Today, residents of Milot, a city in the north of Haiti, are more than excited. Several high-level delegations arrive in this historic city of the country’s northern region to participate in the new municipality office’s inauguration. This new 300-square-foot building will replace the old one, built 40 years ago.
The construction of the new Milot Town Hall started approximately two years ago. This strategic initiative is part of a broader effort to modernize local governance and strengthen the institutional resilience of local authorities. It aims to provide the municipality with modern, functional, and sustainable administrative infrastructure capable of improving the quality and efficiency of public services.
“Providing modern infrastructure and adapted working materials to local authorities remain one of the government’s priorities as municipalities constitute an entry point for service delivery toward the population”, said Paul Antoine Bien-Aimé, Haiti’s Minister of territorial collectivities.
In the last quarter of 2025, the Haitian government inaugurated three different Town Halls - Plaine du Nord, Milot, and Quartier Morin, in the country’s northern region. Three buildings were fully constructed as part of the Municipal Development and Urban Resilience Project (MDUR) activities, financed by the World Bank. Improvement in life conditions in those satellite cities surrounding the Cap Haitian metropolitan area will reduce the pressure on this historic city, affected by a flow of internal migrants, fleeing the violence in the West, Artibonite and Centre departments.
Despite the deep and multidimensional crisis that Haiti faces, forcing more than 1.3 million people to relocate to escape violence, the World Bank is supporting investments aimed at strengthening local governance.
The World Bank remains committed to providing strategic support to the population through projects and programs implemented by the government with the aim of ending the cycle of poverty and creating opportunities for the benefit of all Haitians. In recent years, the World Bank has focused on issues related to fragility, targeting areas where its financing can have the greatest impact.
To achieve its goal of poverty reduction, accelerated economic growth, and improved service delivery for its citizens, Haiti must enhance the performance of its public sector. While reforms and public policies are fundamental at the national level to upgrade performance, it is also important to strengthen the capacity of service providers and enhance infrastructure resilience at the local level.
“Our support for institutional strengthening extends to the sectoral and local levels. The World Bank works in partnership with the Haitian government to support the country's efforts to make cities more resilient, improve local economic development, and strengthen community cohesion. Our strategy is to foster resilience and encourage transformative reforms.” said Anne-Lucie Lefebvre, World Bank Country Manager for Haiti.
Through the urban development projects funded by the World Bank, six municipalities in the northern metropolitan area, including Cap-Haïtien, Acul du Nord, Limonade, Milot, Quartier Morin, and Plaine du Nord have improved public spaces and reinforce local government abilities to provide services. The projects have also helped to improve public spaces and basic urban infrastructure in seven northern municipalities; upgraded municipal buildings; supported initiatives to preserve cultural heritage; and reduced flood risks in certain areas of Cap-Haïtien.
“This building is more appropriate to provide services to our citizens as it facilitates interaction with the community. Now we are working on several developments projects such as access to water and improving public leisure space”, said Thelemaque Henry Claude, deputy mayor of Milot. “We are so grateful that the project supports the construction of internal roads segments. Now the population remains connected, and the city looks more attractive.”
