Duvalier’s downfall in 1986 and the adoption of the Constitution in 1987 marked the advent of a new political era in Haiti: democracy. But although the Constitution incorporates the key concepts of democracy, its implementation has been hampered by corruption and lack of consideration of the population’s needs. So, it is no exaggeration to say that the transition begun in 1986 has still not produced robust democratic institutions in Haiti.
Today, the country is floundering in a fragile political situation, marked by social breakdown and unprecedented economic deterioration. The delay in implementing the basic requirements for democracy is a serious handicap to economic, social and human development.
The UN, in its description of SDG 16, says that: “The rule of law and development have a significant interrelation and are mutually reinforcing, making them essential for sustainable development at the national and international level.”
It is on this basis that the Centre de Recherche et de Formation Économique et Sociale pour le Développement (CRESFED), a Haitian organization set up in 1986, is contributing to efforts to achieve a transformation to a just, inclusive and participative society, within a democratic constitutional state.
In pursuit of this goal, CRESFED and Eirene Suisse, an organization working to promote peace and human rights that supports local organizations like CRESFED, have set up a citizenship project for young people in southern Haiti.
This project aims to increase civic awareness among young people aged between 18 and 28 years, and to encourage them to take an interest and participate in their community’s public affairs. As an Eirene Suisse volunteer at CRESFED, I am involved in the implementation of this project, contributing my communication and advocacy skills to motivate citizens to achieve lasting change.
This initiative is part of a bottom-up approach to development, which essentially aims to involve direct beneficiaries in finding solutions appropriate to their real living environment and the protection of their rights.
CRESFED’s activities also apply to local authorities, with which the organization also works closely. The involvement of local authorities in CRESFED’s activities is part of a drive to strengthen the decentralization process with the aim of delivering more robust local governance.
This is crucial to the attainment of SDG 16. As CRESFED states in its development plan for the commune of Aquin (2012), “promoting local skills capable of producing self-sustaining development” helps to “substantially improve the conditions of existence and the living environment of the whole community (…) through a policy of local governance that is effective and fair.”
