WT/TPR/M/327  
12 February 2016  
(16-0905)  Page: 1/31  
Trade Policy Review Body 
2 and 4 December 2015   
 
  TRADE POLICY REVIEW 
HAITI 
MINUTES OF THE MEETING 
Chairperson: H.E. Mr. Atanas Atanassov Paparizov (Bulgaria) 
CONTENTS 
 
1  INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAI RPERSON ....................................................... 2  
2  OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF HAITI  ......................................... 4  
3  STATEMENT BY THE DISCUSSANT ................................................................................ 6  
4  STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS ........................................................................................ 10  
5  REPLIES BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF  HAITI AND ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ............. 26  
6  CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAI RPERSON ......................................................... 30  
 
 
Note: Advance written questions and additional questions by WTO Members, and the replies 
provided by Haiti are reproduced in document WT/T PR/M/327/Add.1 and will be available online at 
http://www.wto.org/english/tr atop_e/tpr_e/tp_rep_e.htm. WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  1  INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 
1.1.  The second Trade Policy Review of Haiti was held on 2 and 4 December 2015. The 
Chairperson H.E. Mr. Atanas Atanassov Paparizov (Bulgaria) welcomed the delegation of Haiti headed by H.E. Mr. Jude Hervey Day, Minister of Trade and Industry; H.E. Ambassador 
Pierre-André Dunbar, Permanent Representative of Haiti to the WTO; the rest of the delegation 
from Haiti; the rest of the colleagues from the Mission in Geneva; and the discussant, H.E Dr Francois Xavier Ngarambe (Rwanda). 
1.2.  The Chairperson recalled the purpose of the Tr ade Policy Reviews and the main elements of 
the procedures for the meeting. The report by Haiti was contained in document WT/TPR/G/327 and that of the WTO Secretariat in WT/TPR/S/327. 
1.3.  Questions by the following delegations had been  submitted in writing before the deadline of 
5.30 p.m. of 18 November and had been transmitte d to the delegation of Haiti: Brazil; United 
States; Argentina; Canada; Mexico; Dominican Republic; and the EU. The following delegations submitted written questions after the deadline: the Russian Federation; Colombia; Trinidad and 
Tobago and the Republic of Korea. These questions had also been transmitted to the delegation of 
Haiti. 
1.4.  Haiti's economy was slowly recovering from the devastating earthquake in January 2010. 
Disaster had struck just as the country's prospects were improving after several years of prudent 
macroeconomic management. In addition to causing death and injury, the earthquake had destroyed the equivalent of 120% of GDP, wiping out a decade of development and poverty reduction endeavours. The Haitian economy nonetheless picked up thanks to international 
cooperation in particular, and between 2011 and 2014 the growth rate averaged 3.3%. 
1.5.  The Haitian economy had traditionally received only small amounts of foreign direct 
investment (FDI). However, since 2010, Haiti saw renewed interest on the part of foreign 
investors. The country had maintained a large trade deficit for many years. Textiles and clothing 
were its leading exports. The United States and the Dominican Republic were Haiti's main trading partners. 
1.6.  Haiti was an original Member of the WTO, and the Chairperson was pleased to note that it 
had increased its participation in trade-related technical assistance activities over the past few years. At the same time, Haiti coordinated its trade policy within the Caribbean Community. During the review period, no new regional trade agreements involving Haiti had been concluded. 
1.7.  The tariff was one of Haiti's main trade policy tools and an important source of government 
revenues. At the last TPR, Members had been encour aged by Haiti's unilateral reform efforts that 
had made it one of the most liberal economies in Latin America and the Caribbean. Members had 
praised Haiti for the simplification of its tariff st ructure. However, since then, the average applied 
MFN rate had doubled to 4.9% in 2015, and the percentage of duty free tariff lines had dropped from 67.1% to 44.2%. Members wished to hear more from Haiti about the rationale behind this 
duty hike and how it planned to re -engage in tariff liberalization. 
1.8.  At the time of the previous review, Members had also raised questions on many issues, some 
of which had been repeated this time by  different delegations. These included:  
 potential inconsistencies in the imposition of excise duties, and other duties and charges 
(inspection fees in particular); 
 plans to implement the WTO Customs Valuation Agreement;  
 the Government's actions for updating the intellectual property legislation; and 
 plans to reform the taxation regime. 
1.9.  Despite the progress achieved since the prev ious Review, judging from Members' advance 
questions, a number of challenges remained to be addressed by Haiti. The Chairperson drew 
attention to some areas where Members liked more clarity as to the way forward. These included: 
the adoption of a number of imports restrictions and prohibitions and the absence of their WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  notification to the WTO; the numerous charges be ing levied on imports and plans to bring them 
into conformity with WTO obligations; and persistent delays in the adoption of laws.  
1.10.  Members also sought clarifications on areas su ch as: the state of play with regards to the 
ratification of the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation; details on pending increase in applied 
tariff rates; steps taken to implement CARICOM's common external tariff; plans to improve the 
business climate; and plans to simplify export procedures. 
1.11.  The Chairperson noted that delegations referred in their questions to these and many other 
issues and he looked forward to hearing comments from Haiti. 
1.12.  He closed his introductory remarks by wishing Haiti a very successful second Trade Policy 
Review. He looked forward to its active engagement in this TPR. 
1.13.  He also noted that a podcast would be made of the meeting which could be accessed on the 
Members' website. WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  2  OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF HAITI (H.E. MR. JUDE HERVEY 
DAY) 
2.1.  On behalf of the Haitian Government and in my personal capacity, I would like to extend my 
greetings and thanks to you all for attending the second Trade Policy Review of the Republic of 
Haiti. 
2.2.  First of all, this exercise is of major importance to us, inasmuch as it provides an opportunity 
to exchange views on Haiti's trade measures and practices with the Members of this multilateral 
trading system, to which we remain firmly committed 12 years after our first review. 
2.3.  Between 2003 and 2015, Haiti was affected by the ups and downs of the global economy, 
including the steep hike in food prices and the sharp rise in international oil prices. Volatility in the subprime mortgage market and the economic cris is that hit the developed economies and the 
United States in particular in 2007 could not but have an impact on the Haitian economy. 
Throughout that period, the country nonetheless made huge efforts to maintain acceptable macroeconomic levels. The devastating earthquake of 12 January 2010, however, jeopardized 
these endeavours and caused a 5.3% contraction in GDP. 
2.4.  In the aftermath of the earthquake, Haiti, working with the support of its international 
partners, developed a recovery plan with the following major thrusts: territorial reconstruction, 
economic reconstruction, and social reconstruction. My Government, formed as a result of the 
2010 elections, drew input from this plan in order to determine its priority areas of action, namely 
education, the environment, and energy. Action in  these areas should enable Haiti to take full 
advantage of its commitments and/or trade preferences. 
2.5.  Since 1996, Haiti has embarked on a process of participation in and preparation or 
negotiation of agreements. 
2.6.  Indeed, the Republic of Haiti, an original contracting party to the General Agreement on 
Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1947, has become involved over the past 20 years in a complex web of 
agreements, negotiations and multilateral and regi onal trade agreements. It became a Member of 
the World Trade Organization (WTO) on 31 January 1996 and a member of the Caribbean 
Community (CARICOM) in July 2002, and took pa rt in the negotiations on the now defunct 
agreement to establish the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) as well as in the process that led to the creation of the Caribbean Community's Single Market and Economy. 
2.7.  As a party to the Fourth Lomé Convention of  1990 and a signatory to the Cotonou Agreement 
in June 2000, the country participated in the process that led to the conclusion on 15 December 
2007 of a free trade agreement, known as the Ec onomic Partnership Agreement (EPA), between 
the European Union and CARIFORUM, which brin gs together the countries of the Caribbean 
Community (CARICOM) and the Dominican Republic. It  should be emphasized that Haiti signed the 
EPA on 10 December 2009 but has not yet ratified it. 
2.8.  Haiti also enjoys unilateral preferences giving it duty free access to developed country 
markets. The preference received under the HOPE/HEL P legislation is of capital importance in view 
of the rule of origin flexibilities that it provides. 
2.9.  Haiti is thus building a whole development strategy directed at making the most of these 
preferences by attracting domestic and foreign capi tal in sectors where they can be fully exploited. 
Supply side constraints are addressed by means of actions geared towards facilitating private 
investment in all three sectors of the economy. 
2.10.  The development of agribusiness through the Unit for the Promotion of Private Investment 
in the Agricultural Sector (UPISA), the expansion of agricultural areas with the building of 
production related infrastructure and emphasis on research and extension as well as a favourable 
macroeconomic framework are the key levers for dealing with supply side constraints in the sector. 
2.11.  Building on the opportunities offered under th e HOPE/HELP legislation, the State and some 
of Haiti's foreign partners are investing heavily in the construction of industrial estates both in the Nord Department and in the capital in order to meet investment demand. WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  2.12.  As regards services, major investments are being made in road and airport infrastructure 
with a view to catalysing investment in hotel construction all over the country. 
2.13.  The Republic of Haiti joined CARICOM as a provisional member on 4 July 1997 and became 
a full member on 4 July 2002 following ratifica tion of the treaty by Parliament. The common 
external tariff (CET) applies to products imported from third countries; products imported from 
member countries are exempt from customs duty. For a good number of tariff lines, the range is between 0 and 5%. In some instances the CET la ys down a maximum and a minimum rate that 
may not be exceeded. Alignment of the national cu stoms tariff with the CET therefore provides the 
Government with the opportunity to have its own economic policy. Haiti's draft CET aligned customs tariff will include 6,584 lines and 8 levels of duty: 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 40%. 
2.14.  As part of the liberalization of its tariff regime, Haiti undertook two types of commitment: 
the first concerned its applied tariffs and the second its bound tariff levels. When Haiti acceded to 
the World Trade Organization (WTO), it had to set its tariffs at relatively low rates known as "maximum rates" or "ceiling rates". The first commitment was part of the implementation of the 
structural adjustment programme between 1983 and 1995. Under that commitment, Haiti 
abolished all quantitative restrictions on trade and substantially reduced its import duties and eliminated its export duties and taxes. 
2.15.  With these bound levels, Haiti has the most open trade regime in the western hemisphere. 
Its accession to the WTO in January 1996 led to further liberalization of its trade regime, to the extent that the tariff lines in its schedule of concessions were bound at relatively low rates: 5% of the lines were duty free (0%) and 65% were bound at rates of 20% or less. In binding its tariffs at 
such low rates (average of 18.7%) Haiti thus unilaterally forwent the opportunity to guarantee 
investment in domestically oriented industries, in the event of an economic policy aimed at promoting such industries, whereas the other States of the Caribbean region kept their bound 
tariffs at relatively high levels. By way of comparison, it should be noted that Haiti's average 
bound tariffs are by far the lowest of all LDCs worldwide. 
2.16.  This state of affairs is a major constraint on Haiti's effective integration into CARICOM, and 
in particular on implementation of the Community 's common external tariff (CET). For example, for 
products such as groundnuts, mangoes, pineapples, melons, papayas, grapes, apples, pears, and apricots, Haiti's bound tariff is 30% (WTO) and the applied tariff 10%, whereas under the CARICOM CET, the applied customs duty on those products is 40%. 
