US appoints senior foreign service member as Special Envoy for Haiti

US Special Envoy to Haiti, Ambassador Daniel Lewis Foote. state.gov
US Special Envoy to Haiti, Ambassador Daniel Lewis Foote.
state.gov

The United States Department of State announced on Thursday that the Joseph Biden administration has appointed Ambassador Daniel Foote, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, as its Special Envoy for Haiti.

Ned Price, State Department spokesperson, said the Special Envoy will “engage with Haitian and international partners to facilitate long-term peace and stability and support efforts to hold free and fair presidential and legislative elections.

“He will also work with partners to coordinate assistance efforts in several areas, including humanitarian, security and investigative assistance,” he said.

Additionally, Price said the Special Envoy will engage stakeholders in civil society and the private sector, “as we pursue Haitian-led solutions to the many pressing challenges facing Haiti.”

“The Special Envoy will, along with the US Ambassador to Haiti, lead US diplomatic efforts and coordinate the effort of US federal agencies in Haiti from Washington, advise the Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, and coordinate closely with the National Security Council staff on the administration’s efforts to support the Haitian people and Haiti’s democratic institutions in the aftermath of the tragic assassination of Jovenel Moïse,” he said.

Price said Special Envoy Foote brings extensive diplomatic experience to this role – including as Deputy Chief of Mission in Haiti and as the US Ambassador to Zambia.

“The Department congratulates Special Envoy Foote as he takes on his new role and thanks him for his continued service to his country,” he said.

A native of Syracuse, New York, Foote graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics.