Haiti Secures $3 Million OAS-Japan Deal for 350,000 Biometric ID Cards

Japan and the Organization of American States signed a $3 million agreement to expand Haiti’s biometric identification system, funding 350,000 new ID cards as the country prepares for elections scheduled for December 13.

The deal was signed during a visit to Haiti by OAS Secretary General Albert Ramdin, who led a high-level Inter-American delegation meeting with Haitian officials, security leaders and international partners. Beyond the new cards, the funding covers expanded mobile registration units for remote and vulnerable communities and public-awareness campaigns, along with closer coordination between Haiti’s National Identification Office and its Provisional Electoral Council. “This new contribution will help us update the electoral registry and provide 350,000 new biometric identification cards,” Ramdin wrote on X.

The agreement builds on an earlier OAS-Japan initiative launched in 2023 to support the identification office, which registered more than 1.07 million people and issued 1.22 million cards. Haiti is not alone in leaning on biometric registration to shore up elections under difficult conditions; Kyrgyzstan expanded its biometric infrastructure ahead of snap elections, and Iraq accelerated biometric card distribution as its own vote approached.

The identification funding was one of several outcomes from the visit. The delegation also finalized Haiti’s accession to the CAF development bank, an operation facilitated by the OAS that opens the country’s access to CAF financing and technical cooperation, and signed a separate agreement with the Brazilian NGO Viva Rio on social cohesion programs for youth and women affected by violence. Ramdin is due to report the mission’s findings to the OAS Permanent Council on August 26 and convene the next meeting of the Group of Friends of Haiti on September 4.

More than 1.4 million people are displaced nationwide in Haiti, and international officials describe more than 85 percent of Port-au-Prince’s territory as under armed-group control, complicating voter registration in parts of the country. Ramdin said strengthening the identification office’s capacity is essential to an inclusive and credible vote, and that “security remains fundamental to making elections possible.” He described the broader effort as Haitian-led, with the OAS continuing to support authorities “in accordance with their priorities and requests.”

Sources: Organization of American States, The Haitian Times

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By the ID Tech Editorial Team