Blind Praise, Perpetual Poverty: How Haiti's Leaders Enable the Vicious Cycle of Aid Dependency

The Finance Minister's praise of the World Bank's role in Haiti needs to critically acknowledge the more profound, systemic issues perpetuated by such international actors. While it is true that the World Bank has remained "engaged" during Haiti's crisis, this is far from "incredible." It is, in fact, the bare minimum that should be expected of an institution whose influence over national economic policies has contributed significantly to Haiti's structural vulnerabilities. The narrative of engagement and reactivity hides a more problematic reality: the historical involvement of the World Bank in Haiti has often prioritized neoliberal policies that exacerbate inequality, undercut local sovereignty, and overlook the needs of the most vulnerable populations.

Relocating focus to the north and south of Haiti, away from Port-au-Prince, is not a solution that deserves applause — it represents an evasion of the profound security and governance crises that affect the capital, effectively sidestepping the heart of the problem. Such an approach reflects a broader trend of external actors favoring cosmetic, geographically limited interventions rather than grappling with the root causes of instability in Haiti. This approach fails to create systemic change, allowing deeper issues like governance failure, inequality, and urban decay to persist unchecked.

Moreover, the reference to training centers and "tools" provided by the World Bank reflects a superficial, technocratic approach that does not address the underlying political economy that limits progress in Haiti. The lack of “enough to permit” (presumably a reference to professionals or human resources) is not a problem that can simply be solved with training initiatives or reactive adjustments. It’s a result of a historical context where international financial institutions, including the World Bank, have played a significant role in undermining Haiti’s capacity for self-sustaining development through misguided policy prescriptions, such as the austerity measures that have stripped away public capacity and prevented critical investments in social infrastructure.

The Minister's statement seems to celebrate the flexibility of the World Bank without recognizing the flexibility that Haiti actually needs: a break from dependency-driven development and the political straitjackets imposed by these same financial institutions. What Haiti requires is genuine partnership — not just technical reactivity, but active support for Haitian-led, Haitian-driven development that recognizes the sovereignty and agency of the Haitian people. Without that, all the “engagement” touted by the Minister will continue to do little more than paper over cracks in a fundamentally unsound system, leaving the root causes of Haiti’s crisis unaddressed.