The Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Haiti considers the situation to be complex but not insuperable. Following his second mission to the country, in July 2014, he reviews here the efforts made thus far to address the five human rights areas identified in his previous report as warranting urgent action, namely: (a) illiteracy, (b) prolonged pretrial detention, (c) elections, (d) redress for large-scale human rights violations perpetrated in the past and (e) resettlement of the people displaced by the 2010 earthquake.
For each area, the Independent Expert identifies the problems observed and proposes specific solutions. As a prerequisite for addressing these urgent human rights matters, however, there must be strong political will on the part of the Government and the international community, active involvement by civil society, consensus on the priority problems to be addressed, focused coordination of work and perseverance in efforts to attain the stated goals.
In December 2014, a new Prime Minister was appointed as a first step towards clearing the impasse surrounding the holding of elections, which is one of the five areas identified by the Independent Expert for priority action. Success on this front could bring significant momentum to the efforts to improve the human rights situation in Haiti. The early days of 2015 will be decisive in this regard.