A delegation from the Office for Citizen Protection (OPC), Haiti's National Human Rights Institution, led by Me Jean Wilner Morine, Citizen Protector, participated in the General Assembly of the Network of National Human Rights Institutions of the Americas (RINDHCA) which ended this week in Asunción, Paraguay.

This important Regional Assembly, which brought together the leaders of National Human Rights Institutions from the Americas and the Caribbean, took place around the theme :"Climate emergency and human rights".

It constituted a space for reflection and consultation aimed at strengthening the role of National Human Rights Institutions (INDH) in the promotion and protection of human rights in the face of the growing effects of climate change. The discussions focused in particular on strategies for prevention, awareness-raising and support for States in the development of public policies that respect fundamental rights.

In his opening speech, Rafael Luis Ávila Macke, the People's Defender of the Republic of Paraguay spoke about the situation in Haiti, recalling that the country is among the states most exposed to the consequences of climate change. He stressed that this vulnerability is accentuated by the serious security and humanitarian crisis that the country is currently experiencing, making the implementation of resilience policies based on human rights even more urgent.

On the sidelines of the General Assembly, Me Jean Wilner Morin held several bilateral meetings with RINDHCA leaders and counterparts from the region. These exchanges were an opportunity to promote the strengthening of cooperation between national human rights institutions, particularly with a view to the design and implementation of a citizen education program devoted to the protection of the environment, the promotion of rights linked to a healthy environment and the preparation of Haitian communities for the effects of climate change.

Through this participation, the Office for Citizen Protection reaffirms its commitment to integrating environmental issues into its mandate to promote and protect human rights, convinced that climate justice is now inseparable from human dignity, sustainable development and the protection of present and future generations.

IH/ iciHaiti