About the Coordination Europe-Haïti

The Coordination Europe-Haiti is a network of solidarity associations and non-governmental organisations (NGO's) working with Haiti, in direct contact with their Haitian partners, themselves also non-governmental organisations and grassroots movements. A coordinated approach, through non governmental organizations and base, is a success factor for development cooperation. This implies a synergy between the organizations working together, based on the construction of a joint project.

The Coordination Europe-Haiti operates from this perspective, developing information campaigns and advocacy with governments and European institutions and the organisation of solidarity campaigns in Europe.

Currently members of the Coordination Europe-Haiti come from Belgium, The Netherlands, Finland, France, England, Germany, Ireland and Switzerland. The General Assembly meets twice a year. The steering group meets every two months. The coordination is working with several dozen Haitian partners that formed a platform called Coordination Europe-Haiti.

History of the Coordination Europe-Haiti

The Coordination Europe-Haiti was born in June 2002 on the initiative of two NGOs Belgian Broederlijk Delen and Entraide et Fraternité, who decided to tighten the bonds of solidarity with other European organizations working in Haiti. These organizations have started a process of mutual exchange and sharing of information on the activities of their organizations and their partners in Haiti. At the end of 2003, these organizations have decided to give Haiti a central concern of the public and European governments.

In 2004, commemorating the bicentennial of Haiti's independence (1804), the Coordination Europe-Haiti has been consolidated as a pressure group in Europe. It launched an advocacy campaign vis-à-vis the European Union (EU). The action contributed to the European public awareness and to an active advocacy towards policy makers in Europe. NGOs and European associations have helped to put Haiti on the front of the public and political scene.

Advocacy

The priority areas of the CoE-H and its Haitian partners are:

- Human rights (civil and political)
- Economic and social rights
- Sustainable rural development and strengthened food sovereignty

The Coordination Europe-Haiti and its members are working in three complementary areas:

• Advocacy towards and information sharing with European Union institutions and Member
  States' governments
• Awareness raising of the European public, which is essentially carried out by the various member
  organizations of the CoE-H in their respective countries
• Consultation with and between the partner organizations in Haiti

The Coordination Europe-Haiti wants to be a "facilitator" between the Haitian organizations on the one hand and representatives of European institutions and governments on the other. For this purpose it has set for itself the following objectives:

• Information sharing with and awareness raising of representatives of European institutions, governments and European civil society about the reality of Haiti
• Establishment of advocacy around the three priorities of the CoE-H
• Informing Haitian partner organizations on the functioning of the EU and on its development cooperation programs
• Sharing of proposals and positions of CoE-H members and Haitian partner organisations with the Haitian government and European institutions
• Participation in campaigns of solidarity for Haiti organized by various NGOs of the CoE-H for European civil society