The Bilateral Dominican-Haitian Commission will meet in the DR in the first half of October to discuss pending matters. After the last meeting, Haiti was admitted as a member of the Caricom and the Dominican government has prepared a bill for the reform of the Migration Law. A preparatory meeting will be held at the end of September. Minister of Foreign Relations Eduardo Latorre reiterated the government position that the improvement of the economy of Haiti is in the best interest of the DR. Latorre stressed that if things get better inside of Haiti there will be less migration to the DR and Haitians will be able to buy more Dominican goods. The DR government, as a result of the first commission talks, reached an agreement with Haiti so that all Haitians crossing the border travel with identification papers. One of the biggest problems under discussion is how to treat the thousands of Haitians that live in the DR with no identification papers. The offspring of these confront serious problems because they also lack identification papers. To register a child, the parents need to have their own official identification. The identification papers requirement is not easily enforced, though. The border with Haiti is more than 300 kilometers of unsupervised stretch. And with the poverty levels at such high levels in Haiti, on the list of priorities for those seeking to merely survive, is not applying for identification papers in Haiti. Some 2,000 to 3,000 undocumented Haitians are deported every month, but this is but a small percentage of the thousands that cross the border every month seeking to make a living. The Fernández government has been very vocal about the DR’s responsibility in seeking international help for Haiti. Simply stated, if the DR does not help Haiti develop, Haiti’s poverty will flow into the DR. Life expectancy in Haiti is estimated at 54 years, compared to 68 years in the DR. Per capita income in Haiti is US$250 per year, compared to near US$2,000 for the DR. 50% of all Haitians are illiterate, compared to 17% in the DR. And only 45% of the children of school age in Haiti have ever been to school, compared to 90% of Dominicans.
