On Monday, August 24, 2026, as part of the Rimini Meeting in Italy, Foreign Minister Raina Forbin participated via videoconference in the panel "Haiti and the strength to rise again" organized by the Associazione Volontari per il Servizio Internazionale (Association of Volunteers for International Service - AVSI).

Moderated by Mr. Stefano Gatti, Director General for Development Cooperation at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the meeting also included Massimo Dell’Utri, Italian Undersecretary of State; Gandy Thomas, Ambassador of Haiti to Italy; Maurizio Martina, Deputy Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); and Ms. Annalisa Costanzo, AVSI Representative in Haiti.

In her address, Minister Forbin outlined the priorities of the government led by Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé: restoring security and state authority, organizing elections, economic recovery, and responding to the humanitarian crisis. She also highlighted the government's efforts to lead the country out of the crisis and toward lasting stability.

The Minister advocated for a strengthened partnership with Italy and identified several potential areas of cooperation, including security, institutional strengthening, agricultural development, vocational training, the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, skills transfer, and productive investments.

The presence of high-ranking Italian officials and the substance of the discussions demonstrated a commitment to deepening dialogue and cooperation between Haiti and Italy. Thanks to its location in the heart of the Caribbean, its proximity to the Americas, its youth, its diaspora, and its economic potential, Haiti can be a strategic partner for Italy and a foothold for its businesses, universities, cultural institutions, and cooperation initiatives in the region.

Minister Forbin thus presented Haiti not only through the challenges the country faces, but also as a land of opportunity and a partner with whom Italy can build a lasting, strategic, and mutually beneficial relationship.

HL/ HaitiLibre