Details | As the UN Security Council prepares for its September session on Haiti, Mexico has continued being a a key bilateral partner supporting Haitian institutional capacity building amid ongoing security challenges in the country. The bilateral relationship has intensified across five priority areas, with Mexico's approach emphasizing sovereignty respect and institutional strengthening, aligning with its broader regional cooperation strategy.
Details | As the UN Security Council prepares for its September session on Haiti, Mexico has continued being a a key bilateral partner supporting Haitian institutional capacity building amid ongoing security challenges in the country. The bilateral relationship has intensified across five priority areas, with Mexico's approach emphasizing sovereignty respect and institutional strengthening, aligning with its broader regional cooperation strategy.
Currently, the UN operates a Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission in Haiti rather than a traditional UN peacekeeping operation, with limited operational capacity due to funding constraints. For its part, the Organization of American States (OAS) established on August 20, 2025, a new roadmap for international cooperation on Haiti, while the UN created a Support Office in July aimed to strengthen the MSS Mission's implementation. Mexico's current priorities seek to contribute with these two multilateral cooperation mechanisms while focusing on other specific aspects of its bilateral relationship.
1/ Military Training Cooperation Reaches Historic Levels
Mexico's defense cooperation with Haiti has expanded significantly, with Mexico's Ministry of Defense (SEDENA) providing training for 150 additional Haitian military personnel in 2025, bringing the total to 912 officers trained since 2018. On July 26, 2025, Mexico's Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry formalized this expansion alongside donations of personal protection equipment to Haitian Armed Forces, via the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID). The newly appointed Ambassador José de Jesús Cisneros Chávez has prioritized deepening SEDENA-Haiti Defense Ministry collaboration, indicating sustained institutional commitment.
Source: Heather Suggitt
2/ Electoral Process Capacity Building Gains Priority
Mexico has positioned itself as a key partner in preparing Haiti for future elections through collaboration with Mexico's National Electoral Institute and Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council. This cooperation addresses the recent MSS Mission's expanded mandate to support electoral processes alongside security functions. The OAS 20 August road-map listed two Mexican visits to Haiti, which focused on training Haitian officials with institutional capacity building for when violence levels decrease sufficiently to enable electoral processes. Ambassador Cisneros Chávez also identified this as a core diplomatic priority, and linked democratic transition to long-term stability.
3/ Security Infrastructure Development Through AMEXCID
While AMEXCID serves a purpose in donating military equipment, Mexico also envisions the Development Agency to push for significant infrastructure development as means to contribute to Haitian security capacity. One of Mexico's most interesting trends in the bilateral relationship and which has differentiated the country in the multilateral fora. On May 27, 2025, both Mexico and Hait inaugurated a Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence (C3I) Center in Port-au-Prince. Built through AMEXCID cooperation and based on Mexican operational models, the center seeks to enhance Haiti's crisis response capabilities.
In 2024, Mexico also provided training for Haiti's National Police tactical decision-making and rapid response protocols, establishing a comprehensive technical cooperation framework that extends beyond traditional security assistance.
Source: Mexico's Government
4/ Strategic Diplomatic Coordination and Regional Leadership
On 22 November, 2024, Mexico's Permanent Representative to the UN, Héctor Vasconcelos, addressed the UN Security Council and expressed Mexico's call to transform the MSS Mission into a full peacekeeping operation, echoing Haiti's formal request and OAS support. Despite not currently holding a Security Council seat, Mexico maintains active diplomatic coordination, particularly with Kenya as MSS Mission leader. On May 28, 2025, Kenya's Foreign Minister received Mexican Vice Minister for Multilateral Affairs & Human Rights, Enrique Ochoa, where Mexico supported Kenya's leadership.
Source: Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
5/ Comprehensive Bilateral Framework Beyond Security
While the relationship with Haiti is primarily focused on security issues, new Ambassador Cisneros Chávez raised other key priorities during his Senate hearing on 30 August. He expressed interest in closing a deal to allow for a joint University curriculum between Mexico's National Autonomous University (UNAM) and Haiti's State University. He also aims to continue cultural preservation projects in Haiti with the collaboration of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and systematic migration information exchange.
Ambassador Cisneros Chávez's mandate also includes strengthening commercial ties through its respective Chambers of Commerce and updating emergency protection plans for Mexican nationals in Haiti. He summarized the state of Mexico-Haiti bilateral relations in a state of change from crisis-focused to one with a strategically comprehensive agenda.
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