Haiti: Foreign Relations

Haiti's foreign relations have long been shaped by chronic political instability and a prolonged security crisis, which have made the country heavily dependent on international assistance and diplomatic engagement from the United Nations, the United States, and fellow members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which Haiti joined in 2002. Successive Haitian governments have relied on foreign partners for humanitarian aid, policing support, and diplomatic mediation amid the collapse of many state institutions, giving outside actors an unusually large role in shaping the country's domestic and foreign policy.

Haiti's most prominent international relationship in recent years has centered on the multinational security mission authorized by the United Nations Security Council to help the Haitian National Police confront armed gangs controlling large parts of Port-au-Prince. Kenya led this Multinational Security Support mission beginning in 2024, and as of 2026 that force has been transitioning to a broader UN-backed Gang Suppression Force, with Kenyan personnel departing and troops from other countries, including Chad, arriving to continue the mission. The transition has been supported logistically and financially by the United States and other international partners, though Haiti's security situation has remained precarious.

Haiti's relationship with the Dominican Republic, with which it shares the island of Hispaniola, remains strained over migration, as the Dominican government has continued large-scale deportations of Haitian migrants amid the ongoing crisis. As of 2026, CARICOM has pressed for greater international involvement in addressing the repatriations, while the United States has maintained direct diplomatic engagement with Haiti's transitional government on security and bilateral cooperation. These overlapping relationships with the United States, CARICOM, and the Dominican Republic continue to define Haiti's foreign policy as the country works toward restoring stable governance.