While many Haitians — those experiencing the day-to-day dangers of crime and insecurity and those in the diaspora — were anxious for immediate solutions emerging from the Kingston stakeholders’ meeting and may be disappointed that no agreement was reached, I believe more rational thinkers would have viewed this as an important first step in a confidence-building process that would lead to a lasting solution.

The problems besetting Haiti are complex, long-standing, and deeply entrenched in Haiti’s social, economic, and political construct. The internal security architecture is weak, and national institutions of governance have been decimated by years of abuse and neglect. There is no quick fix to Haiti’s problems.

The Kingston stakeholders’ meeting sought to address three very important issues — governance, security, and elections. All three are interrelated and critical to an overall resolution of Haiti’s problems.

The presence of Prime Minister Ariel Henry among 50 Haitian participants, including 16 political party leaders attending the meeting in Kingston from June 11 to 13, which also included representatives from across civil society and the religious community, indicates to me there is a willingness among the antagonists from civil society, and political leaders representing disparate views have a desire to find solutions through dialogue.

The Kingston stakeholders’ meeting put them in the same room, facing each other, sharing contending views. They were able do so on a level playing field devoid of intimidation and in an enabling environment for dialogue and compromise.

I applaud those who attended and are willing to vest the future of Haiti to this process of meaningful dialogue. They must all recognise that there are no quick fixes to Haiti’s problems and no long-term benefits to be derived from a Band-Aid approach just to lay claim to an agreement in the short-term merely for political effect. There is no waving of a magic wand to solve Haiti’s problems.

While we all want to see an immediate end to the suffering of the Haitian people, we must also want for them lasting and sustainable peace and security and a country that can unleash its development potential to lift most of the its people out of poverty. Such a solution cannot be imposed on Haiti but must emerge from dialogue among Haitians themselves. The Caribbean Community’s (Caricom) facilitation of this dialogue in a meaningful way is a great starting point.

From what I have learnt so far, Caricom’s Eminent Persons Group (EPG) of former prime ministers — Dr Kenny Anthony, Saint Lucia; Bruce Golding, Jamaica; and Perry Christie, The Bahamas — understand well their role in this initiative. They are facilitators of dialogue among Haitian stakeholders with contending views who are seeking solutions to Haiti’s intractable problems; Haitians who are wedded to deeply entrenched ideas that may be directly opposed to one another. The EPG must help them reach common ground.

Importantly, there seemed to be agreement on many issues and the gap between contending parties appears to have narrowed. However, disagreement remained on important issues, particularly regarding the future structure of the Government, the powers of the presidency, and the role of the prime minister as well as the level of inclusiveness in the current interim Government.

Prime Minister Henry made a commitment to improve inclusiveness. He should be held to his word with immediate effect. There are questions concerning the Haitian Constitution which should be given due consideration. A mechanism for reform should be instituted by the Haitian people according to provisions of the constitution, and the process should begin as soon as practicable.

There were a few well-known players in Haitian politics who stayed away from Kingston for different reasons, some concocted, I believe. They should rethink their positions and be a part of the collective solution for Haiti. Sitting on the sidelines criticising is not a viable option. Sideliners who want to see themselves at the centre and not a part of the solution send a message to Haitians and well-wishers everywhere that they do not wish to share in any collective solutions for Haiti but rather to own it.

I commend Caricom for initiating the process of dialogue with the Kingston stakeholders’ meeting and expressing commitment to seeing this process through to a satisfactory conclusion. The EPG has undertaken this difficult task with commitment and understanding that it will take more than one meeting to end the political strife in Haiti. They will have understood that many others have tried with little success. And, so far, none of the prior solutions have lasted long enough for the ink to dry on the agreements.

The EPG and Caricom governments will no doubt understand that merely getting a signed agreement, while an important part of the process, is only the beginning of what must be a long-term commitment to Haiti. The nature of the commitment needed must emerge from the dialogue among the stakeholders and recommended by the EPG to Caricom governments. These governments must be prepared to commit to a long-term engagement with Haiti, particularly in rebuilding governance strictures and rule of law institutions worthy of a democratic nation.

The EPG and Caricom must realise that, while they may have rekindled hope for a Haitian solution, they cannot afford to lose momentum in this initiative. And even if there is pushback from some Haitian players, Caricom must press on with this process.

With the understanding that the next level of consultations will take place in Haiti, it will be important to bring on board those who want to be a part of the solution and not spoilers, who, for whatever reasons, skipped the Kingston stakeholders’ meeting. The EPG must also find a mechanism for engaging with the Haitian Diaspora in this process.

The next meeting should follow soon and be guided by what was learnt from the Kingston meeting.

Ambassador Curtis A Ward is a former ambassador of Jamaica to the United Nations, an attorney-at-law, and CEO of Curtis Ward & Associates. He is also chairman of the Caribbean Research & Policy Center Inc and adjunct professor at the University of the District of Columbia.