A Reflection from the 20th United Nations International Human Rights Summit
By Fritz M. Clairvil, MBA, MPA
President, Haiti Pathway Forward (HPF)
United Nations Headquarters – New York
July 30, 2026
Today, I had the privilege of representing Haiti Pathway Forward (HPF) at the 20th United Nations International Human Rights Summit at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Under this year’s theme, “Education for Peace,” youth leaders, educators, diplomats, policymakers, and human rights advocates from around the world gathered to reaffirm our commitment to protecting the dignity and rights of every child.
Throughout the Summit, delegates courageously shared the challenges facing children in their countries—war, poverty, trafficking, discrimination, violence, and injustice. Their testimonies were powerful.
Yet as I listened, my thoughts continually returned to one place:
Haiti.
Human Rights Must Mean Something
Human rights are more than principles discussed in conference rooms. They are promises that every child has the right to education, healthcare, security, dignity, and hope.
For far too many Haitian children, those promises have been broken.
Schools have been burned, occupied, or forced to close because of gang violence, depriving thousands of children of their education.
Hospitals and healthcare centers have been attacked or rendered inoperable, denying families access to lifesaving medical care.
Countless children have been displaced from their homes, witnessed unimaginable violence, or lost parents, teachers, and friends.
Young boys have been recruited and exploited by criminal gangs, while young girls have suffered rape, kidnapping, and murder.
These are not isolated tragedies. They are serious violations of the fundamental rights guaranteed to every child under international law.
Who Speaks for Haiti’s Children?
As delegates from various countries addressed the challenges facing children in their nations, I found myself asking one question:
Who was speaking for Haiti’s children?
I was disappointed that Haiti’s humanitarian crisis did not receive dedicated attention from the podium despite the extraordinary suffering experienced by its youngest citizens.
This observation does not diminish the suffering of children elsewhere. Every child deserves protection, justice, and opportunity.
But so do the children of Haiti.
Their voices deserve to be heard.
Education for Peace Must Include Haiti
This year’s theme carries profound meaning for my country.
Education cannot flourish where schools are burned.
Healthcare cannot exist where hospitals are attacked.
Peace cannot take root where gangs replace lawful institutions and children live in fear.
If education is truly the pathway to peace, then rebuilding schools, restoring hospitals, protecting children, and strengthening communities must become an international priority.
A Call to Action
I respectfully call upon the United Nations, UNICEF, UNESCO, the Organization of American States, governments, humanitarian organizations, faith communities, the private sector, and the Haitian Diaspora to unite around one mission:
Protect Haiti’s children.
We must rebuild schools, restore healthcare services, protect girls from sexual violence, create opportunities that keep young people away from gangs, and support Haitian-led initiatives that restore hope, dignity, and peace.
Every school reopened is an investment in peace.
Every hospital restored is an affirmation of human dignity.
Every child protected is a victory for humanity.
Our Generation Will Be Judged
History will not remember how many conferences we attended.
It will remember whether we acted.
The children of Haiti do not ask for special treatment. They ask only for what every child deserves: the right to live in safety, to learn, to receive healthcare, and to dream of a better future.
As I departed the United Nations, I carried one conviction with me:
If the international community truly believes that every child matters, then the children of Haiti must matter too. Their future cannot wait. Their voices must be heard.
Fritz M. Clairvil, MBA, MPA
President, Haiti Pathway Forward (HPF)
Delegate, 20th United Nations International Human Rights Summit
United Nations Headquarters – New York
