Statement by Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Anna Evstigneeva at a UNSC Briefing on Haiti
Mr. President,
We wish to thank SRSG Carlos Ruiz Massieu, SRSG on Children and Armed Conflict Vanessa Frazier, and Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime Monica Juma. We are grateful for their comprehensive briefings. We have closely listened to the Head of the Gang Suppression Force in Haiti, Jack Christofides. We welcome the participation in today's meeting of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Haiti, Ms. Raina Forbin, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic, Mr. Roberto Álvarez Gil.
Haiti continues to teeter on a knife-edge; while progress requires enormous effort, the risk of an irreversible slide into the abyss of chaos remains exceedingly high. Following his visit to Port-au-Prince in June, the Secretary-General himself eloquently described the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe on the island and the inadequacy of the international response to it.
A fundamental step toward stabilizing the country must be the return to a constitutional path of development and the restoration of democratically elected government bodies. In this context, the efforts of both the transitional authorities and the international community, represented by the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), are rightly focused on organizing the long-awaited presidential elections.
We are also concerned by the repeated postponement of the elections. While we recognize that these delays are largely due to existing challenges on the ground, we expect that definitive dates for the vote will be promptly set, and that this time there will be no further delays. We call on the transitional authorities and all political forces to engage in dialogue and work together responsibly in the interests of national unity. Haiti must determine its own future, free from the harmful external interference that lies at the root of so many of the country's problems.
The primary threat to a secure electoral process in Haiti continues to emanate from gangs. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), these gangs have evolved from street banditry groups into well-structured criminal networks with diversified income and extensive control over territory, transportation infrastructure, and the socioeconomic fabric of the Haitian population. It is the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) working in coordination with the Haitian National Police and the armed forces that is assigned to drive these gangs out of the areas under their control.
We note the progress made in deploying the GSF and in making the UN Support Office in Haiti operational. We expect that now that all logistics and material infrastructure are in place, the international contingent will be able to launch decisive operations against Haitian gangs as per the mandate entrusted to it by the Security Council.
At the same time, we once again call on the leadership of the GSF and UN missions in Haiti to focus on comprehensive measures to accompany the settlement process, as without these the gains achieved through the use of force will not be sustainable. This includes, first and foremost, the comprehensive disarmament and disbandment of gangs, reintegration opportunities for their members, and the strengthening of the country’s judicial and penitentiary systems to ensure the effective and fair treatment of detainees. A separate priority must be given to the protection of children’s rights and the humane treatment of children, including those recruited by gangs. We support the work on the options for international assistance to disarmament and reintegration programs outlined in the Secretary-General’s specialized report, while emphasizing that the primary responsibility for efforts in this regard rests with the Haitian people themselves.
Madam President,
Attempting to resolve the gang problem solely through the use of force, without addressing the sources of their financing and supplies – specifically, the supply of weapons – is akin to bailing water out of a sinking ship while ignoring the hole in its hull. At the same time, the latest UNODC report explicitly states that illicit trafficking of weapons into the island continues virtually unhindered. The arms embargo imposed by the Security Council is, in practice, not being enforced. While the Haitian authorities’ failure to comply with the sanctions regime can still be attributed to the country’s inadequate resources and expertise, it remains a mystery why this problem is being persistently overlooked by the US, which remains the largest source of illegal arms to Haiti. Moreover, as the report notes, the restrictive measures introduced by Washington against vessels arriving from Haiti have only created additional obstacles to the delivery of regular cargo and humanitarian aid to that country, but have in no way prevented gangs from acquiring weapons.
We stand ready to work constructively with Port-au-Prince and all responsible members of the international community to help restore stability and peaceful life, which the Haitian people so desperately need.
Thank you.
