Overview:
Haiti’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) celebrated its 21st anniversary with a youth-focused fair featuring debates, arts, local cuisine and cultural exhibits. Held in Pétion-Ville on Friday, Sept. 5, in anticipation of the agency’s founding date on Sept. 8, under the theme “I Denounce,” the event aimed to inspire youth to be a driving force for change.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — Haiti’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) marked its 21st anniversary with a cultural and educational fair on Friday, Sept. 5, rallying young people under the theme “Je Dénonce,” French for I denounce. The event, held at Pétion-Ville’s Karibe Hotel, sought to highlight the youth’s role in exposing corruption and reshaping Haiti’s future.
The fair, which coincided with the agency’s founding date of Sept. 8, featured panels on youth leadership in governance, bribery in public services and the role of art in promoting ethics. Performances included traditional dance and music, comedy and exhibitions of Haitian books and handicrafts.
“Young people are the most affected by corruption’s consequences, and they must also be the driving force for change,” said Hans Ludwig Joseph, the ULCC’s director general.
“Denouncing corruption means ensuring a fair life, free from the hardships of poverty and insecurity, for all those who will come after us.”
Vendors also showcased iron sculptures, leather sandals, crochet clothing, paintings and photography, highlighting women’s rights, the environment and provincial life. Attendees also sampled local cuisine specialties, including akasan, cassava, cremas and fruit-based drinks.
A view of the audience attending debate sessions and cultural performances during the engagement fair organized by the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) in Pétion-Ville on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. Photo by Juhakenson Blaise /The Haitian Times
The ULCC, supported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Canadian Embassy, said the initiative aims to dismantle what officials call Haiti’s “distorted morality” — a culture that often excuses misappropriation of state funds. Joseph urged Haitians who witness or suffer corruption to come forward.
“[I envision] a nation with honest and virtuous public officials who will stand as barriers against illegal practices and will fight against impunity,” Joseph said.
The agency also used the fair to showcase academic and cultural works. Among them were the books “Corruption, occidentalisation et éthique en Haïti: trajectoire d’une” by Oriol Charles and “Une entente nationale pour la justice sociale en Haïti” by Emmanuel Louis Jeunes, while Comedian Kervin “Cantave K” Cantave injected dark humor into the programming schedule, highlighting the absurdities of everyday corruption.
L-R : Books titled “Corruption, occidentalisation et éthique en Haïti” by author Oriol Charles and “Une entente nationale pour la justice sociale en Haïti” by author Emmanuel Louis Jeunes during the fair organized by the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) in Pétion-Ville on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. Photos by Juhakenson Blaise /The Haitian Times
Created in 2004 to combat corruption in public administration, the ULCC has investigated dozens of cases, submitting 87 to the judiciary between its founding and 2024. Yet convictions remain rare. Only two cases have led to guilty verdicts: that of Edric Léandre, former head of the Office of Vehicle Third-Party Insurance (OAVCT), in 2015, and former tax inspector Roudel Ducherne in 2024. Four cases have been dismissed and many others are still pending with investigating judges.
“For a Haiti free from corruption, we must involve all social groups,” Joseph said.
He called the anniversary fair “an XXL event that successfully brought together hundreds of young people with artisans, artists and authors in support of the anti-corruption cause.”
“Young people are the most affected by corruption’s consequences, and they must also be the driving force for change. Denouncing corruption means ensuring a fair life, free from the hardships of poverty and insecurity, for all those who will come after us.”
Hans Ludwig Joseph, Director General of ULCC
In May, the ULCC launched an “Integrity Clubs” program targeting schoolchildren nationwide amid ongoing corruption and declining public trust in Haitian institutions.
The new initiative launched in Fort-Liberté, the capital city of Haiti’s northeast, offers a rare spark of hope. It united over 2,000 students from 16 schools. During the event, officials issued a clear call to action to educators and civil society leaders across Fort-Liberté and Ouanaminthe, aiming to instill anti-corruption values in youth in grades 1 to 4.
Below are some more images capturing the atmosphere of the Anti-Corruption fair, themed “I Denounce.”
Paintings by the organization Kri Fanm Ayiti (KRIFA) or Cry of Haitian Women dazzled the courtyard of the Karibe Hotel in Pétion-Ville during the fair organized by the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) on Sept. 5, 2025. Photo by Juhakenson Blaise / The Haitian Times
Haitian handmade sandals were also on display during the Book and Artistic Fair organized by the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) under the theme “I Denounce,” in Pétion-ville, on Sept. 5, 2025. Photo by Juhakenson Blaise /The Haitian Times
Artizans also showcase metal art at the Book and Artistic Fair organized by the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) in Pétion-Ville on Sept. 5, 2025. Photo by Juhakenson Blaise / The Haitian Times
A booth displays handmade crochet items, including hats, beanies and earrings, at the Anti-Corruption Fair in Pétion-Ville on Sept. 5, 2025. Photo by Juhakenson Blaise / The Haitian Times
A shelf showcasing caricatures of Haitian culture—including small suitcases labeled “Haiti,” vèvè symbols, straw chairs, miniature pestles and small paintings at the Book and Artistic Anti-Corruption Fair in Pétion-Ville on Sept. 5, 2025. Photo by Juhakenson Blaise / The Haitian Times
Syrups, jams and liquors are on display in the courtyard of the Karibe Hotel in Pétion-Ville during the Book and Artistic Anti-Corruption Fair on Sept. 5, 2025. Photo by Juhakenson Blaise / The Haitian Times
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