2.17.  Haiti's new bound rates are thus based on the average rates bound in the WTO by the other 
CARICOM members. By aligning them with the CARICOM average, the Government will have sufficient room for manoeuvre to allow it in future to steer its trade policy in the same direction as 
the trade policy of the regional bloc, to which it has belonged for more than 12 years without 
actually being able to start trading with the other members under the community regime. 
2.18.  With the approval of Haiti's draft schedule of tariff concessions by WTO Members, the 
Government will have put an end to the inconsistency between implementation of the CARICOM 
CET and compliance with Haiti's tariff commitments on goods vis à vis its WTO trading partners. 
2.19.  Lastly, to facilitate the streamlining of trade into its strategic development plan, the 
Government intends to continue to implement priority measures, which include accelerating the 
process of modernizing the legal framework for business, promoting quality and developing a 
product certification system. WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  3  STATEMENT BY THE DISCUSSANT 
3.1.  Mr Chairman, I thank and congratulate you for the outstanding way in which you are steering 
this most important exercise of reviewing Haiti's trade policies. 
3.2.  My thanks and congratulations also go to the Government of Haiti and the WTO Secretariat 
for the high standard of these most informative, topical and comprehensive documents placed at 
our disposal. 
3.3.  Before entering into specifics, I would like to extend a warm welcome to the Haitian 
delegation led by Haiti's Trade Minister, the Honourable Mr. Jude Hervey Day. 
3.4.  It is a great honour for me, as it is for my delegation, to act as discussant in this review of 
Haiti's trade policies. Haiti is a country that shares deep roots with Africa, and it has been a member of the African Union since 2013. 
3.5.  In the wake of the devastating earthquake in 2010, Rwanda expressed its support and 
solidarity by placing at the country's disposal a peacekeeping police contingent for the United 
Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti. Besides its support for the kindred people of Haiti, and in 
spite of its very limited resources, Rwanda is one of the top UN troop contributing countries, 
readily making troops available to serve the cause of peace and reconstruction throughout the world. 
Macroeconomic framework 
3.6.  Haiti's previous review took place in 2003. The current review is taking place 12 years later 
instead of 6 as recommended by the procedure in force for all LDCs, because of the devastating earthquake which caused extensive loss of life and wrought havoc on the economy in 
January 2010. 
3.7.  Rwanda, Africa as a whole and the entire world stood and still stand by the people and 
Government of Haiti. 
3.8.  Both reports (Secretariat and Government) state that, before the 2010 earthquake, the 
economic outlook was promising after several years of prudent macroeconomic management, with a growth rate of 2.9% in 2009, unfortunately followed by a 5.5% decline in 2010 (Government 
report, paragraph 1.1). Since that time, the Haitian economy has been picking up thanks to 
national and international endeavours. As a resu lt, the GDP rate exceeded 5% in 2011, averaging 
3.29% between 2011 and 2014, with inflation remaining under control at around 9.3% in 2014 (Secretariat report, paragraph 1.9). I take this opportunity to congratulate the Haitian authorities 
for all the reforms implemented and under way. Nonetheless, a higher and more sustained rate of 
growth will be necessary in order to reduce po verty and enable Haiti to achieve its ambitious 
objectives by 2030. 
3.9.  An indicator characteristic of LDCs that can be usefully considered in this review is Haiti's 
largely chronic trade deficit, according to the statistics provided in the two reports. Exports are estimated at US$917 million, i.e. only one third of imports, which are valued at US$3.4 billion. This 
is occurring in a caloric deficit context in which, according to the Government Report 
(paragraph 1.2), Haiti imports about 50% of its food products. 
3.10.  As regards Haiti's investment regime, the Government Report welcomes the renewed 
interest shown by foreign investors (paragraph 1. 3). The Secretariat Report concurs by underlining 
the positive spillovers from FDI, in particular for growth revival, job creation and poverty 
reduction. On the other hand, the Secretariat emph asizes that Haiti's business climate is one of 
the least competitive in the subregion (paragraph 2.9). Indeed, the World Bank's latest Doing 
Business 2016 report ranks Haiti 182nd out of the 189 economies surveyed. Whether for starting a 
business, registering property or getting loans, not to mention various other criteria, Haiti is shown as needing urgent and in depth reforms in order to create an environment more conducive to both 
domestic and foreign investment. WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  Trade policies and practices by measure 
3.11.  As regards trade measures, Haiti's tariffs are chiefly ad valorem. According to the 
Secretariat Report, between 2002 and 2013 the average applied rate almost doubled to 4.9% following revision of the tariff, which imposed a 5% duty on products that had previously been 
exempt (paragraph 3.1). The Government Report indicates that Haiti's commitment to set its 
tariffs at very low rates was part of the implementation of the structural adjustment programme between 1983 and 1995 (paragraph 3.13). 
3.12.  The Government Report adds that when Haiti acceded to the WTO in January 1996, it bound 
its tariffs at very low rates (i.e. at an average of 18.7%), and thus concludes that – I quote – "Haiti unilaterally forwent the opportunity to guarantee investment in domestically oriented 
industries…" (paragraph 3.14). 
3.13.  The comparative tables of bound and applied rates (paragraph 3.15, p. 13, and 
paragraph 3.17, p. 14, respectively) show that Haiti has by far the lowest rates, averaging as little as 4.2% for the applied industrial rate. An over all comparison between Haiti and the rest of the 
world reveals a striking inconsistency: 
Average (%) Developed 
countries Developing 
countries LDCs Haiti 
Bound agricultural tariffs  39.5 50.8 72.9 21.1 
Bound NAMA tariffs  5.7 27.2 42.3 18.2 
Applied agricultural tariffs  17.8 14.6 15.0 8.0 
Applied NAMA tariffs  2.4 8.0 11.2 4.2 
3.14.  It is important to emphasize here that whichever the actors that contributed to its adoption, 
a customs tariff regime must, first and foremost, be an instrument that contributes, in synergy 
with the other elements of economic policy, to the key macroeconomic objective of long term 
stable and sustainable growth. It must be estab lished by taking into balanced consideration the 
objectives of optimizing State revenue, achieving trade balance, maximizing local value added, diversifying exports, and, lastly, creating productive jobs and shared wealth. 
3.15.  There is no need for in depth analysis to realize that the current very low tariff regime has 
not helped to attain these objectives. A more thorough evaluation of the regime with a view to its possible revision is highly recommended, and Haiti's request to align its tariff structure with the 
common external tariff of CARICOM, whose treaty was ratified by the Haitian Parliament on 4 July 
2002 (Government report, paragraph 3.1, p. 10), is more than justified. 
3.16.  For these reasons, I strongly urge WTO Members to respond favourably to Haiti's legitimate 
request to submit a new schedule of tariff concessions (Government report, paragraph 3.20, 
p. 14). 
3.17.  That being said, I was most interested to learn about some concerns expressed in the 
questions from Members regarding excessive import  costs. In this connection, the Secretariat 
Report (paragraph 3.2, p. 27) states that "[t]here are still numerous levies on imports, for 
example, inspection fees of 5% levied on beha lf of the State; a contribution to the local 
communities management fund, at a rate of 2% of the c.i.f. value plus customs duty; and several 
internal taxes (turnover tax and excise duty). These fees and taxes have meant a substantial 
increase in the actual import duty on goods...". 
3.18.  In view of the concerns raised by trading partners, I would like to submit the following 
question for consideration by the Haitian delegation: 
3.19.  In Haiti's legitimate request to submit a new schedule of tariff concessions which would 
make it possible to apply the CARICOM common external tariff, would the Government consider adopting a holistic approach in order to appropriately address the concerns raised in connection 
with the levies added to the tariffs to be negotiated? 
3.20.  To conclude this section, I would urge the WTO Secretariat and developed country Members 
to provide increased assistance to Haiti in order to help the country develop its trade facilitation WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  capacity. This can be done as part of the implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement and 
the Enhanced Integrated Framework projects. 
3.21.  As regards import/export facilitation, I would like to inform the Haitian delegation and all 
those present that Rwanda introduced an electron ic single window for all imports and exports in 
2012, and this innovation has reduced by half  the time needed to process import/export 
operations, generating a sizeable surplus for importers and exporters. Rwanda would be prepared to cooperate with Haiti under a South-South exchange of experiences, in this area as well as in 
others of mutual interest. 
Trade policies by sector 3.22.  Turning to sectoral policies, I was very interested to read the Government's report in that 
respect, where I found sectoral development reforms and strategies that will help Haiti achieve the 
SDGs by 2030. At this juncture I will have a few questions as well. 
3.23.  Looking at Haiti's sectoral policies, my focus will be chiefly on agriculture, industry and 
services, but only in terms of the nexus betwee n trade, investment and development, without 
going into details. 
3.24.  As regards agriculture, the two reports emphasize that Haiti imports almost 50% of its food 
requirements (Secretariat report, paragraph 4. 19, and Government report, paragraph 2.15). The 
country is therefore facing a major challenge in te rms of food security. In this connection, I was 
interested to note the short- and medium term strategies to revitalize the agricultural sector, such as the Triennial Agriculture Revival Programme covering the period 2013 2016, the national agricultural investment plan 2010 2016, and the agriculture policy 2010 2025 (paragraph 2.10). In 
addition, the AGRITRANS free zone (Government report, paragraph 2.15) seeks to diversify 
agricultural exports. It would be useful for us all to share our considerations regarding effective revival of the sector and any obstacles that may be perceived in addition to that of the 
infrastructure deficit, particularly in rural ar eas (Secretariat report, paragraphs 2.17, 2.29 and 
4.2). 
3.25.  The manufacturing sector is dominated by textiles, which enjoy DFQF access to the US 
market under the HOPE and HELP initiatives (Sec retariat report, paragraph 4.77). The aim of the 
Caracol Industrial Park, which opened in 2012 and is already home to a textiles business, is to decentralize job creation, in this case in the north of the country (paragraphs 2.11 and 2.13). 
Could the Haitian delegation give us an outline of  the country's diversification strategies beyond 
the textiles and clothing industry? It is important to remember that for Haiti, as for any other LDC, 
production and especially export diversification will be crucial to achieving the SDGs. 
3.26.  Lastly, services appear to be the most dynamic sector, with a 56% contribution to GDP 
(Secretariat report, paragraph 4.83). Tourism plays a major role, notably by creating jobs, and, to 
a lesser extent, so do financial services and other services such as transport and logistics. Services are unquestionably important in developing industrialization across the entire value chain, and I 
urge Haiti to pursue that course. 
3.27.  In the light of the foregoing analysis and the co ntent of the reports on which it is based, I 
would like to make the following recommendations to the delegation and Government of Haiti: 
 Food security is a major objective of any socio-economic policy; it is therefore in Haiti's best 
interest to proceed with all the reforms required  to ensure sustainable food self-sufficiency 
in the long run. 
 Dependence on a single product, a single sector, or a single outlet is no guarantee of long 
term growth. Diversification of the Haitian economy from the production and marketing 
standpoints is a vital necessity that must be addressed as a matter of urgency. 
