Foreign ministers Raina Forbin and Anita Anand discuss security, elections, justice reform and community resilience on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly
Canada has announced $25.4 million in new funding for Haiti, expanding its support for security, governance and community resilience as the Caribbean nation continues to confront gang violence, political instability and humanitarian pressures.
The announcement followed a September 22 meeting in New York between Haiti’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Religious Affairs, Raina Forbin, and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand during the high-level week of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. Canada’s official account confirms the meeting and funding package.
New Funding Targets Security and Communities
According to Global Affairs Canada, the $25.4 million package will support programs aimed at combating corruption and organized crime, reducing gang recruitment of young people, strengthening responses to gender-based violence and supporting locally led peacebuilding initiatives.
The initiative reflects an effort to address both the immediate security crisis and some of the conditions that make vulnerable communities susceptible to criminal organizations.
Forbin welcomed the announcement and expressed the Haitian government’s appreciation for Canada’s continued engagement with Haiti.
Security Remains Central to Talks
Security was a major focus of the discussions.
Anand reaffirmed that restoring security in Haiti remains a Canadian priority. Ottawa said its support includes efforts to strengthen detention capacity and advance disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, commonly known as DDR.
The talks came as Haiti and its international partners continue efforts to strengthen the international security response to heavily armed gangs that have destabilized significant parts of the country.
Canada says it has provided more than $570 million in international assistance to Haiti since 2022, in addition to $126 million for the multinational security mission.
Ottawa’s 2026-27 foreign-affairs plan also identifies support for Haiti’s security, credible elections, humanitarian and development programs, and regional efforts against transnational organized crime as Canadian priorities.
Elections and Governance Also Discussed
Forbin and Anand also addressed preparations for Haiti’s planned elections.
Canada emphasized the importance of elections that are credible and inclusive, while the ministers discussed reforms intended to strengthen Haiti’s justice system, increase accountability, address impunity and rebuild public confidence in state institutions.
Those objectives remain closely connected to the security situation. Electoral preparations require authorities to establish conditions in which voters, candidates and election workers can participate safely across the country.
Canada Expands Longstanding Haiti Support
The latest commitment builds on previous Canadian funding.
During the 2025 U.N. General Assembly, Canada announced another $60 million for stabilization efforts involving Haiti. That package included $40 million for the multinational security mission or a successor mechanism, subject at the time to U.N. Security Council action, and $20 million for a regional maritime-security initiative targeting illicit arms, narcotics and other transnational trafficking.
The new $25.4 million commitment broadens that approach by directing resources toward governance and community-level resilience alongside conventional security measures.
For Haiti, the meeting also provided another opportunity during the U.N.’s most important diplomatic gathering of the year to press international partners for sustained involvement in the country’s security and institutional recovery.
Forbin and Anand concluded their talks by reaffirming continued cooperation between Haiti and Canada, with security, accountable institutions, elections and improved conditions for Haitian communities remaining central to the relationship.
By The Haitian Tribune Staff | September 23, 2026 | NEW YORK
