that JICA initiate a new phase of cooperation—one that places job creation and support for vulnerable populations at the heart of their joint efforts. She discussed the possibility of establishing a joint labor-intensive public works program aimed at rehabilitating rural access roads; cleaning and maintaining drainage and irrigation canals; protecting watersheds; carrying out reforestation and erosion-control measures; performing minor rehabilitation work on schools, health centers, and other community infrastructure; and improving sanitation in neighborhoods and the immediate environments of displaced persons and host communities, all while ensuring that women, unemployed youth, and vulnerable households benefit from the resulting economic impact.

To facilitate the realization of this initiative, the Minister presented three key requests to JICA. The first area concerns the examination of potential financial support. The second relates to the mobilization of technical assistance for the identification, design, and supervision of projects. The final area aims to explore other Japanese cooperation mechanisms, in coordination with the relevant authorities, as well as potential co-financing opportunities with multilateral partners.

Beyond the HIMO program, the cooperation prospects presented by the Minister also encompass strengthening institutional capacity, improving basic services, fostering agricultural development, and managing risks.

For his part, Hara Shohei reaffirmed his institution’s readiness to continue its collaboration with Haiti. He noted that the Minister’s presentation provided a better understanding of the country’s current situation and the new possibilities for cooperation. In this context, technical meetings have been scheduled to deepen discussions and more precisely define the nature of the support that JICA could provide.

Meeting with Jorge Moreira da Silva :

This meeting served to explore new avenues for cooperation between the Government and UNOPS.

Throughout the discussions, the Minister highlighted the challenges Haiti continues to face, particularly the significant need for social infrastructure, essential services, and economic opportunities. She emphasized that, despite the Government’s efforts to mobilize funding, a key challenge for national development remains the ability to translate financial commitments into tangible, completed projects.

Minister Paulemon proposed exploring, together with UNOPS teams, the possibility of identifying one or two pilot operations under the 2026–2030 National Program for Stabilization and Economic, Social, and Territorial Recovery (PNSREST) for which the organization could provide technical and operational support. Two priority areas have particularly captured her attention. The first concerns social and community infrastructure, notably the rehabilitation of schools, health centers, and water supply systems in disadvantaged areas. The second focuses on labor-intensive community public works, designed to improve local infrastructure while fostering the rapid creation of jobs and income for vulnerable populations.

Beyond its operational expertise, Minister Paulemon highlighted the role that UNOPS can play in mobilizing resources and strengthening the credibility of projects in the eyes of financial partners. She specified that the envisioned cooperation would not be limited to entrusting the organization with the execution of certain interventions; it could also help secure and accelerate the implementation of projects funded by other partners.

Such collaboration will also help strengthen engagement with international financial institutions and bilateral partners by presenting them not only with projects in need of funding, but also with credible operational frameworks to ensure their implementation.

For his part, Jorge Moreira da Silva, Executive Director of UNOPS, reaffirmed his organization’s readiness to support Haiti’s development efforts. He specifically highlighted that UNOPS is prepared to contribute to the construction of resilient infrastructure, the improvement of essential services, the strengthening of local skills and capacities, and the creation of new opportunities—all with a view toward long-term, sustainable development.

Image caption : Left : Minister Paulemon and Hara Shohei (JICA) / Right : Minister Paulemon and Jorge Moreira da Silva (UNOPS).

HL/ S/ HaitiLibre