 The alignment of Haiti's tariffs with the regime in force in the subregion would be justified 
and extremely effective both at public finance level and in boosting local production. WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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   Considering the importance of private investment and public private partnership in any 
development endeavour, Haiti should improv e its business climate and make it more 
conducive and attractive to both domestic and foreign investment. 
3.28.  To conclude an analysis which, for lack of time, has undoubtedly failed to give all the 
important issues the attention they require, I wish to express my renewed appreciation to the 
Haitian authorities, which are sparing no effort in stepping up reforms to ensure macroeconomic stability and develop promising sectors, in spite of tremendous challenges and the natural 
disasters that have befallen the country. 
3.29.  This is also an opportunity to commend the donors for their support and to encourage them 
to aim further and higher in their endeavours to  promote the development of a country that so 
richly deserves it. 
3.30.  We look forward to receiving your replies this coming Friday, Your Excellency. WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  4  STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS 
BRAZIL 4.1.  Haiti’s economy has been recovering slowly since the devastating earthquake in 
January 2010, and stronger growth has been hampered by other natural disasters such as 
droughts and hurricanes, that affected Haiti’s agricultural sector in particular. 
4.2.  In the last three years, Haiti has been experien cing a downturn of external resources, with 
direct impacts on its economic sector: growth ra tes have been falling since 2012. So the only LDC 
country in the American Continent has to cope with substantially less amounts of official 
development assistance to face its many developm ent challenges as well as diminishing loans from 
external sources.  
4.3.  The report by the Secretariat points out that  remittances sent by Haitian workers living 
abroad constitute the main source of foreign ex change in the domestic economy. In the last 
decades, many Haitians have left their country to try to work abroad and be able to provide for the well-being of their families. In that regard, in pa rallel with our efforts to assist Haiti’s recovery, 
Brazil implemented, in January 2012, a special migration policy, having issued already more than 
16.000 humanitarian visas for Haitian nationals. This November, the Brazilian government has granted another 43,000 visas for those Haitians that have entered the country by land since 2010. 
Brazil is a country of immigrants, and we have benefitted enormously from an immigration history 
which has allowed us to integrate people from Japan to Africa, passing through Europe and the Middle East. We are confident that these 60,000 Haitia ns will also contribute to Brazil’s economic 
growth and cultural richness and diversity, to Haiti's economic recovery and to strengthening the 
link between the two countries. 
4.4.  We would like to congratulate Haiti on the successful election that took place last 25 October. 
This occasion represents an important stepping stone in Haiti’s efforts to rebuild the country and 
offer citizens a peaceful and stable home. Political stability, as we all know, is a key component of 
economic growth. 
4.5.  Brazil has actively contributed to Haiti’s stabilization and development including by extensive 
participation in the UN Mission in Haiti. We are present as well with cooperation initiatives for the 
reconstruction of Haiti, supporting and financing ca pacity building projects in the areas of health, 
professional training and agriculture, as well as in the election process itself.  
4.6.  In our efforts to strengthen our countries economic ties, Brazil is working to attract Brazilian 
companies and investment to Haiti. A dialogue is ongoing with the Brazilian Association of Textile 
Industries and the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo. Last October, a 
Public-Private Commercial Prospection Mission from Haiti went to Brazil to further discuss 
investment opportunities in a number of sectors.  
4.7.  We stand ready to further contribute to Haiti’s development. Political stabilization and the 
efforts being made by Haiti’s Government, together with enhanced international cooperation and 
investments, will certainly pave the way for progress. 
UNITED
 STATES 
4.8.  I would like to thank Haiti and the Secretariat for their work in compiling the helpful reports 
on trade policy developments in Haiti since it became a WTO Member in 1996. Each of the reports 
has helped to inform our consideration of Haiti’s trade and investment policies today. They also 
establish a solid foundation upon which to build future TPR discussions regarding Haiti.  
4.9.  The United States is Haiti’s number one export destination, receiving 83% of Haiti’s exports 
in 2014. The United States renewed and extended preferential access for Haitian goods earlier this 
year. We take great interest in Haiti’s success and support measures that will maximize that success as broadly as possible for the Haitian people. Haiti’s garment sector, in particular, is 
helping to forge a better life for workers and spurring the kind of sustainable, broad-based growth 
and development that is possible when trade and investment are combined with respect for core WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  labour standards. The Better Work programme in Haiti continues to help boost competitiveness in 
the sector while serving as one of the world’s most robust labour monitoring programmes. 
4.10.  In 2015, Haiti’s economy showed signs of cont inuing improvement as private investment 
outpaced donor assistance for the fourth consecut ive year. While GDP grew by only 2.8%, exports 
of manufactured goods continued to grow, as di d consumer spending and public investment. 
Agricultural production declined by 1.5% due to its vulnerability to changing weather conditions, which spotlights the need for more investment in agricultural infrastructure to mitigate such 
negative events in the future and help lessen Haiti’s dependence on imports of food. Inflation 
remained under control despite fiscal pressures. Visible investments in industrial parks and manufacturing centers, hotels and other tourism development, and many start-up enterprises reflect the shift away from aid dependency.  
4.11.  Haiti faces many challenges to expanding investment and economic growth: investor 
protections are weak, contract enforcement is problematic, energy costs are high, and infrastructure is inadequate. Political uncertainty has made private investors hesitant. Imports, a 
significant portion of the Haitian economy, declined 18% in year-over-year comparison with 2014. 
Unemployment remains high, with official figures topping 40%, and other estimates going as high 
as 80%. Job opportunities in Haiti's formal economy remain scarce. 
4.12.  Haiti could take a number of measures unrelated to increased governmental expenditure 
that would address these challenges: investor protections and contract enforcement would be strengthened by greater transparency on how appeals against customs rulings are addressed 
through the courts; and eliminating or reducing the US$250 million subsidy to "Electricité d'Haiti" 
(EDH) would go a long way toward creating better public investment opportunities. Haiti would 
further improve the predictability of its busine ss climate by updating the Commercial Code and 
moving to ratify the International Center for Se ttlement of Investor Disputes (ICSID) Convention. 
Continued diligence on labour rights in the ga rments sector, and changes that would improve 
labour regulation throughout the rest of the economy, can further the goals of broad-based development and enhance the climate for investors.  
4.13.  There is much uncertainty about planned sectoral tariff increases, particularly in agriculture 
and manufacturing, but also more generally, that impede business planning and investment. We note the Secretariat’s reporting on the many unrelated and uncoordinated levies on imports that result in substantial increases in the actual import  duty of goods – the lack of transparency that 
these various duties and charges create is a clear impediment to efficient trade. In addition, their 
costs on the Haitian economy are immediately visible, and their positive impact in this form, if any, is uncertain. 
4.14.  Similarly, fees applied by a wholly government-owned firm for bringing outside goods 
through the port of Port-au-Prince and the ne xt largest port are among the highest in the 
Caribbean: without bringing these costs in line with other ports in the region, Haiti places itself at 
a comparative disadvantage for economic activi ty that can and does go elsewhere. Import 
prohibitions, restrictions, and licensing serve a similarly negative purpose when they are seen to be non-transparent and arbitrary. On the other hand, coordinated efforts to formalize trade between Haiti and the Dominican Republic could help reduce the trade imbalance and boost Haiti’s 
revenue. 
4.15.  While we recognize the challenges Haiti faces with regards to customs and logistics and the 
need for appropriate donor support in this area, we hope that Haiti be in a position to ratify and 
implement the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement as quickly as possible. It is clear that trade 
facilitation improvements are likely bring important benefits to Haiti, including reducing trade and transportation costs, as well as promoting a more attractive investment climate and boosting 
competitiveness. 
4.16.  A number of international agreements to which Haiti nominally belongs would address 
uncertainty as well as Haiti’s structural problems in trade if they were ratified and implemented. Other treaties that have been ratified, such as the CARICOM Single Market and Economy – 
establishing consistent rates CARICOM-wide – have not been officially published and thus cannot 
be transparently and fully implemented.   WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  4.17.  The United States has always advocated for strong intellectual property protection as critical 
to creating a business-friendly economy. Haiti’s major laws governing intellectual property protection date from the early- to mid-twentieth century, and updates to bring them into compliance with TRIPS and WIPO agreements, as well as the institutions that are to enforce these 
laws, are either not implemented or not well understood by rights holders.   
4.18.  Many of the conflicts of Haiti’s trade regime with WTO provisions identified in the 
Secretariat’s report existed at the time of Hait i’s last review, in 2003. We understand that there 
have been difficult circumstances in the intervening years, but progress in addressing these 
durable and ongoing inconsistencies between Haiti’s trade laws and WTO obligations would go a fair way toward promoting greater growth and prosperity for Haiti and for its people.   
4.19.  All told, Haiti is playing a difficult hand. We congratulate Haiti for its positive actions in the 
face of these serious challenges. We believe that there remains considerable scope to remove 
obstacles to trade that are not due to outside fact ors. We believe that greater adherence by Haiti 
to the rules and principles of the WTO would brin g Haiti the greatest chance for success. We hope 
this discussion today will encourage Haiti’s furtherance of such policies and we look forward to 
continuing our work with Haiti to achieve those goals. 
ARGENTINA 
4.20.  Argentina is most interested to note Haiti's economic and trade development. The economic 
and social challenges facing the country are considerable, especially in view of its vulnerability to natural phenomena. Clear examples of this are the earthquake in 2010, following which we have 
always stood ready to cooperate with the Haitian Government and people, and the two hurricanes 
that hit the Haitian coastline that same year. 
4.21.  It is therefore admirable that Haiti's economic indicators should have been positive in recent 
years. We highlight the fact that the country's economy has expanded every year since 2010, even 
posting rates of 5.5% (in 2010 and 2011) and 4.2% (in 2012 and 2013). 
4.22.  Against this backdrop of resilience in the face of natural disasters and the 2009 global 
economic crisis, which affected most countries, we underscore Haiti's efforts to revitalize its 
economy, liberalize trade and improve the performa nce of its private sector. We hope that these 
policies will enable Haiti to expand the range of its goods and services exports and diversify away from its traditional trading partners. 
4.23.  In particular, the "Haiti is Open for Business" initiative and the establishment of the 
Investment Facilitation Centre bear witness to the country's commitment to address the major 
economic challenges before it  and to generate investment. 
4.24.  Argentina commends Haiti for this and other initiatives, such as the electronic window for 
registering businesses online, the creation of Agri cultural Free Zones, and the establishment of the 
Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Development. We hope that these initiatives will serve as effective tools to boost the Haitian economy, increase social development, and reduce the 
country's poverty rates. 
4.25.  We highlight the efforts that Haiti is making to improve its agricultural infrastructure, which 
remains underdeveloped. Its endeavours are partic ularly important in view of the fact that 
agriculture contributes around 50% of employment. Since many of these efforts depend on foreign 
aid, we would like to emphasize the potentially adverse impact on the country of a decline in 
international cooperation, as has been the case in recent years. 
4.26.  There are strong cooperative links between Argentina and Haiti and ties that include the 
development of specific projects. One example is Argentina's Pro Huerta Programme, launched in 
2005 with the objective of ensuring food security by  promoting self production of fresh produce in 
organic market gardens, in order to supplement people's diets in urban and rural areas. 
