Meeting on Wednesday, December 21, 2022 in the afternoon, at the request of the Russian Federation to take stock of the situation in Haiti, two months after the imposition of a sanctions regime against this country, the Security Council resounded with calls for international solidarity and the conclusion of an inter-Haitian political agreement. However, the Council has displayed its divisions on the merits of the deployment of an international armed rapid intervention force called to help the National Police of Haiti (PNH) against gangs as requested by the Government of Haiti https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37831-haiti-flash-towards-a-foreign-armed-intervention-in-haiti-to-eliminate-gangs.html

In her speech, Ms. AMINA J. MOHAMMED, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, deplored that at the end of the year, Haiti is plunged into a crisis of unprecedented scale and complexity. She denounced gang violence, which paralyzes the country and hinders the free movement of people, goods and humanitarian aid. She urged all countries with the capacity to do so to give urgent attention to the request for a specialized international armed force submitted by the Government of Haiti with a view to restoring security and alleviating the humanitarian crisis. "It is absolutely essential for Haiti to regain institutional stability and resume the path of peace and sustainable development" She added that beyond the immediate emergency, Haiti will also need "international support to tackle the structural causes of this crisis and break the cycles that have hindered its development."

Ms. Helen La Lime, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Haiti and Head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) first welcomed the fact that the blockade of the country's main oil terminal ended in early November, thanks to a concerted effort by the PNH, adding that the hope raised by this operation quickly dissipated due to the rise in gang activity, marked by spikes in kidnappings, murders and rapes .

She stressed the importance of a "non-UN multinational force" alongside the National Police of Haiti (PNH) to end gang violence and restore order.

Roberto Álvarez Gil, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic agreed, emphasizing the need, in addition to the training of the PNH, of a "robust force, capable of restoring peace and putting an end to the armed gang violence". A position shared by Norway and Ghana, who both wanted to broaden the consultations on the proposals for the deployment of an "international security assistance mission" in Haiti. More measured, France called for more effective support of the PNH with equipment, funding and training.

Also in favor of sanctions, China, for its part, recalled that it had been the first to propose measures against gangs and their sponsors and that it had asked the Secretary-General to make recommendations on how to help the PNH to fight them. In the opinion of the Russian Federation, there is no ready-made formula for putting the country back on the path of sustainable development. "We doubt, like the majority of Haitians, that the deployment of an international security force can fundamentally change the situation in this area," said the Russian delegation, for whom the situation in Haiti is the result of "the long-term interference of the United States and the harmful effects of French colonization."

Download the complete interventions of the speakers on Haiti (French PDF 12 pages) : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/onu-21-12-2022-fr.pdf

HL/ HaitiLibre