Ahead of the 32nd edition of the Livres en folie book fair, Max Chauvet used his airtime on Radio Magik 9 on May 27, 2026, to advocate for a more ambitious framework for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Haiti. Amid ongoing humanitarian challenges, economic gridlock, and the erosion of civic safe havens, Chauvet argued that the private sector must take on a more proactive role in sustaining the country’s social and cultural foundations.
Throughout the interview, Chauvet noted that Livres en folie could never have sustained its three-decade run without the steady, reliable backing of public and private institutions. He specifically praised long-term corporate partners like Unibank and La Couronne for their resilience. Chauvet highlighted that despite losing multiple physical branches to targeted gang violence over the past few years, Unibank never once considered scaling back its financial commitment to the literacy festival. For Chauvet, this baseline of corporate fidelity proves that true social responsibility is not an optional public relations expense or a marketing line item, but a strategic, long-term investment in the community itself.
The director of Le Nouvelliste observed that this proactive approach remains under-developed within the wider Haitian business community, which often prioritizes immediate financial returns. To counter this structural deficit, Chauvet proposed a collaborative model: pooling private resources into a unified, national business foundation capable of funding large-scale educational, cultural, and community development programs. He concluded by stressing that economic development cannot be separated from human development; a healthy business ecosystem requires a viable society where citizens can gather, read, and engage in constructive dialogue.