4.27.  Argentina also wishes to underscore Haiti's commitment to international trade, in an 
environment fraught with particular difficulties, and its contribution to efforts in support of a fair 
and balanced multilateral trading system. WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  4.28.  In the context of this trade policy review, we recently submitted questions to Haiti relating, 
among other things, to unregulated and undeclared fishing. We look forward to receiving the Haitian Government's replies in due course. 
4.29.  Argentina wishes to continue working together with Haiti to deepen our bilateral ties, so as 
to accompany the country along the path to provide better living conditions for its people. 
Argentina is willing to make every effort to expand relations between the two countries in the areas of agriculture, science, technology and health. 
4.30.  Lastly, while reiterating our appreciation of this renewed opportunity to exchange 
information and comments on the trade policies and practices of Haiti, we would like to draw attention once again to the importance of this ex ercise in transparency from every point of view, 
and to wish the Haitian authorities a successful conclusion to this review. 
CANADA 
4.31.  I extend a warm welcome to the Haitian delegation in this critical election period in Haiti. We 
are pleased to note the country's social and economic progress since the tragic events of 12 
January 2010. We highlight the "Haiti is Open for Business" campaign launched in 2011, which was 
designed to attract foreign investment. Tourism, for example, has been most successful in increasing fiscal revenue and in creating jobs. On the other hand, significant challenges remain; 
we have identified four of these, which I shall address in the following order: modernization of the 
legal framework for enterprises, good economic governance and its impact on the business climate, the competitiveness of the Haitian market, and the decline in international aid. 
4.32.  First, I wish to emphasize that Haiti has adopted laws relating to government procurement, 
banks and financial institutions since the previous review of its trade policies. Regrettably, most of 
its trade and investment laws pre date this period and are therefore ill suited to the reality of doing business today. For example, Haiti appears to have considerable mining potential, which, if 
properly exploited, could help generate employme nt and wealth for the country and its population. 
Unfortunately, legal uncertainty in the subsector has prevented any medium  or large scale operations, as noted by the Secretariat. The new mining law, which could not be adopted since the 
Haitian Parliament was dissolved in January 2015, is a clear example of a lost opportunity and 
should, in our view, be a priority for the new members of Parliament and the new Haitian Government due to take office in the coming weeks. 
4.33.  Second, good economic governance is essentia l in creating a business climate conducive to 
investment and employment generation in Haiti. We have taken due note of Haiti's democratic 
progress, which sends an important message to Haitians and potential investors. The ongoing electoral process will break the logjam created by th e dissolution of Parliament. It will also provide 
an opportunity to strengthen Haitian institutions with financial and economic responsibility. In our 
view, and following the questions posed by Canada and other delegations, modernization of the legal framework for business in Haiti is intrinsically linked to good economic governance in the 
country. We believe that the commission to coordinate business law reform is part of this approach 
and that, in view of its importance, it should proceed with its work as expeditiously as possible. 
4.34.  Third, the competitiveness of the Haitian market can be improved. I am pleased to note 
Haiti's desire, expressed in the Government repo rt, to become an emerging country by 2030 and 
the establishment of the Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Development to support this 
objective as well as job creation. The country's shortcomings in terms of infrastructure, production and electricity supply, limited access to credit and financing, corruption, and the dearth of qualified 
personnel all contribute to Haiti's unenviable ease of doing business ranking. On the other hand, 
the possibility of registering public limited companies online and the creation of industrial micro parks are concrete government initiatives that should be highlighted. We hope that Haiti will 
pursue these efforts. For example, one of the new Government's objectives could be to streamline 
the system imposing taxes and charges on businesses and potential investors. 
4.35.  Fourth, as noted by the Secretariat, the decline in international aid will have a significant 
impact on Haiti's finances and the level of public investment in Haitian institutions. Canada 
supports the Haitian Government in building up its capacity to increase fiscal revenue. In this 
connection, we encourage the Haitian authorities to replicate the success achieved in the tourism WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  sector, which has experienced strong growth, in other sectors such as electricity, which is capable 
of attracting investment. The private investment and job creation that will ensue could partly remedy the problem of diminishing foreign aid and help increase state resources. However, in order to achieve this, the Haitian Government must establish a favourable business climate in the 
country and support key sectors such as agriculture. The latter should account for a larger share of 
GDP, which would have a positive impact on Haiti's balance of payments. 
4.36.  To sum up, we have highlighted the various measures introduced by the Haitian 
Government that are a step in the right direction, but we believe that much remains to be done, as 
shown by the series of questions submitted, to which we are eager to receive replies. Meanwhile, we intend to remain a close partner of Haiti until such time as it becomes a more prosperous country. In closing, I wish the Haitian delegation every success in completing its task and all the 
best with the next steps in Haiti's electoral process. 
DOMINICAN
 REPUBLIC 
4.37.  Haiti is a fellow country with which the Dominican Republic shares the Hispaniola Island, and 
it is one of our main trading partners. On the American continent, Haiti is our second largest 
export market, absorbing 20.2% of domestic ex ports and 14.3% of total goods exports in 2014. 
Total merchandise exports amounted to approximately US$1.42 billion in that year (according to 
the WTO Secretariat report on the review of the Dominican Republic's trade policies). 
4.38.  We are pleased to note that the Haitian economy is gradually picking up from the 
devastating earthquake in January 2010. The Secretariat report states that at their current level of around 13% of GDP, tax revenues are insufficie nt to sustain public expenditure, which has 
represented 30% of GDP in recent years. The underperformance of revenue is largely the result of 
the high degree of informality in the Haitian economy, which encourages tax evasion. This fiscal gap (almost wholly financed by external grants ) poses a considerable problem for medium term 
expenditure sustainability. We commend the Ministry of the Economy and Finance for 
implementing a set of measures to increase reve nues and reduce the level of expenditure in the 
first quarter of 2015 in order to confront this situation. 
4.39.  We praise the fact that the key goal of monetary policy is to preserve price stability and 
safeguard the domestic and external value of the na tional currency. It is important to point out, 
however, that the inflation rate in July 2015 stood at the relatively high rate of 9.3%; it is therefore essential to ensure predictable levels of food supply to avoid fuelling inflationary 
expectations that would further erode the purchasing power of a large segment of the poverty 
stricken population, since roughly 55% of the Ha itian population lives below the extreme poverty 
line. Moreover, according to the Secretariat report, 60% of the population is unemployed and Haiti 
has to import about 52% of its needs in calories. It is also important to increase the population's 
electricity coverage by using renewable energies, for which the island has huge development potential. 
4.40.  Although foreign direct investment has picked up since 2010 and reached an all time high in 
2013, Haiti's trade and investment legislation is, generally speaking, relatively old. The new laws passed since the previous review of the country's trade policy in 2003 relate to government procurement and to banks and financial institutio ns, among other things. The Secretariat report 
indicates, moreover, that the investment regulatory framework consists of a great many, often 
overlapping laws and regulations which, according to the Diagnostic Trade Integration Study (DTIS), are likely to be "a source of confusion for potential investors". We accordingly urge Haiti to 
press on with the reforms initiated following the 2010 earthquake to simplify the investment 
regime and attract more FDI. 
4.41.  As regards Haiti's trade regime, we consider it important that the country should simplify its 
tariff system, because, in the words of the WTO Secretariat report, although tariffs appear to be 
fairly low, protection at the border is high if the numerous other charges are taken into account, such as ad valorem fees of 5% of the c.i.f. value of imports. The report further indicates that even 
though automation of the customs system has helped streamline procedures, processing times are 
still among the longest in the region. We therefore urge Haiti to pursue its efforts to improve this 
situation. WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  4.42.  Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the island of Hispaniola and therefore run the same 
risks in terms of climate change, seismic activity  and other similar environmental hazards. This 
shows the vast amount of joint work that the two countries have to invest in their relations, in order to ensure food and environmental security for both populations without prejudicing either 
one, as well as a strong flow of trade to gene rate income, jobs and wealth. For decades trade was 
conducted freely without entailing any duty burden, until the imposition in recent years of moderate charges that did not adversely impact th e gradual growth of trade. Hence steps should 
be taken to avoid negatively affecting a natural flow of trade that benefits both countries, by 
increasing applied tariffs above the bound rates. 
4.43.  We note with concern that Haiti has no legislation on competition and therefore urge it to 
make efforts in this respect. On the other hand, we welcome Haiti's progress in the intellectual 
property sphere, with the adoption of legislatio n on copyright and related rights which accords 
terms of protection in line with the minimum terms prescribed in the TRIPS Agreement. 
4.44.  Our delegation has submitted a number of questions to the Haitian delegation relating to 
import restrictions, international investment agreements, free zone laws, ratification of the 
Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and CARIFORUM and the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation, and the rise in  tariffs above the bound rates. We shall be 
interested to examine the replies when they arrive. Lastly, we wish Haiti every success in this 
review and for the future. 
EUROPEAN
 UNION 
4.45.  Twelve years passed since the last Trade Policy Review of Haiti in 2003. This is quite a long 
period of time, however, all of us have still in mind the earthquake of January 2010. The massive 
destructions exacerbated dramatically a situation of structural poverty, fragility and political instability. It led to the most important recession of the country since the beginning of this century 
and wiped out the efforts carried out in terms of macro-economic management that started to 
bear fruit in terms of growth.  
4.46.  Haiti has now overcome the most urgent humanitarian and reconstruction needs thanks to 
international aid. The EU remains a committed partner to Haiti and has significantly contributed to 
the international aid efforts after the earthquake. In 2010, the EU and its Member States made a joint pledge of €1.235 billion. The EU has allocated €420 million under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) for the period 2014-2020. Four  priority sectors have been identified such 
as state building and modernisation of the public administration, education, urban development 
and infrastructure, and food and nutritional security. Resilience is a cross-cutting priority for the 11th EDF programmes. The EU is committed to link relief, rehabilitation and development. Worth 
noting an important project of more than €110 mi llion for the support and reform of the public 
administration. 
4.47.  As noted by the Government and by the Secretar iat of the WTO, Haiti has started to recover 
with a growth forecast of 2.7% for the fiscal year 2013-2014 and between 3 and 3.5% for 
2015-2016 according to the IMF. However, Hait i remains the poorest country in the Latin 
America/Caribbean region with 55% of the population living below the extreme poverty level.  
4.48.  Many structural obstacles remain which prevent a more dynamic growth: unemployment is 
still at an unbearable level of 60%, electricity supply is scarce on most of the territory except Port 
Au Prince and Haiti depends on food imports as it  produces only 48% of its needs. Furthermore, 
the country depends on international aid for its pu blic expenditure with aid representing 13.7% of 
the gross national income. 
4.49.  Among the issues that the EU has raised in its advanced questions is the fact that many 
legislations or international agreements have yet to be implemented. Their status is that they have 
been signed or prepared (in case of national dr aft laws) but have not yet been adopted or entered 
into force. One of the most striking example is the law which should implement the Custom Valuation Agreement. It dates back to 2008 and ha s not yet been adopted. The EU encourages the 
Government to stabilise the institutional framework to allow for a number of legislations and 
ratifications of important international agreements, such as the Trade Facilitation Agreement, to 
take place as soon as possible in 2016.   WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  4.50.  The EU has put several questions to the authorities regarding its regional and international 
trade relations and commitments. The EU is of the view that trade can be an important factor for 
Haiti's prosperity and stability. 
