Haiti–Poland relations refer to the bilateral relations between

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

and Poland. Contacts date back to the Polish contribution in the

Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution (french: révolution haïtienne ; ht, revolisyon ayisyen) was a successful insurrection by slave revolt, self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolt ...

in the early 19th century, with diplomatic relations established after World War I. Both countries are members of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization.

History

In 1802,

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

sent Polish Legionnaires to then French-ruled

Saint-Domingue Saint-Domingue () was a French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1804. The name derives from the Spanish main city in the island, Santo Domingo, which came to refer ...

to fight off a slave rebellion. Poles, who fought on the side of France in hopes of restoration of their recently partitioned and occupied homeland, were lied to that they would fight against rebellious prisoners, and after learning the truth, many defected to join the

against the French colonialists. First head of state of Haiti

Jean-Jacques Dessalines Jean-Jacques Dessalines (Haitian Creole: ''Jan-Jak Desalin''; ; 20 September 1758 – 17 October 1806) was a leader of the Haitian Revolution and the first ruler of an independent First Empire of Haiti, Haiti under the Constitution of Haiti, 1 ...

called the Poles the ''white Negroes of Europe'', in an expression of respect and empathy for the situation of the Poles. The 1805 Haitian constitution granted the Poles Haitian citizenship. A Polish community lives in Haiti to this day with their main center in Casale. Diplomatic relations were established after Poland regained independence following World War I. An honorary consulate of Poland was located in

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is define ...

from 1935 to 1945. It was reopened in 2005. In 1994, 51 soldiers of the Polish GROM Military Unit took part in the Operation Uphold Democracy to remove the military regime installed after the

1991 Haitian coup d'état The 1991 Haitian coup d'état took place on 29 September 1991, when President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, elected eight months earlier in the 1990–91 Haitian general election, was deposed by the Armed Forces of Haiti. Haitian military officers, p ...

and restore the elected President

Jean-Bertrand Aristide Jean-Bertrand Aristide (born 15 July 1953) is a Haitian former Salesian priest and politician who became Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in ...

. In addition to their assigned duties, Polish commandos intervened several times in various cases of common residents against criminals and former military men, including providing medical treatment to impoverished people, rescuing people from lynching, and rescuing a Haitian child kidnapped presumably by former Haitian military officers, gaining the sympathy of impoverished Haitians, but at the same time the resentment of wealthier residents sympathizing with the ousted military regime. Polish commandos also took part in the relief operation following the Hurricane Gordon, aiding Haitian residents and saving five Filipino soldiers.Chloupek, p. 50 President Aristide thanked the Polish commandos for their service with the Polish word "''dziękuję''", meaning "thank you."

Caritas Poland Caritas Poland ( pl, Caritas Polska) is a Polish Catholic not-for-profit social welfare and humanitarian relief organisation. It is a service of the Polish Bishops' Conference and the largest social welfare and charitable organisation in the c ...

, UNICEF Poland and the

Polish Humanitarian Action The Polish Humanitarian Action (PAH, pl. ''Polska Akcja Humanitarna'') is a Polish non-governmental organisation A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-i ...

raised over 5 million PLN to help the Haitians affected by the

2010 Haiti earthquake A disaster, catastrophic Moment magnitude scale, magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest (department), Ouest department, a ...

Diplomatic missions

*Haiti is accredited to Poland from its embassy in Berlin. *Poland is accredited to Haiti from its embassy in Panama City.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haiti-Poland Poland