Crisis in Haiti Remains Key Foreign Policy Concern – Minister

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, says the ongoing combination of political, security, and humanitarian crises in Haiti, remains one of Jamaica’s key foreign policy concerns.

Mrs. Johnson Smith was presenting a policy statement during Ministerial Briefings on day three of Diplomatic Week, held at the Ministry in downtown Kingston, on Wednesday (March 12).

She said Jamaica remains committed to leading the CARICOM response and will continue to use every opportunity to facilitate a sustainable resolution from a security perspective, which is Haitian-owned and led.

“We will continue our work through mechanisms such as the Joint Task Force and the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSSM). It is our hope that this mission will, ultimately, be transformed into a model which will provide greater sufficiency and predictability of funding, as well as improved logistics and planning,” the Minister outlined.

Emphasising the importance of the mission’s success, Senator Johnson Smith encouraged the international community to support it.

“We believe that failure is not an option for Haiti. It’s not an option for the region. It’s not an option for Jamaica and, therefore, we continue to encourage international support,” the Minister said.

She noted that Jamaica and other CARICOM states were able to deploy an initial command team towards the MSSM and have been working closely with Kenya (which is leading the mission), and other partners to restore peace and order.

“El Salvador and Guatemala recently joined the efforts in a tangible way, sending personnel on the ground and equipment to support the return of peace and prosperity to Haiti, and indeed giving tangible demonstration to the theme ‘Building Partnerships for Sustainable Development’,” the Minister added.

While expressing thanks to Kenya for its leadership on the issue, and in particular on the MSSM, she noted that, unfortunately, one of the nation’s soldiers died in the line of duty in Haiti.

“We wish to extend our deepest sympathies to the government and people of Kenya on their recent loss of an officer who was serving the mission. May his soul rest in peace,” Mrs. Johnson Smith said.

Meanwhile, the Minister reiterated that Jamaica remains committed to eventually deploying its full cohort of personnel, which remains trained and ready; however, there are issues that need to be resolved.

She added that Jamaica continues its advocacy on Haiti’s behalf and will further champion the cause through CARICOM.

“As Jamaica prepares to assume the Chairmanship of CARICOM from the 1st of July to the 31st of December 2025, the situation in Haiti will undoubtedly feature among our priorities,” the Minister said.