4.51.  Investment and foreign direct investment in particular will be key to help the country to 
remedy insufficient infrastructure. In that regard , the EU is interested to know what steps the 
authorities may take to improve the investment and business climate. 
4.52.  The EU hopes that this TPR will be an opportunity for Haiti to put its trade relations and 
policies into perspective and get useful feedback from the Members. The EU wishes Haiti all the 
success in this exercise. 
RUSSIAN  FEDERATION 
4.53.  The Russian Federation commends Haiti for its initiatives aiming at the promotion of the 
business climate, enhancement of the economic development and attraction of foreign direct 
investments. We are pleased to note that despite restrained economic base, demographic pressure, low productivity, and other constraints, d eepened by tragic natural disasters, the Haitian 
economy shows a sign of gradual positive performance in the recent years. Haiti's estimated 
annual GDP growth rate of 2.7% for 2013-2014, toge ther with an FDI increase reaching all-time 
high of US$186.3 million in 2013, are those figures that illustrate it well. 
4.54.  During the review period, trade turnover betw een the Russian Federation and Haiti showed 
a continuous growth. In 2014, the amount of our bilateral trade totalled about US$7.3 million, which is more than 10 times higher than that of 2003. We believe that the entry into force of the 
Agreement on the foundations of relations be tween the Republic of Haiti and the Russian 
Federation signed this year on the sidelines of th e United Nations General Assembly will contribute 
to the further enhancement of bilateral trade and increase of the investment flows. 
4.55.  Prior to this TPR, Russia has submitted a numbe r of questions to Haiti regarding taxation 
and excise duties, approved customs broker mechanism and certain SPS measures. We draw 
special attention of Haiti's authorities to the pressing needs to improve management and stimulate development of the agricultural sector, taking into account its important role in achieving food 
security and rural development. 
COLOMBIA 4.56.  The previous review of Haiti's trade policy in 2003 highlighted the unilateral economic 
liberalization process, launched in 1986, which turned Haiti into one of the most open economies 
in Latin America and the Caribbean. Attention was also drawn at the time to the complex 
challenges facing the country in order to continue deepening its reforms, considering the vast number of structural problems such as the capacity constraints of Haitian institutions. 
4.57.  Although this second trade policy review shows that many of the challenges identified in 
2003 are still current, there are opportunities for Haiti to carve out trade niches as a practical tool for implementing its development and poverty reduction strategy. 
4.58.  The Secretariat report indicates that the Haitian economy is making headway in spite of the 
impact of the 2010 earthquake and other natural di sasters that hit the country. We note that in 
recent years Haiti has succeeded in posting positi ve growth rates, which, albeit moderate, have 
helped maintain economic stability while keeping inflation under control. 
4.59.  According to the report, prospects appear to be favourable, underpinned by a pick up in 
economic activity in Haiti's main trading partners and an expected increase in investment flows. W e  n o t e  t h a t  G D P  i s  f o r e c a s t  t o  g r o w  b y  3  4 %  i n  t h e  m e d i u m  t e r m ,  w i t h  i n f l a t i o n  s t a y i n g  a t  
around 5%. 
4.60.  The report drawn up by the Haitian authorities states that the key challenge is to address 
the high levels of poverty and unemployment, which 2011 figures put at 60%. We are particularly 
interested to note that the Government is tackling the challenge of reducing unemployment by 
attracting investment and strengthening the tourism and telecommunications sectors. It is WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  essential to keep up these efforts to attract as much foreign investment as possible. We find it 
encouraging to see that the measures implemented are starting to bear fruit, especially in the 
tourism sector, with a notable increase in the number of foreign visitors. 
4.61.  Foreign trade will undoubtedly play a major role in overcoming these challenges. Haiti's 
trade policy is specifically aimed at achieving the overall objective of the country's economic and 
social policy, namely to reduce poverty and generate employment. 
4.62.  One of the policy's chief components is to boost and diversify exports by strengthening 
Haiti's institutions and encouraging foreign investment in areas with export potential, since Haiti's 
exports remain highly concentrated in terms of sectors and destinations, with the United States absorbing around 90% of the country's exports. 
4.63.  As I have already said, Haiti was described as one of the most open economies in Latin 
America in the preceding review. In this review, we note that its applied tariff is fairly low 
c o m p a r e d  t o  t h a t  o f  o t h e r  c o u n t r i e s  i n  t h e  r e g i on, although it has increased on average (from 
2.9% to 4.9%) in recent years and has been frequently modified. It should also be noted that the 
imposition of other import charges considerably increases the effective import rate, and adds to 
the complexity of procedures. 
4.64.  In this connection, we note a number of major challenges in respect of which the Trade 
Facilitation Agreement could play a key role in strengthening and modernizing the Haitian 
economy, by helping the country to upgrade its le gislation, streamline its customs procedures and 
generate new trade and investment flows. We are confident that the TFA will soon enter into force. 
4.65.  The Secretariat report emphasizes that the time required for customs formalities is one of 
the longest in the subregion; those for importing a container may take 26 days and as long as 4 
weeks for exports. This is undoubtedly a factor that may hamper small business participation and affect exporter competitiveness. 
4.66.  One positive aspect highlighted in the report is the progress made in automating the 
customs system with the introduction of ASYCUDA  WORLD, which facilitates the submission of 
documents and the payment of costs. We note that its installation in all customs offices has yet to 
be completed; this would help harmonize customs procedures. 
4.67.  One of Haiti's major challenges is to increase foreign investment flows. As I mentioned 
earlier, its efforts are beginning to bear fruit. Nonetheless, it is also important to maintain donor support, which has been decreasing in recent years – a trend that is set to continue in the future, 
thus restricting capital investment. 
4.68.  As stated in the report, Aid for Trade amo unted to over US$1 billion in 2010 and 2011, and 
to US$868 million in 2013. It has been, and will continue to be, important in supporting a variety 
of sectors and in shoring up the Haitian Government's efforts. 
4.69.  When addressing the United Nations Security  Council in 2011, the President of Colombia 
quoted a Haitian proverb which is fitting today: "Men anpil, chay pa lou", which can be translated 
as "Many hands make light work". We are confident that Haiti will be able to count on the support 
of this Organization's Membership in resolving the substantial challenges that we have been reviewing today. It can certainl y count on help from Colombia. 
MEXICO 
4.70.  We endorse and welcome the major efforts made by our Haitian friends to recover from the 
devastating earthquake that hit the country in 2010. These endeavours are to be commended. Nonetheless, Haiti unquestionably still has a long way to go in order to stabilize its public finances, 
reduce its dependence on foreign aid, shrink the informal economy and boost its export sector. 
Significant efforts will also have to be made to reduce the percentage of the population living below the extreme poverty line (55% of Haitians live on less than US$1.25 a day). Reducing 
poverty levels remains one of the key challenges  of the entire Latin American and Caribbean 
region. WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  4.71.  As regards trade policy, tariffs are a major source of income, accounting for around one 
third of fiscal revenue each year. Although the simple average applied rate is 4.9%, for some tariff lines the rate is as high as 40%. We know that Haiti is making some attempts to reduce its tariffs. However, these are not sufficient considering the high level of protection at the border if additional 
charges are taken into account. 
4.72.  We commend the Haitian Government for automating the customs system, introducing 
ASYCUDA WORLD and streamlining some of its customs procedures. These measures 
notwithstanding, Haiti's processing times are still among the longest in the region. Further action 
is therefore required to bring them down to the average length of time in neighbouring countries. 
We would like to know whether Haiti has scheduled a date for the ratification of the Trade Facilitation Agreement. 
4.73.  We acknowledge Haiti's efforts in the standards and technical regulations field, especially 
the establishment of the Haitian Standardization Bureau and its Metrology Laboratory. Our regulatory authorities were interested to note the measures taken in connection with the 
implementation of Haiti's product conformity verification programme. We thank the Haitian 
Government for its replies to my delegation's questions on the subject. 
4.74.  We are also pleased to note the adoption of the legislation on copyright and related rights 
and its consistency with the TRIPS Agreement. 
4.75.  Services alone contribute around 56% of GDP.  Although the State continues to play an 
important part in various service sectors, we believe that services – and tourism in particular   can make a key contribution to furtheri ng Haiti's economic development. 
4.76.  Haiti belongs to the group of least developed countries and will thus benefit from 
implementation of the services waiver. Mexico ha s notified preferences in this respect and hopes 
that Haiti's service providers will be able  to receive this preferential treatment. 
4.77.  Turning to our bilateral relationship, we welcome the intensification of our trade and 
cooperation relations. Mexico has participated in the reconstruction of Haiti through the Infrastructure Fund for Mesoamerican and Caribbean Countries and has set up a scholarship 
programme which provided 300 Haitian nationals with scholarships between 2013 and 2015. 
4.78.  Further economic rapprochement is a priority for Mexico and Haiti, and a Mexican business 
mission accordingly travelled to Port au Prince at the beginning of this year. Both governments 
have also undertaken to step up their efforts to promote tourism in both directions, and the two 
countries recently signed a reciprocal investment promotion and protection agreement. We are 
convinced that all of these steps will further bolster and strengthen our trade relations. 
REPUBLIC
 OF KOREA 
4.79.  We are pleased to note that Korea and Haiti have established close economic ties and that 
the bilateral trade volume reached US$42 million in 2014. Korea hopes that its economic cooperation with Haiti will continue to grow and develop in the future. 
4.80.  Turning to Haiti's overall economy, we wish to note that the Haitian economy is recovering 
after the growth rate declined to -5.5% in 2010 due to the devastating earthquake. Specifically, the Haitian economy picked up in 2011 with a 5.5% increase in real GDP thanks to international cooperation and a large range of reconstructi on and development projects. Between 2011 and 
2014 its growth rate averaged 3.3%. With macroeconomic stability being maintained and inflation 
kept under control, the GDP per capita has continued to growth, reaching US$845 in 2014. 
4.81.  Despite these positive achievements, there is room for Haiti to enhance its competitiveness. 
In particular, we would like to emphasize the importance of foreign investment for the 
development of the Haitian economy. As pointed out in the Secretariat report, Haiti has a great deal of potential for development in the areas of agriculture, tourism, aquaculture, mining and IT 
enabled services. We believe that foreign investment will also play a crucial role in overcoming 
major challenges facing Haiti including poverty and unemployment. WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  4.82.  In this vein, we would like to touch upon some concerns over the complexity of the Haitian 
tariff and tax system. Despite its low MFN tariff rates, protection at the border seems to remain high due to the imposition of a dditional charges. A vast array of taxes and charges imposed on 
companies in Haiti are also considered burdensome for investors. Thus, we encourage the Haitian 
Government to reform its complex tariff and tax system in such a way that will further facilitate 
trade and promote investment. 
4.83.  It is our hope that Haiti will continue to actively participate in strengthening the WTO 
multilateral trading system. We also hope that Haiti will submit its Category A commitments and 
accept the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) preferably by the time of the MC-10. 
4.84.  With this, we would like to conclude by expressing our sincere appreciation to the Haitian 
delegation for its hard work and wish Haiti every success in its TPR. 
