The mission the Organization of American States sent to the Dominican Republic and Haiti earlier this July 2015 must have cost thousands of dollars. But the report generated seems to bring nothing new to the table. The mission was called after the Haitian ambassador in a session of the OAS Permanent Council in Washington, D.C. had alerted to a humanitarian crisis on the border.
In the report there is no mention of having found or not a humanitarian crisis on the border in the report. In more diplomatic language than the “one island, one country” message communicated earlier on the situation by Secretary Luis Almagro, the report recommends more dialogue between both countries and calls for a meeting between the two sides. It recommends establishing mechanisms for understanding, in the framework of international standards for the transfer of people between both countries; the use of the OAS to strengthen the people registration processes underway, in particular to the Program for the Identification and documentation of Haitian Immigrants of the Haitian government. Likewise, the OAS mission recommends that the national authorities and international community find mechanisms to help displaced persons, especially the most vulnerable.
Bilateral talks between the two countries were discontinued after the government of Haiti conditioned repatriations from the Dominican Republic and began a major international smear campaign to garner international support. Haiti would also announce it would not accept that persons that do not have Haitian identity return to Haiti.
Most of the Haitians that have immigrated to the Dominican Republic have done so undocumented, because most of the people in Haiti do not have identity documents. This situation was even denounced by former Haitian ambassador in the Dominican Republic, Daniel Supplice who corroborated statements of Dominican government officers that the main reason most Haitians were not able to obtain full legal residence was that the government of Haiti was reticent in providing essential documents, such as birth certificates.
This was a situation the Dominican Republic sought to correct with the implementation of the National Foreigner Legalization Plan. At least 288,000 persons, most Haitians, registered but a small percentage was able to complete the process. In the meantime, the Dominican government has issued temporary residence cards as these persons seek their Haitian essential documents, such as birth certificates.
In the report, the OAS somewhat acknowledges this situation when it says it supports the processes of registration of migrants underway through the Universal Civil Identity Project of the Americas (PUICA).
Taken from the OAS translation, the five recommendations in the report are:
1. Facilitate a dialogue between the two countries, including the organization of a meeting between the two countries in the most appropriate location accepted by both sides.
2. That the OAS facilitate a dialogue between the two countries, to find paths of solution to the present difficulties.
3. Establish a mechanism of understanding, in the framework of international standards, that allows for the transfer of people between the two countries.
4.Use the good offices of the OAS to strengthen the processes of registration underway, in particular in the support for the Programme d’Identification et de Documentation des Immigrants Haitiens through the Universal Civil Identity Project of the Americas – or “PUICA” of the OAS.
5.Request that the national authorities and the international community seek mechanisms to help the displaced persons, in particular the most vulnerable.
The report, compiled on the basis of the observations of the OAS Mission to the two countries from July 9 to 14 headed by the Secretary for Political Affairs, Francisco Guerrero, was sent yesterday to the governments of the Dominican Republic and Haiti simultaneously.
The complete report is available in Spanish and French.
OEA :: Comunicados de Prensa :: D-030/15
OAS :: Press Releases :: E-212/15
In the report there is no mention of having found or not a humanitarian crisis on the border in the report. In more diplomatic language than the “one island, one country” message communicated earlier on the situation by Secretary Luis Almagro, the report recommends more dialogue between both countries and calls for a meeting between the two sides. It recommends establishing mechanisms for understanding, in the framework of international standards for the transfer of people between both countries; the use of the OAS to strengthen the people registration processes underway, in particular to the Program for the Identification and documentation of Haitian Immigrants of the Haitian government. Likewise, the OAS mission recommends that the national authorities and international community find mechanisms to help displaced persons, especially the most vulnerable.
Bilateral talks between the two countries were discontinued after the government of Haiti conditioned repatriations from the Dominican Republic and began a major international smear campaign to garner international support. Haiti would also announce it would not accept that persons that do not have Haitian identity return to Haiti.
Most of the Haitians that have immigrated to the Dominican Republic have done so undocumented, because most of the people in Haiti do not have identity documents. This situation was even denounced by former Haitian ambassador in the Dominican Republic, Daniel Supplice who corroborated statements of Dominican government officers that the main reason most Haitians were not able to obtain full legal residence was that the government of Haiti was reticent in providing essential documents, such as birth certificates.
This was a situation the Dominican Republic sought to correct with the implementation of the National Foreigner Legalization Plan. At least 288,000 persons, most Haitians, registered but a small percentage was able to complete the process. In the meantime, the Dominican government has issued temporary residence cards as these persons seek their Haitian essential documents, such as birth certificates.
In the report, the OAS somewhat acknowledges this situation when it says it supports the processes of registration of migrants underway through the Universal Civil Identity Project of the Americas (PUICA).
Taken from the OAS translation, the five recommendations in the report are:
1. Facilitate a dialogue between the two countries, including the organization of a meeting between the two countries in the most appropriate location accepted by both sides.
2. That the OAS facilitate a dialogue between the two countries, to find paths of solution to the present difficulties.
3. Establish a mechanism of understanding, in the framework of international standards, that allows for the transfer of people between the two countries.
4.Use the good offices of the OAS to strengthen the processes of registration underway, in particular in the support for the Programme d’Identification et de Documentation des Immigrants Haitiens through the Universal Civil Identity Project of the Americas – or “PUICA” of the OAS.
5.Request that the national authorities and the international community seek mechanisms to help the displaced persons, in particular the most vulnerable.
The report, compiled on the basis of the observations of the OAS Mission to the two countries from July 9 to 14 headed by the Secretary for Political Affairs, Francisco Guerrero, was sent yesterday to the governments of the Dominican Republic and Haiti simultaneously.
The complete report is available in Spanish and French.
OEA :: Comunicados de Prensa :: D-030/15
OAS :: Press Releases :: E-212/15
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