Vladimir Paraison, Acting Commander-in-Chief of the Haitian National Police, participated in the 5th United Nations Police Chiefs' Summit (UNCOPS 2026) in New York. The Haitian delegation, led by Patrick Pélissier, Minister of Public Security, also included Lieutenant General Derby Guerrier, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAd'H), Chief Inspector General of the PNH, Frédéric Leconte, and Inspector General Jacques Joël Orival, Presidential Security Coordinator.

Address by Vladimir Paraison :

"Madam Deputy Secretary-General,

Ladies and Gentlemen Delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen, in your respective ranks, titles, grades, and capacities,

I stand before you today to speak on behalf of a dignified Nation, a Nation committed to the solemn reconquest of its security sovereignty. The sharing of the island is taking place in a context marked by the scourge of regional drug trafficking, which is ravaging and profoundly destabilizing the region, and particularly Haitian territory.

Faced with this challenge, the security of our country requires adopting a new technological approach. It is becoming essential to deploy cutting-edge equipment for border surveillance, as well as ships equipped with advanced technological capabilities, able to intercept, process, and transfer information in real time to the appropriate units for decision-making.

The time for isolated police action is over. Synergy among all stakeholders is required, particularly the opportunities offered by the UNCOP platform, which enables the strategic pooling of human, logistical, and technological resources among the region's police forces.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The bravery of our troops on the front lines cannot be the sole response to a crisis whose roots extend beyond our borders. We cannot achieve lasting stability in our territory if weapons continue to fuel terrorist activities with impunity.

It is my duty, within this august UNCOPS 2026 assembly, to highlight a glaring contradiction : while the Republic of Haiti scrupulously respects international restrictions and possesses no defense industry, the criminal coalitions that destabilize it receive an uninterrupted flow of advanced heavy weapons. This situation demands a multilateral commitment and increased international police cooperation from us to sever the channels of cross-border arms trafficking.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The time for appearances is over. Faced with the unspeakable barbarity of the atrocities committed on our soil, we must stop describing these groups with terms that minimize their gravity. These armed gangs are not simply delinquents. By their modus operandi and the terror they instill, they are veritable terrorist organizations.

What we are confronting in Haiti is no longer isolated crime, but the tentacles of a global, hybrid network. This criminal system, fueled by the dangerous convergence of arms trafficking, drug trafficking, and money laundering, threatens not only our national stability, but also the security of our entire region.

I urge the systematic integration of the priorities of the United Nations Police into the heart of major international forum processes related to peace and global security. It is only through robust and coordinated collective action that we will build a safer world.

Finally, I wish to reiterate my profound gratitude to the international community, and particularly to the United Nations, for the continued support provided to my country through the GSF in this relentless battle against criminal networks.

However, the government of the Republic strongly reaffirms that the security of the Republic of Haiti remains the primary and sovereign responsibility of the Haitian authorities and law enforcement agencies. Mandated by our country's Constitution, the Haitian National Police and the Armed Forces of Haiti are working tirelessly to ensure this. Together, we will succeed in restoring peace, order, and freedom of movement for all the sons and daughters of the Haitian nation.

Let us work towards a secure world, a better Haiti.

Thank you !"

HL/ HaitiLibre