BENIN 
4.85.  The delegation of Benin commends the Haitian Government for its unremitting efforts to 
ensure the economic and social reconstruction of the country after the January 2010 earthquake. 
4.86.  As we painfully recall, this natural disaster  of tremendous magnitude caused some 230,000 
deaths and close to 300,000 injuries, and left 1. 5 million people homeless, with major social 
disruption and material damage estimated at a little over US$14 billion. 
4.87.  In a burst of compassion, the international community expressed its solidarity with the 
Haitian people. 
4.88.  Having realized the full scope of the aftermath, the Haitian Government and the country's 
population as a whole resolutely set about rebuilding the Haitian economy. 
4.89.  The various measures implemented by the Mi nistry of the Economy and Finance have 
increased revenues and reduced the level of expenditure. 
4.90.  Specifically, export earnings rose from US$1,704 million in 2007 to US$3,392 million in 
2014. In spite of the crisis that ensued from the January 2010 disaster, the Haitian authorities 
have managed to control inflation, which stood at 9.3% in July 2015. 
4.91.  The delegation of Benin welcomes Haiti's performance and encourages the Government to 
pursue the reforms under way, in particular the revision of the Commercial Code (last revised in 
1994), and to diversify the economy, which rema ins heavily reliant on textiles and clothing. 
4.92.  Haiti would also benefit from reforms to its agricultural sector, which is still largely rain fed, 
such as the promotion of food self sufficiency and the development of off season crop sectors. 
4.93.  In this connection, experiences could be shar ed between the Songhai Centre project in the 
Republic of Benin and the Haitian Government. 
4.94.  The delegation of Benin urges the technical and financial partners to continue providing 
assistance to Haiti so that it can achieve its economic and social reconstruction objectives. 
4.95.  Benin and Haiti are bound by centuries old ties and strong fraternal and historical relations. 
4.96.  In light of this, and in addition to their ongoing activities in the cultural sphere, Benin and 
Haiti are considering taking action in the near future to share experiences at the economic and 
trade levels, and with a view to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals under the 2030 Agenda. 
4.97.  The delegation of Benin would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the major 
contribution made by Ambassador Dunbar and his team in Geneva to the proceedings of the Doha 
Round multilateral trade negotiations. WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  CHILE 
4.98.  Chile and Haiti's diplomatic relations date back to 1937. Over the past ten years, Chile has 
become more directly involved in Haiti's circumstances by providing troops for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and through bilateral, triangular and international 
cooperation. 
4.99.  Cooperation with Haiti is governed by the 1989 Basic Agreement on Scientific and Technical 
Cooperation. The cooperation projects that Chile has implemented and conducts in Haiti relate to 
social development, the environment, institutional strengthening and modernization, disaster 
prevention, and human capital building. Missions to promote institutional strengthening through 
technical assistance in areas such as mining and evaluation of public investment have also been carried out. 
4.100.  Since we regard human capital as an essential component of cooperation, we wish to 
highlight the fact that the Chilean Government's International Cooperation Programme for Uniformed Foreign Police (CECIPU), coordinated by Chile's Uniformed Police Division, trained 248 
officers of the Haitian National Police (PNH ) between 1996 and 2015, and has granted 58 Haitian 
professionals master's degree scholarships from 1998 to date. 
4.101.  Chile has also has joined in the efforts of the local authorities and the international 
community to combat cholera and contributed US$300,000 worth of vaccine doses for the 2015 
Cholera Vaccination Programme. 
4.102.  Chile's strong desire to make a contribution to the objectives of the multilateral trading 
system and improve its trading links with the coun tries of our region is also evidenced by the 
Chilean Law of 28 September 2013 eliminating tariffs for the 48 least developed countries. This 
regime is fully operational and in force. We encourage Haiti to avail itself of this preference so as to be able to export to Chile on preferential terms. This would further boost our trade, which 
amounted to close to US$4.4 million in 2014, with a trade balance almost entirely in Chile's favour. 
4.103.  In relation to the present report, we are following with interest the efforts made by the 
Haitian economy to achieve sustainable economic growth, improve its macroeconomic 
management and undoubtedly recover from the devastating earthquake of January 2010. 
4.104.  We urge Haiti to pursue its integration into the multilateral trading system, its key 
objectives being to revitalize and diversify its exports, strengthen its institutions, promote foreign d i r e c t  i n v e s t m e n t  a n d  m a k e  t h e  m o s t  o f  i t s  s t r o n g  e x p o r t  p o t e n t i a l ,  m o r e  p a r t i c u l a r l y  i n  s o m e  
agricultural subsectors with a marked natural comparative advantage, the tourism industry and IT 
enabled services. 
4.105.  We wish to underscore the good advice proffered to Haiti in the Secretariat report that the 
best way to take better advantage of its privileg ed access to several markets is to improve its 
regulatory and institutional framework and to increase its supply side capacity. 
4.106.  We commend Haiti for its efforts and interest in integrating into the multilateral trading 
system; this is particularly praiseworthy considering Haiti's least developed country status. 
4.107.  We wish Haiti a successful second trade policy review. "Bon bagay" (Good luck in Creole). 
THE
 SEPARATE  CUSTOMS  TERRITORY  OF TAIWAN,  PENGHU,  KINMEN  AND  MATSU 
4.108.  As we can see from the reports, Haiti is a free market economy that enjoys the benefits of 
having lower labour costs and providing tariff-free access to its global trading partners. Haiti's 
economy has been recovering slowly but surely from the severe setbac k it suffered from the 
absolutely devastating earthquake in 2010. According to globally reliable statistics, Haiti's 
economic growth rate was 2.8% in 2012, reached 3.4% in 2013, and then rose to almost 4% in 
2014. 
4.109.  Since President H.E. Michel Josef Martelly took  office in 2011, the results of his continuing 
efforts at boosting economic activity through post-disaster reconstruction and attracting foreign WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  investment can be clearly seen, especially in the six targeted sectors of manufacturing, 
infrastructure, energy, telecommunications, agricultural products and tourism. 
4.110.  We commend Haiti on its long term National Strategy Development Goal of becoming an 
"Emerging Economy" by the year 2030. We would al so like to encourage the Haitian Government, 
at the same time, to pursue its programme of refo rms, with the emphasis on good governance and 
sustainable development. 
4.111.  My Government considers our bilateral relationship with the Republic of Haiti to be of great 
importance. Our main areas of cooperation, agri culture, the judicature, education, health and 
medicine, have helped develop very close diplomatic ties. With Haiti being so vulnerable to natural disasters, our emphasis is especially on food se curity. In fact, over the past few years, working 
with the organization "Food for the Poor" (FFP), we have donated 20 thousand tonnes of rice to 
Haiti. Also, through the Taiwan International Cooperation Development Fund (Taiwan ICDF), which 
as a long and successful history of providing techni cal assistance, two other projects on "Les Cayes 
Cereal Crops Development" and "Rice Seed Produc tion Capacity Enhancement" were implemented 
recently in Haiti as well, which has helped local people to increase their productivity and to 
fundamentally solve their food security problem. 
4.112.  High level officials of both our Governments visit each other annually. President Martelly 
visited Taipei last year to promote trade and investment, and received a warm welcome from our 
people. Our President Ma visited Port-au-Prince earlier this year, sealing the close and strong relations that exist between our two countries. 
4.113.  The Republic of Haiti has been a WTO Member since January 1996, and is an active 
participant in the regular work of the WTO, as well as in the group of LDCs. We are particularly 
pleased that Haiti remains committed to further st rengthening the multilateral trading system. We 
would encourage all WTO Members and institutions to pay great attention to the need for the 
technical assistance so crucial to the development of countries like Haiti within the multilateral 
trading system. Our delegation here in Geneva also looks forward to continuing to work closely with the delegation of Haiti in the future. 
JAPAN 
4.114.  We all know that Haiti was devastated by the 2010 earthquake and the subsequent spread 
of cholera. This devastating disaster damaged the already unstable economy and infrastructure. 
4.115.  Japan has contributed to the reconstruction of the Haitian economy, infrastructure and 
society for years, since the great earthquake. We have implemented reconstruction support of 
more than US$200 million. Also, we dispatched our Self Defense Force to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, MINUSTAH, with a view to removing debris from the road. 
4.116.  Despite the efforts of the Haitian people and government, Haiti is still confronted by severe 
challenge to its economy and infrastructure. Japan would like to continuously support Haiti in cooperation with the international community. 
General matters 
4.117.  The report by the Secretariat notes that the economy of Haiti has modestly recovered since 
the great earthquake. However, Haiti needs to achieve more growth. Stronger and sustainable 
economic growth resulting from robust public policies is indispensable for Haiti to reduce severe 
poverty and improve its unemployment.  
4.118.  According to the report by the Haitian Government, Haiti’s top priorities are education, 
unemployment, energy and the environment, which Japan commends. 
Trade policy 
4.119.  Let me make some comme nts on trade policy. WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
- 22 - 
 
  4.120.   Unfortunately, Japan does not find any indications of vigorous progress in Haiti’s trade 
policy.  
4.121.  T a r i f f s  a p p e a r  t o  b e  f a i r l y  l o w .  H o w e v e r ,  t h e  r e a l i t y  i s  t h a t  t h e r e  a r e  n u m e r o u s  o t h e r  
charges, such as inspection fees and so forth that create high burden at the border. 
4.122.  Furthermore, processing times are the longest in the sub region. Japan recognizes that the 
computerization of the customs system has been introduced, and hopes it will streamline and improve the custom process. 
Regional Cooperation 
4.123.   With regard to Regional Cooperation, Haiti ratified the treaty of Chaguaramas in 2002 and 
became a full member of CARICOM. Though Haiti is not yet a member of the Caribbean Single 
Market and Economy (CSME), the country has made efforts to take part in it. We commend Haiti 
on its efforts to liberalize trade. 
Investment policy 4.124.  The Haitian economy has traditionally received very small amounts of foreign direct 
investment. This is due to it having the non-competitive business environment. According to the 
latest “Doing Business” report by the World Bank , Haiti ranked 182 out of 189 states in the total 
business environment.  
4.125.  In order to address this problem, Haiti has launched its campaign, namely “Haiti is Open 
for Business” since 2011, and has undertaken reform of its investment policies.  
4.126.  The highest amount of FDI inflow was recorded in 2013, mainly as a result of contributions 
from the telecommunications sector. FDI is the key to robust growth. In this context, Japan 
encourages the Haitian government to continuously undertake its reforms. 
4.127.  In conclusion, I would like to express our strong wish that Haiti successfully recovers from 
the devastation caused by the tragic earthquake.  
4.128.  We believe, from our experience, that Japan is a country that can fully understand the 
tragedy of a destructive earthquake and the difficulties involved in post-disaster reconstruction. 
4.129.  Again, Japan would like to restate that we will spare no effort to assist Haiti in its 
reconstruction. 
URUGUAY 4.130.  In this brief statement, our country wishes to congratulate Haiti for the recovery of its 
economy and the progress achieved in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in January 
2010. Uruguay has been strongly committed over time to development for the Haitian people, as 
evidenced by our major contribution of troops to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and by our chairing of the Group of Friends of Haiti. 
