Haiti
Haiti’s complex risk environment is driven by multivariate shocks and stresses related to climate and severe weather events, ongoing political and civil strife, economic shocks, health shocks, pervasive gang violence and widespread insecurity, all of which exacerbate chronic food insecurity, malnutrition and an erosion of productive assets.
Overview
Haiti is highly vulnerable to natural disasters and climate change, as well as other shocks, including:
- Economic shocks.
- Agriculture- and livestock-related shocks.
- Health- and water-related shocks.
- Ongoing political and civil strife.
- Poor governance.
To build resilience in Haiti, development approaches will need to strengthen social safety nets in urban and rural areas, invest in agricultural productivity and off-farm opportunities, and invest in the natural resource environment, including climate-resilient livelihoods and practices. Conflict prevention and peacebuilding, and strengthening national and subnational systems, must be paramount to development approaches.
Risk Environment
Haiti is highly vulnerable to natural disasters and climate change, economic shocks, shocks to agriculture and livestock, shocks to health and water security, ongoing political and civil strife, and poor governance. Gang violence and control of government and urban areas threatens the security of the country’s population, primarily in urban areas, but also rural areas. Its population is highly urbanized, and these dense populations combined with poor infrastructure, economic and social services, limited disaster preparedness and gang violence leave Haiti’s population highly vulnerable to the effects of shocks and stresses.
Deforestation and continued reliance on agricultural expansion and biofuels, with insufficient investment in natural resources, continue to drive environmental degradation and fragility. Rural areas are isolated, suffer from extreme environmental degradation and, while decentralized systems and operations continue, the impacts of widespread food insecurity, malnutrition and range and scope of complex risks continue to erode productive assets and human capital.
Resilience Approaches
Given the complexity of the increasing severity of shocks and stresses and the operational barriers, it is critical that the resilience approaches include shock-responsive and adaptive measures, notably those that strengthen local systems and implementing partners, and build social cohesion at decentralized levels in rural areas and at the national level. It is essential for resilience efforts in Haiti to prioritize the following:
- Integrating conflict prevention, social cohesion and peacebuilding.
- Building resilient infrastructure and disaster management systems.
- Strengthening social safety nets.
- Creating off-farm economic opportunities.
- Strengthening the natural resource environment.
- Empowering women.
Haiti has become highly urbanized, so increasing the resilience of its cities is key to strengthening its overall resilience. Close coordination with conflict prevention, stability, governance and peacebuilding programming will be essential to address gang violence and control, migration, political instability and cross-border tensions. Improved water infrastructure and services, food systems and safe transportation infrastructure will improve access to economic opportunities and the ability of urban populations to safely access essential services. Improved physical infrastructure will reduce the impact of earthquakes and hurricanes, and stronger municipal capacity and more equitable use of resources will help address the challenges of urban growth.
Opportunities for Strengthening Resilience
USAID partners working in food security, nutrition, water security, the environment, conflict peacebuilding and stabilization, and religious and charitable organizations operate in villages across the country and increasingly in urban areas, including reestablishing a United Nations-supported peacekeeping force. Social protection systems and decentralized food security and nutrition programming, as well as environmental programming to build and protect natural resources, continue to operate in Haiti. Market systems strengthening also continues to function and adapt to the economic and operational challenges. Substantial progress has been made on improving water infrastructure and water security, and improving integrated watershed management. Greater opportunities are available to address conflict and violence in urban areas. Efforts continue to work toward improving coordination and joint planning, strengthening systems and services, and achieving collective impact in rural areas.
Related Resources
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Haiti Resilience Factsheet
17 Jun 2022 - USAID
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