Joint Submission to the Universal Periodic Review of Haiti

1. As a result of Haiti’s third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in 2022, the country received 221 recommendations. Of the total number of recommendations, the State accepted 205, and 16 were noted.

2. In the third cycle of the UPR, several States issued recommendations addres­sing the security situation in Haiti, particularly the impact of armed gangs and organized violence on the enjoyment of human rights. In this regard, States recommended strengthening the State’s capacity to respond to insecurity and gang-related violence through a combination of domestic measures and inter­national cooperation, including seeking international assistance, reinforcing the National Police, dismantling armed groups, preventing the emergence of new gangs, improving border controls to address trafficking in weapons and ammu­nition, and ensuring adequate resources for law enforcement, as well as broader measures to reduce violence and improve public safety (Barbados, 131.43; Panamá, 131.78; Djibouti, 131.79; Ukraine, 131.175).

3. Spain also recommended that Haiti strengthen the protection of human rights defenders and journalists working on human rights issues, as well as ensure the effective investigation, prosecution, and reparation of attacks and threats against them, guaranteeing a safe and enabling environment for the exercise of their work (131.132)

4. While the recommendations described above are primarily aimed at addres­sing the security situation in response to the rise in violence perpetrated by gangs operating in the country, the submitting organizations emphasize that efforts to address violence are inherently linked to the protection of human rights more broadly. In contexts of widespread insecurity and violence, the risk of vio­lations affecting multiple rights increases. Among these rights, particular atten­tion must be given to freedom of religion and beliefs, which is of specific concern to the submitting organizations. Insecurity and violence also affect the full enjoy­ment and exercise of both the individual and, especially, the collective dimen­sions of this right, as will be explained in this submission.