4.131.  Uruguay considers that increased integration of Haiti in the multilateral trading system is 
an essential factor in driving the country's economic growth. All Members of this Organization are committed to the development of the world's LDCs, which should translate into specific progress 
such as the removal of agricultural subsidies, tangible and practical outcomes at the Nairobi 
Conference and a successful completion of the Doha Round. 
JAMAICA 4.132.  We acknowledge and applaud the Government and people of Haiti for the various initiatives 
taken, within severe resource and economic cons traints, to raise the country's economic profile 
and advance its integration into the regional and global economy over the period under review. WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
- 23 - 
 
  4.133.  In particular, we note Haiti's objective to gr aduate from its LDC status by 2030 as well as 
the policies that the country has adopted in support  of its growth and development trajectory. We 
express the hope that WTO initiatives in favour of LDCs, including DFQF and the LDC services waiver; as well as aid-for-trade will assist Haiti effectively using trade as an engine of economic 
growth and development. 
4.134.  We recognize also the important role that education, employment, energy and 
environment, as well as sectoral policies including those in agriculture, manufacturing and 
services, can play in facilitating the structural transformation that will be necessary for Haiti to 
meet its development objectives. 
4.135.  These and other policy areas identified by  Haiti are important components of the 
Framework Agreement for Development Cooperatio n between the Government of Jamaica and the 
Republic of Haiti signed in 1997. This bilateral agreement includes cooperation in the areas of 
education, trade and investment with a particular focus on increased private sector interactions, air and sea transportation, tourism, culture, gend er issues, fisheries, environmental protection, 
science and technology. Jamaica reiterates its readiness to strengthen its cooperation with Haiti, 
including through the Framework Agreement for Development Cooperation. 
4.136.  With respect to education, we are confident that Haiti's education for all initiative will one 
day position the country to be a net exporter of education services under mode IV services trade. 
We look forward to strengthening our cooperation with Haiti in this area. 
4.137.  As a Small Island Developing State, Jamaica shares Haiti's concerns with respect to the 
challenges to sustainable development posed by environmental degradation. The heightened 
exposure to exogenous shocks affects sustaina ble development. We are confident that the 
implementation of its growth and development po licies and support from its development partners 
will assist Haiti in building resilience to external shocks that can unravel the economic gains 
achieve thus far. 
4.138.  We recognize the important role that infrastructural development, including in quality 
infrastructure, can play in creating a more enabling environment in Haiti for trade and investment. 
We therefore, regard as positive the efforts under way in Haiti to strengthen its quality 
infrastructure and develop the necessary standard s and certification systems to not only access, 
but penetrate important markets. 
4.139.  Haiti remains an important member of the CARICOM family. The Republic's full and 
effective integration into the regional and the multilateral trading systems is critical. Jamaica 
therefore recognizes the challenge that now confronts Haiti in seeking to rectify its schedule of tariff concessions with the CARICOM common external tariff (CET). This rectification is necessary if 
Haiti is to fully integrate into the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) and use trade as 
an engine of growth and development. 
4.140.  We note that Haiti has submitted a new schedule of tariff concessions to the WTO for 
action in order to address the disparity that now exists between the two tariff structures and to 
facilitate harmonization between its national tariff and the CET. Jamaica and CARICOM will 
continue to work with Haiti in its efforts to find a lasting solution. 
4.141.  In closing, Jamaica encourages her CARICOM partner to continue along its path towards 
economic development and our delegation extends best wishes to the delegation of Haiti for a 
successful completion of the country's second Trade Policy Review. 
DOMINICA
 ON BEHALF  OF THE OECS 
4.142.  As both the Government and the Secretariat reports highlight, Haiti a least developed 
country which is also a small economy and a vulnerable economy has and continues to face a number of internal and external challenges and bottlenecks to its growth, social and economic 
development aspirations. The devastating earthquake which took place in January 2010 continues 
to cast its shadow over the country as it endeavours to recover and continue a path of long term sustainable development. Also, the global financial crisis, international oil price volatility, domestic socio-political challenges and continued exposure to natural disasters have only complicated WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  country’s recovery efforts. We also noted in the Se cretariat’s report that one of the key challenges 
for the Haitian Government moving forward will be to cope with substantially less donor assistance. 
4.143.  All of these challenges therefore mean that Haiti continues to have high levels of poverty 
and unemployment. 
4.144.  However, there continues to be signs of ho pe and a high level of determination and 
resilience in the government and people of Haiti. The Government has identified its graduation 
from LDC status by 2030 as a key objective. In that regard, it has identified a number of priorities 
and sectoral policies to reverse the countries' economic and development fortunes including in education, employment, energy, agriculture industry and tourism. We also note that there has been a renewed interest on the part of foreign investors which saw a growth in Foreign Direct 
Investment. 
4.145.  We note and commend Haiti on its trade policy efforts. In that regard, we wish to highlight 
the challenge of the comparatively and very low tariff bindings of Haiti which leaves it with very 
little policy space compared to other WTO Members of lower, equal and higher levels of 
development and also hinders its full engagement in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy. We therefore believe that it is imperative that Haiti be granted the means with ease of realigning 
its tariff bindings so as to fully participate in CARICOM and more importantly to provide it with the 
policy space needed to undertake necessary development goals. 
4.146.  We take note of the main points and issues that have been raised by Members in their 
advance written questions to Haiti. These identify and highlight a number of areas where further 
work and reform would be needed to improve WTO compliance as well as to improve the business 
and investment climate. We would want to encourage Haiti to do what is necessary to address those issues. We also want to emphasise and point to the capacity limitations which Haiti 
undoubtable faces. The role therefore of Aid for Trade including the Enhanced Integrated 
Framework and trade related technical capacity building is therefore critical. 
4.147.  The OECS Member States and Haiti, before but increasingly since its joining the Caribbean 
Community CARICOM, have developed close ties both in terms of trade and movement of people. 
Within the CARICOM framework and also the CA RIFORUM-EU EPA we look forward to further 
integration and engagement with Haiti. 
4.148.  Here at the WTO we continue to support all efforts aimed at the fuller integration of Haiti 
as an LDC into the multilateral trading system. In  that regard, in the current Doha Development 
Agenda negotiations and as Members are grap pling to identify outcomes for the 10th WTO 
Ministerial Conference, we call for substantial outcomes for LDCs that will contribute in a 
meaningful way to Haiti’s and other LDC’s efforts for growth and development. 
4.149.  To conclude, we, the WTO Member States of the OECS Economic Union, wish to reaffirm 
our solidarity and support to the Government and people of Haiti and wish the delegation here a 
very successful second trade policy review. 
DEMOCRATIC
 REPUBLIC  OF THE CONGO 
4.150.  In spite of the devastating earthquake that hit the country in January 2010, causing severe 
loss of human life and destroying its entire infrastructure, Haiti has been able to recover thanks to 
a show of international solidarity   including a US$2 million contribution from the Democratic 
Republic of the Congo   and above all thanks to the courage, determination and resilience of the 
Haitian population. 
4.151.  We thank the Haitian Government for its excell ent report, introduced by H.E. the Minister 
of Trade and Industry. 
4.152.  We congratulate the Government for its economic recovery plan and for the reforms 
undertaken. We encourage it to pursue sectoral re forms that will enable the country to achieve the 
sustainable development goals. WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  4.153.  As emphasized in the Government report, Haiti has opted for an open trade regime; 
however, referring to the discussant's recommendatio n, we believe that it would be desirable and 
highly advisable for Haiti to align its tariff with the common external tariff of CARICOM, a regional organization to which Haiti belongs. 
4.154.  While recommending that the Government should diversify the country's economy in terms 
of production and exports, we support its reques t to submit to the WTO a new schedule of tariff 
concessions, which would enable Haiti to a pply the same external tariff as CARICOM. 
4.155.  To conclude, we wish the Haitian delegation every success in completing its country's trade 
policy review. We also extend our best wishes of happiness and prosperity to the Republic of Haiti 
and its people. 
HONOURABLE
 MR. JUDE  HERVEY  DAY 
4.156.  On behalf of the Republic of Haiti and its Permanent Mission in Geneva, I would like to 
thank the various speakers for their statements, which bear witness to the fact that we share the same concerns. 
4.157.  O u r  a i m  i s  t o  e n s u r e  t h a t  b y  t h i s  c o m i n g  F r i d a y  w e  h a v e  a d d r e s s e d  a l l  t h e  c o n c e r n s  
expressed and can exchange views, confer and discuss, so that by the end of this exercise we are 
quite clear on the corrective measures that need to be taken in order to meet the expectations and 
requirements of this community to which we belong. WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  5  REPLIES BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF  HAITI AND ADDITIONAL COMMENTS 
CHAIRPERSON 5.1.  I would like to welcome you back for the second day of the Trade Policy Review of Haiti. 
5.2.  We were busily consulting with the Secretariat and, of course, with the Minister of Trade and 
Industry of Haiti whether to start because the discussant is not here and could come later. This is 
a very unusual situation and, of course, all Member States regret that fact. I also, as a representative of a Member State, not only as the Chairman, believe that this is not the usual 
practice for this review. However, I am very much aware that we all have to be considerate to the 
engagement of the Minister of Trade and Industry , Mr. Jude Hervey Day, and not make him wait 
for the process to start. So, I would propose that we start and hope the discussant will join us. I personally express my regret for this situation as a Chairman, as the representative of Bulgaria 
and, of course, as a member of the European Union. 
5.3.  On Wednesday, we heard the opening statement fr om H.E. Mr. Jude Hervey Day of Haiti, and 
from our discussant, H.E. Dr Ngarambe of Rwanda , as well as interventions from 18 delegations. 
Today, we will hear:  
 The response from the delegation of Haiti; 
 The second statement by the discussant, Dr Ngarambe; 
 Any final points delegations would like to make; and 
 My concluding remarks. 
HONOURABLE
 MR. JUDE  HERVEY  DAY 
5.4.  On behalf of the Haitian Government, I thank you, once again, for your interest in this review 
of Haiti's trade policy, which is of high importance to my country. 
5.5.  Through you, I thank the WTO Secretariat for the support extended to Haiti throughout the 
process that is reaching completion today. 
5.6.  More specifically, the Haitian delegation wishes to express its appreciation to the Trade 
Policies Review Division for assisting Haiti in preparing the documents that have served as a basis for this exercise. 
5.7.  The comments put forward by the discussant and the various delegations that took the floor 
during the first session have received the full attention of my delegation. 
5.8.  We acknowledge that, despite a number of effo rts including the possibility of registering 
companies online and the introduction of a single window, risk management and paperless 
customs procedures, much remains to be done for us to create a climate truly conducive to 
business. However, we are committed to pursuing our endeavours together with our national and international partners in order to make Haiti more attractive to foreign direct investment and 
enable it to improve its next World Bank ease of doing business rankings. 
5.9.  As some Members have indicated, diversifying our production and exports has become a 
necessity in order to address market fluctuations and lessen the impact of external shocks on the 
domestic economy. 
5.10.  As regards trade measures, my delegation is pleased to note that most Members 
acknowledge that, though an LDC, Haiti has the lowest tariff regime in the western hemisphere. This has not helped it to achieve certain objectives that might sustain its growth. 
