Haiti secures OAS, Japan backing to expand biometric ID system
Haiti has secured new international support to expand its biometric national ID system after the Organization of American States (OAS) and Japan signed a $3 million agreement to improve access to legal identity and strengthen election preparedness.
The Organization of American States (OAS) and the government of Japan signed a cooperation agreement to expand access to identification services in Haiti to improve the Caribbean country’s economic and social development.
“Japan and the OAS share a simple conviction: Haiti’s long-term stability must be built from the inside by Haitians, one citizen, one identity, one vote at a time,” said OAS secretary general Albert R. Ramdin. “This agreement further underscores the OAS’s steadfast support for Haiti and its efforts to advance Haitian-led initiatives that promote the country’s stability and development.”
The deal was announced August 18 at the headquarters of Haiti’s National Office of Identification (ONI) in Port‑au‑Prince, and includes a US$3 million grant from Japan. Funding will cover the provision of 350,000 blank biometric ID cards, the expansion of outreach campaigns, and improving electricity and internet connectivity at ONI offices.
The project aims to update Haiti’s voter roll, reduce backlogs in ID issuance, and enhance coordination between ONI and the Provisional Electoral Council. The funds will also go towards rehabilitation of facilities, equipment installation, mobile registration units and operational needs.
The agreement was signed by OAS Secretary General Albert R. Ramdin and Japan’s Ambassador to Haiti, Nishiuchi Kazuhiko, in the presence of Haiti’s Justice Minister Patrick Pélissier and Foreign Minister Raina Forbin.
“Through this project, Japan is pleased to support Haiti’s efforts to strengthen legal identity, improve access to essential public services and enhance the operational capacity of national institutions,” said ambassador Nishiuchi Kazuhiko.
“By working with the OAS and Haitian authorities, we aim to ensure that citizens, particularly those in remote and vulnerable communities, can obtain the identification documents they need to participate fully in society and exercise their rights.”
The new funding agreement builds on an earlier $8 million grant from Japan in 2023, which registered more than one million citizens and delivered 1.22 million national ID cards, bringing the total number of Haitians with valid IDs to about 5.8 million.
Japan, which became the first Asian country to join the OAS as a Permanent Observer in 1973, has long supported Haiti’s democratic and development efforts, according to a release. The Organization of American States (OAS) is a regional forum for political, legal and social cooperation among governments, bringing together all 35 independent nations of the Americas.
Article Topics
biometrics | digital identity | Haiti | identity document | Japan | legal identity | national ID | National Office of Identification (ONI) | voter registration