Caracol Industrial Park, Haiti

On January 12, 2010, a massive earthquake hit Haiti causing widespread loss of life and damage. A year later in January 2011, the Caracol Industrial Park (PIC), a 250-hectare industrial complex primarily funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) began construction in Northeast Haiti. Hundreds of farmers and their families were displaced by this construction without any meaningful consultation or prior compensation. 

The displaced farmers were robbed of their access to their farmland, which served as their livelihood as well as their sustenance. In addition, the project also posed broader environmental and social concerns. The PIC discharges wastewater into the Trou-du-Nord river, which itself drains into the Three Bay National Park, home to critical biodiversity as well as community resources like fish, shellfish and salt basins. There were also reports of labor violations, and strains on public resources. 

Recognizing the harm faced by their community, the displaced farmers organized themselves as the Kolektif Peyizan Viktim Tè Chabè (the Kolektif) and filed a complaint to the IDB’s Independent Consultation and Investigation Mechanism (MICI) with support from local, national, and international civil society organizations. In the complaint, the Kolektif highlighted several IDB policies that the project violated, ranging from inadequate consultation, inadequate compensation and support for resettlement, environmental compliance concerns, and disproportionate impacts on women and children. 

While implementation remains challenging, this case is a great example of communities using a dialogue or dispute resolution process to directly participate in the design of solutions to their concerns. It’s also one of the few examples of communities being able to negotiate for new land, following their displacement: something that we hope can be a precedent for other community-led complaint processes. 

Finally, it is notable that the Kolektif did not file a complaint to the USAID because that agency did not have an independent accountability office. The US Congress has since directed USAID to create such a mechanism. You can find updates on our website here.