ARC and Accountability Counsel are co-hosting an in-person panel event discussing how displaced Haitian peasants used an international accountability mechanism to fight for remedy. The event will launch a new Accountability Note, “After the Agreement: Implementing Remedy for Displacement in Northern Haiti” in Kreyol, Spanish, and English.
Monday, October 28 · 4:30 – 8pm EDT
Mary Graydon Center, American University, third floor
4400 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC 20016
In January 2011, over 400 families in Northern Haiti were displaced from their farmland to make way for the Caracol Industrial Park. Against all odds, and after years of effort, they succeeded in negotiating an agreement through the Inter-American Development Bank that promised to restore their livelihoods. But the signing of the agreement was only the beginning of another struggle for implementation. Though many families have received their promised benefits, including replacement land, challenges remain.
As implementation of the agreement draws to a close, join us for a panel discussion and reception reflecting on this remarkable case and the lessons it holds for accountability advocates and development actors worldwide.
On two panels, a diverse range of speakers will share insights on the Haitian grassroots organizing at the heart of the case, the advantages and challenges of pursuing dispute resolution at international financial institutions, and the experience of implementing a remedy agreement in a country context of fragility and violence.
A reception following (7-8pm) will offer an opportunity for further conversation over [Haitian?] refreshments.
Panel Moderators:
Scott Freeman, American University
Megan Pearson, Accountability Counsel
Welcoming remarks:
David Hunter, American University, Washington College of Law
The Caracol project and displacement in the context of Haiti (16:45)
Jake Johnston, Center for Economic and Policy Research
Koldo Echebarria, Center for Global Development, Former Country Director IDB Haiti
Castin Milostène, AREDE Haiti
Megumi Tsustui, Accountability Counsel
Break with refreshments
The IDB complaint process, outcomes, and lessons (18:00)
María Camila Barriga, Independent Consultation and Investigation Mechanism, IDB
Megumi Tsutsui, Accountability Counsel
[IDB representative tbd]
Castin Milostène, AREDE Haiti
7:00 pm Reception
Marie Marthe Rocksaint, a smallholder farmer, was forced to leave her land when construction of the Caracol Industrial Park, largely funded by the Inter-American Development Bank and USAID, began.
Hers was one of 422 families that lost their land when the park was given the go-ahead.
Image by Marilia Leti/ActionAid
