Social and Migration Policies: The Haitian State Advocates Improvement and Modernization

On the occasion of the 20th edition of Mardis de la Nation, the Haitian government presented two major aspects of its action: social support for displaced families and youth, as well as the modernization of the Directorate of Immigration and Emigration (DIE). Two coordinated approaches aimed at strengthening the state's presence among citizens. On August 5, 2025, the Prime Minister's Office hosted the 20th edition of Mardis de la Nation, a government communication platform that this week allowed for an update on two strategic initiatives: social action led by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MAST), and the modernization of the Haitian migratory system via the Directorate of Immigration and Emigration (DIE). Minister Georges Wilbert Franck first recalled the efforts made to address the situation of internally displaced persons (IDPs). More than 3,000 families living in makeshift camps received financial aid in July as part of the National Program to support their relocation. This policy also aims to free up important public spaces, such as the Faculty of Applied Linguistics, Lycée Anténor Firmin, and École Caroline Chauveau, currently occupied by displaced persons. Five new social projects have been integrated into MAST's 2024-2025 Public Investment Program at the initiative of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé. Among them are: the structuring of the National Handicraft Office (ONART), the opening of three regional handicraft shops, a credit portfolio for artisans (whose official launch is scheduled for August 11), the modernization of the Social Assistance Fund (CAS), the establishment of a national internship program for 20,000 young people starting in 2026, as well as a reform of the Haitian Labor Code. In parallel, the Director General of the DIE, Antoine Jean Simon Fénelon, presented the advancements in service diplomacy. He particularly highlighted the improvement of passport services, the standardization of biometric data, and the modernization of infrastructure in Pétion-Ville and Canapé-Vert. Particular emphasis was placed on the return to normalcy in consular services in the United States, where nearly 60,000 passports were issued between January and August 2025, after a period of blockage. A strategic mission to the Dominican Republic, initiated under the instruction of Interior Minister Paul Antoine Bien-Aimé, allowed for the issuance of 25,687 passports via Haiti's diplomatic representations in Santiago, Higuey, Dajabon, Bayona, and even the Turks and Caicos Islands. Finally, the DIE announced the upcoming arrival of the E-Card, a digital innovation allowing travelers to initiate their migratory procedure online 72 hours before their departure. An initiative that marks an important step in the modernization of Haitian migratory control. Through these various actions, the government intends to affirm its desire to bring the state closer to citizens, to strengthen social justice, to modernize its institutions, and to guarantee the effectiveness of its services, both within the national territory and for the diaspora. The editorial team