Friday, March 28, 2025. Jean Pierre Moïse Fils, Minister of the Environment, signed a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding for environmental and climate protection with the Colombian Head of Mission to Haiti, Ms. Vilma Velasquez, representing the Colombian Minister of the Environment, Susana Muhamad.

This ceremony took place under the auspices of Ketleen Florestal, Minister of Planning and External Cooperation, with the participation of diplomatic representatives from Chile and Mexico in Haiti.

"As Minister of Planning and External Cooperation, I welcome the close ties of cooperation that are developing in various fields on the basis of the Joint Declaration of Their Excellencies, the Presidents of Colombia and Haiti Gustavo Pétro and Leslie Voltaire https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-44129-haiti-jacmel-joint-declaration-of-the-axes-of-cooperation-between-haiti-and-colombia.html . Signed in Jacmel in January 2025, this protocol is part of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda," said Florestal.

In his speech, Minister Jean Pierre explained, "With this cooperation framework, we aim, above all, to integrate the Environment Sector into the fight against violence, emphasizing the importance of environmental issues, natural resources, and climate change in the construction of a Peace Agenda," adding, "By deciding, by mutual agreement, to address Haiti’s extreme environmental vulnerability from the perspective of deforestation, the erosion of biodiversity, waste management and pollution control, the critical lack of access for all to affordable, sustainable and modern energy, as well as water insecurity, we are looking ahead to a number of Sustainable Development Goals outlined in the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations."

For her part, Ms. Vilma Velasquez emphasized that the main benefits of this agreement between Haiti and Colombia include "ecological restoration and regeneration of vegetation cover in the Port-de-Paix River watershed; unconventional sources of renewable energy in the Artibonite department ; the circular economy and strengthening of electronic and household waste value chains in Jacmel and Ile-à-Vache; integrated water management in the binational Massacre River watershed and the promotion of hydro-diplomacy for peace; marine protected areas, the interconnection of protected areas, and the conservation of ecosystems and species of interest; damage assessment and analysis of continental post-disaster environmental needs."

The memorandum also includes, among other things, exchanges of researchers and experts, data, information, knowledge, best practices, experiences, and technologies, as well as the search for technical and financial partners who can collaborate in mobilizing resources and technical expertise, in accordance with the practices and clauses of the cooperation.

HL/ HaitiLibre