Friday, October 15, 2021 at midnight the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) expired and was to be renewed by the UN Security Council.

The United States, which generally manages the Haitian file at the United Nations, has proposed a one-year renewal, but the adoption of a resolution to this effect did not go as planned, due to complications Thursday in the negotiations with China.

From a diplomatic source, during these closed-door negotiations, the Chinese were very critical affirming that the UN had done nothing in Haiti, deplores "investments at a loss" during all these years with the money of the great powers, especially from China. Beijing called for a renewal of the UN mandate for only 6 months, leaving the possibility of China using its veto on the one-year renewal proposed by the US. Other aspect that may justify the position of China but not mentioned publicly, is the recognition of Taiwan by Haiti

Finally on Friday around 6:00 p.m., a compomis was found, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2600 (2021), presented by Mexico and the United States extending the mandate of BINUH until July 15 2022 (9 months) and asked the Secretary General to assess his tenure after 6 months

In this text, the Council encouraged close collaboration and coordination between the Office, the United Nations country team in Haiti, regional organizations and international financial institutions with a view to assisting the Government in assuming the responsibility of achieving long-term stability of the country, sustainable development and economic self-sufficiency.

United States Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield to the United Nations "Now is not the time for the Security Council to walk away from Haiti,” but rather to ensure that Haiti gets the assistance and support it needs alongside Haitian-led efforts to address its long-standing challenges."

Mexican Ambassador to the UN Juan Ramón de la Fuente Ramírez said that "The mandate renewal will give certainty to the Office and enable Member States to assess the Secretary-General’s conclusions with a view to making, in due course, the necessary changes to make the Office’s mandate more effective."

For his part, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun to the UN declared "it behoves the international community to give Haiti more tailored support. Haiti’s leaders must halt their power struggles, shoulder their responsibilities, take the country out of chaos and put it on the path of orderly development. The renewal of the Office’s mandate is an opportunity to discuss how to help Haiti more effectively [...]" adding "thanks to the joint efforts of China, the Russian Federation and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, substantial improvements to the draft were achieved. Working from the Secretary-General’s review, the Council will be able to update the Office’s mandate in light of changing circumstances to better help the Haitian people" recalling "Haiti cannot achieve stability without self-reliance."

HL/ HaitiLibre