A Haitian delegation made up of the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mr.
A Haitian delegation made up of the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mr. James Monazard, Mr. Yves Pierre, representative of the Bank of the Republic of Haiti (BRH), Mr. Georges Sassine, representative of the Association of Haitian Industries (ADIH), as well as Mr. Virgilio Mota, representative of Group M and CODVE, is on a mission in Washington, United States, as part of a major diplomatic effort to support the renewal of the HOPE/HELP law, a key trade program for the Haitian economy, especially for the textile sector.
Adopted in 2006 and later strengthened by the HELP law, the HOPE law is one of the main tools for trade cooperation between Haiti and the United States. It specifically allows the duty-free export of textiles and clothing made in Haiti to the U.S. market, while also promoting investment, industrial development, and job creation, according to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MCI) in a statement.
For the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mr. James Monazard, renewing the HOPE/HELP law is strategically important for the national economy. Extending it will help preserve tens of thousands of jobs, boost the competitiveness of Haitian businesses, attract new investments, and strengthen Haiti’s position in regional supply chains.Through this mission, the Government of the Republic of Haiti, under the leadership of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, reaffirms its commitment to defending the country’s economic interests and continuing a constructive dialogue with the American authorities and all concerned partners, in order to ensure the renewal of the HOPE/HELP Act, a key driver of growth, job creation, and sustainable development for Haiti.
Among the people met were the Ambassador of Haiti to the United States, Mr. Lionel Delatour; Victoria Hartman and Victor Cerviño from the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Ms. Viviana Bovo, senior advisor in the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs; Cole Matino and Cesar Vence from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Steve Lamar, CEO, and Beth Hughes, Vice President of Trade Policy at the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA); Kim Glas, CEO of the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO); Tyler Fagan, legislative director in Speaker Mike Johnson’s office; Katherine Wiederholt, legislative assistant in Representative Mike Turner’s office; Austin Broussard, legislative assistant in Representative Steve Scalise’s office; M.K. Sowers, legislative director in Representative Andrew Garbarino’s office.Alexandra Whittaker, Chief Personnel Officer and Chief Legal Advisor for the Democratic minority on the Ways and Means Committee; Pat Nelson from the National Security Council; the chief of staff for Senator Bernie Moreno; representatives of Senator Markwayne Mullin; the majority from the Ways and Means Committee; Joel Hirst from Senator Bill Cassidy’s office; as well as Courtney Kaufman from Representative Mike Lawler’s office.
The HOPE Act was first passed in 2005 under René Préval’s government. This legislation has since gone through several renewal phases, first for three years, then for ten years. Donald’s second administration expressed the desire to suspend HOPE/HELP at the end of 2025.
Thanks to the relentless efforts by Haitian authorities and volunteer players in the textile sector with the American authorities, the U.S. government decided at the beginning of last February to grant a one-year extension until December 31, 2026, to this crucial law for Haitian textiles.
However, although beneficial for the sector, this one-year extension of the law is not enough to make up for the huge gap that will result from the law’s end. This is what explains this new advocacy mission by Haitian authorities and textile players in support of HOPE/HELP in Washington.
