Legal Cooperative Framework Analysis: National Report of Haiti
Summary: Haiti country report of the Legal Cooperative Framework Analysis run by the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) under the ICA-EU partnership for 2016 to 2020, written by Marie Florette Charles and dated March 2020. It reviews the cooperative laws of 1953 to 2002, the supervisory roles of the Conseil National des Coopératives and the Banque de la République d'Haïti, and recommends reforms.
Key Findings
- The cooperative law of 14 September 1953 created the Conseil National des Coopératives (CNC) and was amended by decrees of 1960, 1974 and 1981; the Law on Savings and Credit Cooperatives was published in Le Moniteur on 10 July 2002.
- Under the 2002 law the Banque de la République d'Haïti supervises the financial side of savings and credit cooperatives and the CNC the associative side; agricultural, consumer and housing cooperatives fall under the 1981 decree.
- A savings and credit cooperative needs statutes signed by at least 21 founders and minimum share capital of 50,000 gourdes (25,000 gourdes with a federation's support), and must set aside 10 percent of annual surplus as reserves.
- A 1990 CNC and ILO study found 298 cooperatives (219 agricultural, 79 savings and credit) with about 112,000 members; the author estimates fewer than 50 would qualify if only licensed, active and compliant ones were counted.
- Recommendations include a new savings and credit cooperative law, a census of cooperatives in the 10 departments and a State Secretariat for Cooperatives.
How to cite
International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), 2020, Legal Cooperative Framework Analysis: National Report of Haiti, https://coops4dev.coop/sites/default/files/2021-03/Legal%20Framework%20Analysis%20-%20Haiti.pdf
- Rights holder
- International Cooperative Alliance (ICA)