US Vice President Kamala Harris has announced that the US is investing more than $100 million in the Caribbean to fight the arms trade, help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Haiti and support climate change initiatives
From
DÁNICA COTO Associated Press
Jun 8, 2023 7:41 am ET
• 4 min reading
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — US Vice President Kamala Harris announced Thursday that the US is investing more than $100 million in the Caribbean to fight arms trafficking, help alleviate Haiti’s humanitarian crisis and climate change initiatives support.
The announcement comes ahead of an official trip to the Bahamas for a meeting of Caribbean and US leaders hosted by Harris and Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis. Harris, the senior US official to visit the Bahamas since independence 50 years ago, landed just after noon for the day-long visit.
Dozens of greeters, including school children and members of her sorority, greeted Harris as the Royal Bahamas Police Force band, clad in black, red and white uniform, played.
During a meeting with leaders, Harris said strengthening US-Caribbean ties is a priority for her.
“We firmly believe that our partnership is vital to our mutual security and prosperity,” she said.
As part of the initiatives, the US Department of Justice expects to appoint a coordinator to oversee illegal arms smuggling cases in the Caribbean as island nations report a rise in violent crime. In addition, the State Department pledged to help improve forensic work in the area, strengthen local law enforcement agencies, and support a unit based in Trinidad and Tobago tasked with assisting islands in solving gun-related cases and Provide training in the collection and analysis of related information.
The US, with help from the UK, will also set up a program in the eastern Caribbean to mentor local judges and prosecutors to improve gun crime prosecutions as island nations struggle with a backlog of cases.
The State Department also expects to work with the Haitian National Police, a severely underfunded and understaffed agency struggling to stem a surge in gang violence, to help investigate and prosecute US-linked gang crimes , arms smuggling and human trafficking.
This initiative is seen as crucial as it is estimated that up to 80% of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, is controlled by gangs, while murders and kidnappings are on the rise across the city and beyond.
Senior US officials said the deteriorating security situation called for an international response and that the US strongly supports sending a multinational force to Haiti.
In October, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry called for the immediate deployment of a foreign force, but the UN Security Council, the US and Canada have yet to respond. Henry is expected to attend Thursday’s meeting with Harris along with other leaders of Caribbean states.
Senior US government officials said the discussion is ongoing and any decision on military force will be made in consultation with the United Nations and the Haitian government.
Harris announced that the United States Agency for International Development will invest nearly $54 million in Haiti to help fight skyrocketing famine and provide access to clean water and health care. Nearly half of Haiti’s more than 11 million people are acutely food insecure, and 19,000 people are suffering from catastrophic starvation.
Another $10.5 million will be used to support the Haitian agricultural sector as poverty rises and about 60% of the population earns less than $2 a day.
The announcement was welcomed by Faith in Action International, a California-based organization that supports grassroots groups worldwide.
“Haitian farmers are the backbone of Haiti’s fight against hunger and are in dire need of essential resources such as seeds, irrigation, tools and support from agronomists to adapt to the drought,” said Francois Pierre-Louis, Faith in Action Haiti director.
USAID also expects to invest $20 million to help Caribbean companies using technologies related to renewable energy and energy efficiency. Another nearly $15 million will be used to improve emergency response and preparedness across the region.
Additional funds will help low-lying island nations, whose economies depend largely on tourism, to prepare for and adapt to climate change.
“Caribbean states are at the forefront,” Harris said.