THE ISSUE

Haiti has qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup — a historic achievement that represents the resilience, talent, and dignity of the Haitian people.

Yet today, the same neighborhoods that produced those players live under conditions of extreme violence. Families cannot move freely. Healthcare workers cannot reach hospitals. Children cannot attend school without fear. Communities that should be celebrating are instead surviving.

This is not inevitable. It is not permanent. And it is not acceptable.

The root causes of violence in Haiti are structural — decades of inequality, institutional weakness, insufficient investment in justice infrastructure, and the absence of credible, humane pathways for those trapped in cycles of armed conflict to exit safely and with dignity.

Research consistently shows that sustainable peace requires three things working simultaneously: a credible pathway for disarmament and surrender, functioning justice and detention infrastructure that upholds human rights, and meaningful investment in communities — through jobs, education, and access to essential services.

None of these exist at adequate scale in Haiti today.

The World Cup gives us a fixed moment — a global stage — and a deadline. We are not asking for miracles. We are asking for the beginning of a serious, structured, and humane process that can be pointed to on June 13, 2026, when Haiti takes the field, and say: this country chose peace.

 
WHAT WE ARE ASKING

We call on the Haitian State and the international community to take the following concrete steps before the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup:

1. Open a formal, humane surrender and disarmament process

Establish a credible, structured pathway for individuals currently engaged in armed activity to surrender voluntarily — with dignity, due process, and legal clarity about what follows. This process must be non-coercive, transparent, and designed in consultation with community leaders, legal experts, and human rights organizations. It must include protections against extrajudicial treatment and clearly defined rehabilitation pathways.

2. Commit to building adequate justice and detention infrastructure

The absence of functioning, humane detention and judicial facilities is one of the primary barriers to sustainable peace. Individuals who surrender must have access to due process, legal representation, and conditions that meet international human rights standards. We call on the Haitian State and international partners to prioritize the financing and construction of an Integrated Judicial and Penitentiary Campus — designed not for punishment alone, but for rehabilitation, reintegration, and the restoration of human dignity.

3. Invest in communities — not only in security

Lasting safety is built through schools, jobs, healthcare, and housing — not through force alone. We call on bilateral donors, multilateral institutions, and the international development community to direct urgent, significant, and accountable investment into the communities most affected by violence — with priority given to youth employment, educational infrastructure, and essential service delivery.

4. Establish transparent, community-informed oversight

Any peace process must be accountable to the people it serves. We call for the creation of an independent, civilian-led monitoring body — with meaningful participation from Haitian civil society, diaspora representatives, women's organizations, and youth — to oversee the implementation of these commitments and report publicly on progress.

 
WHY THIS MATTERS NOW

The World Cup is not a solution to Haiti's crisis. But it is a moment — rare, globally visible, and emotionally powerful — when the world is paying attention.

We are not asking the world to fix Haiti. We are asking the world to support Haitians who are already working to fix it themselves — through community resilience, civil society leadership, and the refusal to accept that violence is Haiti's destiny.

"Sa n ap viv la, se pa madichon." What we are living is not a curse.

It is the consequence of structures that can be changed — if the will, the investment, and the accountability exist to change them.

Sign this petition. Share it. And demand that peace comes before the opening whistle.

 
Lapè anvan Mondyal la. Peace Before the World Cup.

A community initiative supported by Pwoteje Lavi (Proteje Lavi Inc.) Nonprofit · Human Rights & Community Resilience · pwotejelavi.org