How to address multilateral breakdown and state collapse
Haiti’s security crisis continues unabated, with a combination of gang violence, a weak state and underfunded multilateral intervention prolonging instability. To compound the political challenges, the expiry of the Transitional Presidential Council’s mandate in February 2026 could exacerbate the political vacuum and add to uncertainty. The need for reforms that can start to restore basic stability and provide sufficiently secure conditions for the delivery of public services is more pressing than ever.
This paper proposes a three-year roadmap for security sector and governance reforms. Our starting point is the principle that reform should be Haitian-led, albeit supported by the UN and other international partners. The roadmap includes the following proposed steps: (1) establishment of a national strategic vision and guiding principles for reform; (2) the drafting of interim regulations, underpinned over time by permanent legislation; (3) measures to clarify the mandates of the police, army, and intelligence and correctional services, and to remove overlap between these sectors; (4) professionalization and proper vetting of security personnel; and (5) measures to shrink the coercive marketplace, improve civilian mobility and access to basic services, and ensure gang violence and related crime are adequately and appropriately treated by the justice system.
