Haiti targets stronger social protection: ILO workshop assesses social security system against Convention No. 102

PORT OF SPAIN (ILO News) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) has advanced its support to Haiti’s social security reform through a technical workshop assessing national legislation against the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No. 102). The virtual session on 15 April 2026 brought together representatives of the Office d’Assurance Accidents du Travail, Maladie et Maternité (OFATMA), the Office National d’Assurance Vieillesse (ONA), and workers’ and employers’ organizations to review preliminary findings of a comprehensive legal and practical analysis.

A roadmap for reform

Opening the session, ILO Social Protection Specialist Ariel Pino highlighted the importance of the exercise for Haiti’s reform agenda. “This study is part of the ILO’s broader support to social security reform in Haiti, which has been identified as a national priority,” he said. “It provides a solid technical foundation to guide dialogue and future policy decisions.”

Convention No. 102 is the ILO’s flagship international labour standard on social security. It sets minimum benchmarks across nine branches of protection, including health care, pensions and maternity benefits. ILO Legal and Standards Specialist Maya Stern Plaza in her presentation emphasized that the Convention offers a flexible pathway for countries to progressively strengthen their systems.

Progress and gaps identified

The ILO analysis assessed Haiti’s contributory schemes against key parameters such as coverage, benefit adequacy, eligibility conditions and duration of protection. Findings show that Haiti’s legal framework already covers several branches and, in some cases, meets or exceeds minimum standards. However, important gaps remain, including limited data to assess effective coverage, shortcomings in the duration of maternity and health care benefits, and differences between legal provisions and practice.

“This is a brilliant, rich and instructive analysis,” said Andolphe Guillaume, a national stakeholder. “It provides valuable guidance for decision-making.”

Data and systemic challenges

Discussions underscored that data gaps remain a major constraint to assessing compliance and planning reforms. The absence of up-to-date labour market data, including unemployment figures, limits the ability to measure effective coverage. “At this stage, the analysis gives us a strong baseline,” Pino noted, “but additional data and continued dialogue with institutions will be essential to finalize the assessment and support reform.”

A phased path forward

Stakeholders also pointed to broader structural challenges, including institutional capacity and the need for stronger governance across the system. The importance of extending protection beyond formal workers, particularly to those in the informal economy was also expressed by participants. This will require stronger linkages between contributory schemes and social assistance programmes.

The ILO’s gap assessment responds to priorities endorsed in the Punta Cana Declaration, adopted by regional governments, employers and workers at the ILO's 20th American Regional Meeting in October 2025. The Declaration calls for expanding comprehensive social protection and advancing the transition from informal to formal employment – a critical concern in Haiti, where large segments of the workforce remain outside contributory schemes. By identifying where national legislation aligns with, and falls short of, Convention No. 102, the analysis offers Haiti a technical foundation for advancing reforms to expand coverage, improve benefit adequacy and strengthen governance. In this way the country can translate regional commitments into targeted national action.

The ILO will continue working with national stakeholders to refine the analysis and support the next steps, including targeted consultations and capacity-building for reform implementation.