Fact Sheet published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), June 2025.
Haiti faces a complex convergence of escalating climate risks, socio-political instability, and chronic insecurity, which together fuel a protracted humanitarian crisis. Situated on the Atlantic hurricane belt and vulnerable to both tropical storms and seismic activity, the country experiences frequent natural disasters exacerbated by deforestation, poverty, and fragile governance. Climate change has amplified these hazards, with projections indicating rising temperatures and decreased seasonal rainfall, intensifying droughts, flooding, and landslides, particularly during El Niño and La Niña cycles.
Fragility in climate and society:
Haiti’s environmental exposure is severe with over 96% of the population vulnerable to climate shocks. Historical trends show increased frequency and severity of hurricanes, storms, and earthquakes, with major disasters such as the 2010 and 2021 earthquakes causing catastrophic losses. Climate variability has degraded agricultural productivity, undermining food security for a nation where 92% of farming is rain-fed and local production meets only half of the population’s food needs.
Compounded by decades of weak governance and poverty, these shocks have depleted coping mechanisms. By 2026, 37% of Haitians are projected to live in extreme poverty. Flooding and droughts have also triggered disease outbreaks due to inadequate sanitation, while food insecurity has risen dramatically, leaving 5.4 million people affected, including 2 million at emergency levels and at least one million children.
Climate-conflict intersections:
- Livelihood impacts: Haiti’s agriculture-dependent economy is acutely vulnerable to climate-induced livelihood disruptions. Droughts and unpredictable seasons have reduced crop and livestock yields, strained water availability, and intensified pest and disease outbreaks. These shocks increase indebtedness, particularly among female-headed households, and heighten social grievances, gender-based violence, and dependence on aid.
- Migration and mobility: Climate-induced and conflict-related displacement have further destabilized communities. Over one million people are internally displaced, many repeatedly. Flooding exacerbates this, causing secondary displacements that overburden host communities and drive tensions. In some areas, tensions lead IDPs to leave host families for improvised shelters, where they face security risks, including sexual and communal violence.
- Armed actors and security: Gang control has grown extensively. 85% of Port-au-Prince is under armed control, with over 5,600 killed in 2024. Children form up to 30 per cent of gang recruits, and sexual violence, especially against girls, has surged. This insecurity obstructs aid delivery, restricts movement, and disrupts food and goods supply chains. The MSS mission, mandated in 2023 to support national policing, remains under-resourced and limited in scope.
- Political and economic grievances: Weak governance compounds Haiti’s vulnerability. Political turmoil, corruption, and public mistrust persist, undermining institutional capacity. The Transitional Presidential Council (TPC), tasked with facilitating elections, has itself been embroiled in corruption scandals, damaging its legitimacy. These fractures hinder comprehensive climate adaptation and peacebuilding, and leave communities exposed to the cascading effects of climate shocks and violence.
Recommended actions:
- Data and coordination: UN agencies should improve climate-security data sharing and conduct integrated socio-economic assessments to inform responsive policies.
- Resilient livelihoods: Humanitarian actors must prioritize regenerative, nature-based solutions in rural areas to boost food production and economic stability.
- Security and reintegration: Climate-resilient reintegration pathways for former gang members, especially children and women, should be scaled up.
- National strategy and dialogue: BINUH and the UN Country Team must support Haitian-led dialogue and develop a national climate security policy, embedding climate, peace, and security across government priorities.
The fact sheet highlights that Haiti’s climate-security crisis demands an integrated, data-driven, and community-centred response to break the cycle of vulnerability and build a more resilient and peaceful future.
This text is based on extracts from a fact sheet written by Dr Minoo Koefoed, Kheira Tarif, Dr Thor Olav Iversen, Katongo Seyuba, Nadine Andersen, Ingvild Brodtkorb and Jules Duhamel. The fact sheet was published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in collaboration with the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), in June 2025. To read the full fact sheet along with all of its recommendations, follow the link here.
See below for our coverage on similar topics:
- Climate, Peace and Security Fact Sheet: South Sudan
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- The Impact of Climate Change on Conflict