The appointment of Hermanex Gonzague Désir as director of the MCFDF has provoked an outcry among women’s rights organizations, who are demanding his dismissal. During the Council of Ministers held on May 6, 2026, Hermanex Gonzague Désir was designated for the position of director general of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Women’s Rights (MCFDF). This decision coincides with the dismissal of Sandy François, the last holder of this post. His appointment is not yet finalized, as the decree appointing him has not yet been published in the official gazette Le Moniteur. However, the decision is causing debate among feminist organizations, women’s groups, and certain personalities engaged in the defense of women’s rights in Haiti.
In a press release dated May 11, 2026, the latter sharply criticized the dismissal of Mrs. François and the appointment of Mr. Désir to the post of director general of this ministry, one of whose main functions is to promote and defend women’s rights. “Such an act by the Prime Minister, stripping a woman of the leadership of the only institution specifically responsible for defending and promoting the rights of Haitian women and girls within the State, demonstrates that the exclusion of women in national governance is not an accident, but a deliberate political choice,” reads the document signed by 57 organizations and prominent figures.
According to the signatories, it is not the competence of the new director that is being questioned, but the symbolic weight of the decision. Indeed, Mr. Désir, a veteran of public administration, brings with him a career of more than thirty years of experience, notably within the MCFDF, of which he has been a member since its creation in November 1994. Speaking on the show Panel Magik this Thursday, May 14, 2026, Pascale Solages recognized Mr. Désir’s experience and stated: “It’s nothing personal […] He is someone who has worked for a long time within the MCFDF.”
In her speech, the current general coordinator of the feminist organization Nègès Mawon stated that she was defending a “position of principle” against the administration of Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, which seems to ignore the constitutional mandates providing for a quota of at least 30% of women “at all levels of national life, particularly in public services.”
“It is extremely important to analyze [this appointment] by taking into account the current context, marked by low participation of women in the administration,” maintained Mrs. Solages, before adding: “And they find it acceptable to make such an appointment at the level of the ministry that is supposed to influence public policies for women’s participation in the political space. It is extremely symbolic. It reflects the lack of will to guarantee equity, and it shows a misunderstanding of what the ministry is and what it represents within the government.”
According to the coordinator of Nègès Mawon, this appointment will only reinforce the non-participation of women in decision-making spaces. This would be, from her point of view, a sign of a lack of political will by the current authorities to integrate women. “There is no respect or political will for women to effectively participate in all decisions being made in a context of rising violence against women in the wake of insecurity,” maintained Mrs. Solages.
Yet, Mr. Désir’s arrival at the leadership of the MCFDF would not be a first for a man. The individual concerned has himself been, on two occasions (in 2010 and 2024), acting director general of the said ministry. But in addition to the question of “principle,” the timing of the decision constitutes, in the eyes of feminist organizations, a bad signal, as they judge the current political context to be totally inappropriate for such a decision.
Pascale Solages, speaking on behalf of the organizations and figures who signed the May 11 statement, therefore calls to “maintain Mrs. François at the head of the general directorate of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Women’s Rights.” But more globally, what the signatory feminist organizations are denouncing is the appointment of a man to the general directorate of the ministry, she specified.
