Ady Jean-Gardy

Ady Jean-Gardy (born 15 September 1957) is a Haitian historian, journalist, and former Minister of Communication (2012–2013). While serving as a public official, he developed communication reforms with the goals of limiting propaganda and supporting human rights organizations. His prior service includes work as a civil servant for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and as a member of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Jean-Gardy Ady
Jean-Gardy Ady in 2015
Born	(1957-09-15)15 September 1957 (age 64) Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Education
Alma mater	Universities of Journalism and Social Communication, Institute of Political Sciences and Economical Sciences
Philosophical work
Main interests	Social Communication, Ethics, Freedom of Speech, Civil Rights
Notable ideas	Liberalist, Transcendental idealism
Signature

Early life and education

Ady Jean-Gardy began his education at the Catholic School of the Salésiens Fathers and later attended Alexander Pétion High School. By the age of twelve, he had contributed caricatures to the Creole newspaper Bon Nouvel, directed by Jorris Ceuppens. At 14, he wrote a novel in Creole titled Deblozay, which reportedly received the Prize of the National Creole Media.^{[citation needed]} He later served as Director of Cultural Affairs for the magazine Petit Samedi Soir and edited the libertarian review Inter Jeunes.

After high school, he received a scholarship from President Léopold Sédar Senghor of Senegal and studied communications and journalism in Dakar, Senegal. Upon returning to Haiti at the age of twenty, he was appointed manager of Haiti TV (cable television) under the supervision of Edward B. Hatton.

He pursued higher education at the Institute of Applied Linguistics in Haiti, studied architecture at the Civil Engineering Institute of Richard Leconte, and earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the Institute of Economic Science and Politics in Haiti. He received a USAID scholarship to study economics, finance, and administrative management at the University of Pittsburgh.

He directed the documentary Christmas in Voodoo Colors, which received regional acclaim at a Caribbean film festival.

Career

Jean-Gardy, who signs his name as Adyjeangardy on professional documents, served at the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and as operations manager of the United Nations Programs (1989–1992). He was also an associate of the Environmental Programs at the Ministry of Agriculture of Haiti (1992–1993), operations manager at the Office of UNESCO (1993–1994), representative of Haiti at the Center for Strategic Studies and Diplomacy in Paris (1994–1997), and operations manager at the Center for Communication Studies of Deutsche Welle in Germany (1998).

In 1999, he was invited by the U.S. State Department as an international representative of Haiti to the Assembly of Democracy organized by the United Nations in Poland.

In the early 2000s, he brought international attention to the assassinations of Haitian journalists, including Brignol Lindor in Petit-Goâve and Jean Dominique, Director of Haiti Radio-Inter. He alerted the International Press Federation, the Committee for the Protection of Journalists, the Inter-American Press Association, and the International Court of Human Rights at The Hague.^{[citation needed]}

In 2004, Jean-Gardy led missions to the Governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, and his officials to advocate for assistance for Haiti focused on public health, education, and donations of equipment for waste collection and fire control.^{[citation needed]} In Florida, he created a television network called Haiti World TV (HWT), which broadcasts information programs about Haiti and Haitian history for the education of Haitian communities.^{[citation needed]}

Since 2004, he has been contracted by the International Center for Journalists in Washington, D.C., consulting for two years with the Africa Section of the U.S. State Department. Since 2005, he has served as an advisor to the Office of Haiti-Freedoms France.^{[citation needed]}

As the representative of Haiti to the International Conference of the Inter-American Press Association on Communication Strategies, he expressed his desire for the Haitian State Media (radio and television) to become a community media organization subject to scrutiny by Parliament and press organizations in the country. As president of the International Media Foundation (IMF) in 2006, he produced reports and recommendations for professional development in the media.

As Dean of the University Center for the Training of Journalists, he was asked by the Military Academy of Haiti in 1985 to deliver courses on communication techniques. He was later asked again by the Police Academy of Haiti in 1995.

He was Director General of the Investigation Group Press (1987) and was called by President Ertha Pascal-Trouillot to head the national radio of Haiti (1990–1991). He contributed to the organization of the presidential elections in which Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected. He was reportedly appointed Ambassador of Haiti to Japan by President Aristide in 1991. Jean-Gardy resigned following the arrest of President Ertha Pascal-Trouillot. He then joined the United Nations system, where he was hired by Reinhart Helmcke (Germany) as Coordinator of Programs (Hai89018 project) and National Consultant at the World Health Organization (WHO). He also became the Representative in Haiti of the International Union of the French Press for Freedom of Expression and a permanent correspondent for Voice of America (USA) in Haiti.

Awards

Ady Jean-Gardy has reportedly received international recognition from Mali, Benin, Togo, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Germany, France, the United States, and several nations in Latin America. He received an award in Florida after inspiring American authorities to introduce Haitian history into Floridian schools. Following his recommendations, the Mayor of Miami-Dade County, Carlos Alvarez, published an official decree recognizing January as the month of Haiti's Independence. He was awarded the International History Award.^[1]