About

From left to right are Haitian American Patrick Gaspard, then-National Security Adviser to President Obama, Raymond Joseph, then-Ambassador of Haiti to US, and  Haitian American Actor and activist Jimmy Jean Louis, during the May 19, 2010 flag day celebration and the unveiling of the Federation at the Whitehouse.

The Haitian Diaspora Federation was created at the Toussaint L’Ouverture Rotunda on the heels of a 3-day Haitian Diaspora Forum sponsored by the Organization of American States (OAS) on March 21-23, 2010. The federation was unveiled at the National Press Club and the White House on May 19, 2010.  Formerly an association of nonprofit organizations, the federation experienced criticism – exclusion, elitism — and growing pain.  In response, the co-founders have resolved to transform the federation into a UN-Style global entity to face Haitians’ challenges in and out of Haiti. Today, The Haitian diaspora Federation (HDF) is an inclusive umbrella organization of 23 federations nestled in 5 continents with a variety of members. 

HDF’s mission is to coalesce, inspire, and empower people of Haitian heritage to improve their and Haiti’s socio economic conditions.

HDF’s vision is a successful worldwide representative organization of Haitian Diaspora chapters that together are a match for the problems they choose to address, both abroad or in Haiti itself. 

The Qualitative Goals are a) create and maintain a grassroots democratically-representative organization of regional and national member chapters; b) serve as a catalyst for the development and success of member chapters by offering the necessary additional willingness, know-how and resources they may lack from time to time; c) Assess, analyze and advocate for the mutual concerns of member chapters; d) Be a source of information, education and action on Haitian Diaspora affairs.

The Quantitative Objectives are to) Stimulate, welcome and support Federation member chapters in every country where Haitians are living abroad; b) attain and maintain a minimum of one hundred active members within a year of each chapter’s creation; c) Help every chapter accomplish at least one new project of their choice each year; d) design and accomplish at least one new global project every year with membership input and approval; f)  Convene member chapters in annual Haitian Diaspora Congresses to compare, contrast and take action on the status of Haitians living abroad, namely their strengths, weaknesses, needs and trends.