April 6, 2022
The School of the Judiciary of Haiti (EMA) and the Project for Institutional Strengthening in the Fight against Corruption in Haiti (OEA|RILCH, for its acronym in French) of the Organization of American States (OAS), today signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will serve as a framework for inter-institutional dialogue and collaboration on anti-corruption matters.
The agreement was signed by the Director General of the EMA, Kesner Michel Thermesi, and the General Coordinator of the OAS|RILCH, Ana María Calderón Boy, on behalf of the Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro.
The Memorandum of Understanding establishes that OAS|RILCH will collaborate with the EMA to facilitate the development of the capacities of Haitian judges and prosecutors, through specialized training and the transfer of skills and good practices by OAS experts.
“The signing of this agreement is a valuable event for the Haitian justice system and for the OAS, since it means the beginning of the joint work of our institutions; and the possibility of strengthening the capacities of Haitian judges and prosecutors, especially those magistrates who investigate and prosecute cases of corruption and financial crimes,” said the General Coordinator of OEA|RILCH during the signing. For his part, the Director General of the EMA stressed that the alliance with the OAS will strengthen judicial independence and the rule of law.
The Project for Institutional Strengthening in the Fight against Corruption in Haiti (OAS|RILCH) was created at the request of the Government of Haiti, which requested support for the creation of anti-corruption infrastructure in the country.
OAS|RILCH is financed by the Governments of Switzerland and Italy and its objective is to strengthen the institutions that make up the Haitian anti-corruption system, improving existing institutional systems and processes, through training, technical advice and active collaboration; and ensuring that the staff of these institutions, as well as Haitian magistrates, have the necessary skills to combat corruption and related crimes.
This is the third Memorandum of Understanding that OEA|RILCH signs with a Haitian institution, within the framework of its execution. The first was signed on July 30, 2021 with the Anti-Corruption Unit – ULCC, the second was signed on February 9, 2022 with the Central Financial Intelligence Unit – UCREF, with which joint activities are already being carried out.