5.11.  Haiti thus greatly welcomes the statements made by delegations in support of the steps it is 
taking to renegotiate its schedule of tariff concessions. This would, inter alia, enable it to protect WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
- 27 - 
 
  selected production chains and bring its national tariff into line with the CARICOM common 
external tariff, so that Haiti can finally become fully integrated in the Caribbean Community's Single Market and Economy. 
5.12.  The Haitian delegation also welcomes the comments from several Members concerning 
levies considered to be excessive. Haiti undertakes to adopt all necessary measures with a view to 
organizing a simplified, more logical and more transparent revenue collection system, consistent with the principles of equity, predictability an d consensual sharing of the tax burden, not to 
mention the contractual obligations that ensue from belonging to integration areas. 
5.13.  My delegation recognizes that food security is a major challenge for the country. 
5.14.  As emphasized in both reports, Haiti imports half of the food it consumes, thus creating food 
dependency. 
5.15.  In Haiti's view, the solution to the problem lies in raising productivity levels through 
sustained strengthening of agricultural research  and extension centres, expanding agricultural 
areas whilst addressing the factors and means of production, reducing post-harvest losses by 
opening up rural areas, providing better market access as well as support for the various 
production chains, and establishing financial, climatic and animal and plant risk management mechanisms, all of which will, of course, be underpinned by a favourable macroeconomic 
framework. 
5.16.  In this connection, the Haitian delegation greatly values the assessment made by the 
Ambassador of Rwanda regarding the low level of Haiti's bound agricultural tariffs. Haiti counts on WTO Members to actively show their understanding and support for the process of renegotiation of 
its schedule of concessions in this regard. 
5.17.  As regards the manufacturing sector, my delegation highlights the construction, in the north 
of the country, of industrial and airport infrastructure at Caracol and Cap Haïtien, as well as the 
expanded capacity of the Port au Prince Metropolit an Industrial Park, with a view to attracting new 
investment. 
5.18.  We have taken note of the recommendations to diversify the economy. Efforts are being 
made to promote the development of new activities  and sectors. The AGRITRANS project is part of 
this process. 
5.19.  Moreover, fibre optic connectivity in Haiti is a definite opportunity to make use of services 
linked to new information and communication technologies (NTIC). More specifically, business 
process outsourcing (BPO) is currently one of Haiti's priority subsectors. This provides an opening 
for the country to avail itself of the multilateral trading system's services waiver for LDCs. 
5.20.  The Republic of Haiti also has considerable potential for the production of cultural goods. 
Unfortunately, craftsmen in this field often lack the capacity to respond to all the opportunities that 
arise. 
5.21.  My delegation therefore urges all Members in a po sition to do so to support this branch of 
activity, which has strong potential and whose development could help diversify the domestic 
economy. 
5.22.  Our thanks also go to the various delegations which, during the first session, expressed a 
clear understanding of the process that Haiti has undertaken to modify its bound tariffs. 
5.23.  Haiti is highly interested in the Trade Facilitation Agreement and advises that it is already 
implementing some of the relevant provisions, including the identification of Category A measures, advance customs clearance, customs automation, and post clearance auditing, to mention but a 
few. 
5.24.  Lastly, the Haitian delegation will take steps to  ensure that the Agreement is slated on the 
agenda of the next Parliament. WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  5.25.  On behalf of the Haitian Government, I reiterate Haiti's commitment to make efforts aimed 
at strengthening the multilateral trading system to which we belong. Thank you. 
EUROPEAN  UNION 
5.26.  The EU would like to thank the delegation of Haiti for the replies to our advance questions 
and for the information provided today. We appreciate the work it requires to reply to all the 
questions and we consider that the quality of the replies demonstrates the importance that Haiti attaches to the process. 
5.27.  We have one follow-up question that we have already forwarded to the Secretariat 
concerning the measures taken on the informal trade flows between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. 
5.28.  In conclusion, the EU would like to take this opportunity to thank again the delegation of 
Haiti and to express hope that Haiti has found this exercise very useful. 
UNITED
 STATES 
5.29.  First, we would like to express our appreciation for the efforts and contribution of Minister 
Day and his delegation for contributing to this review and for the responses we received to our 
written questions. We know exactly how much work that is to respond to these questions and we sincerely appreciate the efforts that you all undertook. We also want to express our thanks to the 
discussant for his insights and observations on Wednesday which guided us to this discussion. The 
comparisons that were drawn were quite informative. 
5.30.  We will review the responses to our questions that have been provided. We have submitted 
additional questions this morning for consideration by Haiti's delegation and we look forward to 
receiving those responses. We remain interested  in the range of economic reforms discussed as 
part of this review and look forward to continue close cooperation with Haiti both here in the WTO and in our bilateral relations. In particular, we note our interest in the implementation of the 
CARICOM CET as reflected in our written questions. We would also like to welcome the 
implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreem ent and commend Haiti for the steps it has taken 
in that regard. 
5.31.  In conclusion, we would like, once again, to congratulate Minister Day and his delegation for 
its successful TPR. 
DISCUSSANT 5.32.  Before I make my statement, allow me to present my sincere apologies for the delay. I am 
a civil servant and I got an order to travel home for very urgent considerations. I had virtually left 
Geneva, that's why I could not be able to be here  on time. I was informed that my presence here 
was important and it is my pleasure now to be he re with you. Again, Mr Chairman, distinguished 
colleagues, please accept my sincere apologies. 
5.33.  I assume that my apologies are accepted and I, in turn, once again welcome Haiti's Minister 
of Trade and Industry, the Honourable Mr. Jude Hervey Day, and the delegation accompanying 
him. I also wish to express appreciation for the comprehensive account that Minister Day has just 
given us. 
5.34.  When I look at the written responses already provided to the questions submitted by 
Members and the clarifications given this morning, I have to say that this review of Haiti's trade 
policies is a success. 
5.35.  This exercise has been marked by genuine transparency. 
5.36.  Haiti's Minister was clear in underscoring the challenges facing the country's economy as a 
whole and trade in particular, whilst putting forward some clear requests, one of which concerned 
the submission of a new schedule of tariff co ncessions in order to apply the CARICOM common 
external tariff without breaching the WTO rules. WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  5.37.  Various Members expressed solidarity with Haiti, whilst urging the country to streamline its 
import measures so as not to create excessive constraints on imports. 
5.38.  Looking at the matter from a negotiator's point of view, I think that a happy medium must 
and can be found in order to meet the expectat ions of all commercial stakeholders at local, 
regional and international level. 
5.39.  I do not intend to speak at length today; I shall simply reiterate a few recommendations, 
which are: 
 to press on with prudent reform aimed at ensuring macroeconomic stability; 
 to ensure long term sustainable food security and self-sufficiency; 
 to promote economic diversification in terms of production and marketing; 
 to align the tariffs with the regime in fo rce in the subregion, as I said before; 
 and lastly, to improve the business climate and make it more conducive and more attractive 
to both domestic and foreign investment. 
5.40.  I conclude by wishing the Haitian delegation a safe return to their country. WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  6  CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 
6.1.  The second Trade Policy Review of Haiti has provided us with a good opportunity to achieve a 
better understanding of the trade and investment policies of Haiti since its last Review in 2003, and of the numerous challenges it faces. The revi ew has benefitted strongly from the constructive 
and informative participation of Haiti’s delegation, headed by the Honourable Mr. Jude Hervey Day, 
Minister of Trade and Industry, from the very insightful comments of the discussant, H.E. Dr François Xavier Ngarambe, Permanent Repr esentative of Rwanda to the WTO and from the 
interventions by Members. Haiti has provided an swers to most of the advance written questions 
received before the deadline as well as to those t h a t  w e r e  s e n t  l a t e r ,  a n d  w e  l o o k  f o r w a r d  t o  
answers to any outstanding questions no later than one month after this meeting. 
6.2.  Members noted that Haiti's economy had been recovering from the devastating earthquake in 
2010, but that stronger growth had been hampered by further natural disasters such as droughts 
and hurricanes. In this context, Members recalled various bilateral initiatives that had been taken over the past years to assist the people of Hait i .  T h e y  a l s o  t o o k  n o t e  o f  t h e  m a n y  s t r u c t u r a l  
obstacles which prevent achieving more dynamic growth such as weak infrastructure, electricity 
shortages, limited access to credit, and a downturn  in external funding. Members encouraged Haiti 
to diversify its exports, both with respect to destination markets as well as regarding products. 
They also urged Haiti to engage in the necessary reforms to ensure its food security in the long 
run and to enhance competitiveness. 
6.3.  Members welcomed Haiti's objective to achieve the status of an emerging economy by 2030 
as well as its success in maintaining macroeconomic stability. They also praised recent efforts to 
improve the business climate such as the "Haiti is open for business" campaign. At the same time, 
some Members were of the opinion that more coul d be done to improve the business environment, 
for instance by updating the Commercial Code, and in general modernizing the legal framework, 
and by reinforcing governance. 
6.4.  Members observed that overall tariff protection remained relatively low, although some tariffs 
had been increased since the last Review. However, Members expressed concern about the various 
fees and charges applied on imports that result in higher import costs. Some Members noted that 
this rendered the tariff regime less transparent. 
6.5.  Members encouraged Haiti to ratify the Trade Facilitation Agreement and adopt WTO customs 
valuation rules, which they considered would be beneficial for Haiti. They also enquired about the 
reasons for the delays in the implementation of other trade-related legislation, in particular 
regarding the protection of intellectual property rights. Concerns were expressed with respect to Haiti's import licensing procedures. Members wished to know more about Haiti's plans to align its 
tariff lines with the CARICOM common external tari ff and to join CARICOM's single market in the 
light of its WTO tariff commitments. 
6.6.  Other issues raised by Members in their oral st atements or in the written questions included 
high port fees, legislation in the mining sector, energy subsidies, clearance times at customs, 
discriminatory taxation of imported and domestic products, fishing rights, WTO notifications, and 
plans to formalize trade with the Dominican Republic. 
6.7.  I would like to once again underline that despite the many challenges faced by Haiti, the 
economy has proved to be resilient and some of its policies since the last Review have 
demonstrated Haiti's commitment to moving towards more transparency and predictability. Members have recognized these challenges, but have voiced at the same time some specific trade 
policy-related concerns which I hope will be considered by Haiti in the context of its trade policy 
reform and general economic policy agenda. 
6.8.  This second Review of Haiti's trade policies and practices was successfully concluded to the 
benefit of all Members. I am confident that Hait i will find the extensive and fruitful discussion 
useful, as well as the insights provided by Me mbers during the Review, and will take them into 
account to develop further its trade and economic policies to enhance the competitiveness of the country as well as the well-being of its people. The large number of advance written questions and 
of delegations that took the floor during the two days of discussions highlight the interest Members 
attach to Haiti's trade and related policies and its role in the multilateral trading system. WT/TPR/M/327 • Haiti 
 
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  6.9.  In closing, I would like to thank Minister Jude Hervey Day and the rest of the delegation from 
Port-au-Prince, Ambassador Dr François Xavier Ngarambe as discussant, the Members and the Secretariat for their contribution to the second Trade Policy Review of Haiti. 
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