In 2012, the Haitian Government adopted the Strategic Development Plan for Haiti (PSDH) with the aim of making Haiti an emerging country by 2030. The issues of fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution of 1987 and the construction of a strong, devolved and decentralised State are addressed through two major projects: social rebuilding, to reduce inequalities and improve social cohesion, and institutional rebuilding for a comprehensive reform of public administration now focused on citizens-users.
This second area is embodied in the State Modernisation Programme (PME) which includes Poto Mitan. Coordinated by the Office of Management and Human Resources (OMRH), the PME particularly aims to improve access and quality of public services throughout the country. Furthermore, a number of citizens’ initiatives have emerged to mobilise and involve people in local development activities and encourage active participation in improving public services. Some people can now meet in spaces for dialogue called Makon (“together” in Creole), others are supported by the Citizen Protection Office.
Poto Mitan: improving access to public services
The Poto Mitan programme has the overall objective of developing inclusive and territorialised access for citizens to administrative services and the civil registry.
It is based on two areas:
1. Strengthen the public services of the public administration dealing with civil registration and identification.
2. Increase citizen involvement to restore a relationship of trust with the public administration and thereby improve the quality of public services for civil registration and identification.
The activities implemented under the Poto Mitan programme will:
• Assist the administrations signatories to the “Charter of Commitment for the Provision of Quality Services to the User” through structuring activities at national level
• Contribute to increasing equitable access to decentralised public services for civil registration and identification and making them more efficient, while ensuring the specific needs of women are taken into account
• Develop partnership relations between citizens and administrations to improve the quality of services and user satisfaction
• Strengthen procedures for handling complaints, mediation and citizen oversight of the effectiveness of access to services
A multi-stakeholder programme
Many stakeholders are involved in the achievement of the programme’s objectives.
The Office of Management and Human Resources (OMRH), which shares contracting authority with AFD, is at the centre of the implementation of the State Modernisation Programme and the management of Poto Mitan. It is working alongside the Citizen Protection Office (OPC) and the National Council of Popular Financing (KNFP), which works on increasing citizen involvement in improving public services and restoring a relationship of trust between public administration and users.
The activities implemented under the programme also contribute to the efforts of the administrations signatories to the “Charter of Commitment for the Provision of Quality Services to the User”, which are also partners of Poto Mitan.
Expertise France is the lead contractor and operator for the programme alongside these various stakeholders.
