UN eyes transition of Haiti role from peacekeeping to development

The United Nations has already started to prepare for a post-peacekeeping presence in Haiti, a senior UN official said Tuesday, stressing there are many reasons to be optimistic that the country’s progress towards stability is now irreversible.

“While achieving results should remain our common priority, we have already started to prepare for a transition to a non-peacekeeping presence, based on lessons learned in Haiti and in other contexts,” the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, told the Security Council.He said that in the coming months, his office will provide progress assessments to allow the 15-member body to take well-informed decisions for the drawdown and eventual withdrawal of the UN Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH).Established in October last year, MINUJUSTH replaced UN Stabilization Mission, which operated in the tiny island nation for 13 years.Much smaller than its predecessor, which had more than 4,000 military and police personnel, MINUJUSTH assists Haiti to further develop national police, strengthen rule of law institutions and promote and protect human rights.While the Security Council is expected to renew MINUJUSTH, whose initial mandate expires on 15 April 2018, Mr. Lacroix said the UN is determined to ensure it be the last peacekeeping operation deployed to Haiti.Last month, UN released a strategic assessment of MINUJUSTH, including 11 benchmarks for a smooth transition to a non-peacekeeping presence by the last quarter of 2019.“Haiti has come a long way to achieve the relative political and security stability it is now enjoying, but persistent economic uncertainties, which can result in social exclusion, particularly of youth and the most vulnerable, may undermine this progress,” said Mr. Lacroix.In mid March, he visited Haiti for the first time since taking office a year ago.He said that MINUJUSTH is fully operational and actively implementing its mandate.For instance, the Mission has co-located 135 individual police officers with the Haitian National Police (HNP) in each of Haiti’s 10 departments, and it is dedicated to helping curb prolonged pretrial detention and prison overcrowding through on-site monitoring.The weaknesses of the rule of law institutions continue to generate multiple human rights challenges and encourage a culture of impunity, he said, noting that priorities in this domain include the need to strengthen national human rights institutions.Acknowledging the relationship between the UN peacekeeping mission and the Government of Haiti could have been smoother, he welcomed the most recent announcement by the country’s President of his priorities on reform, including the strengthening of the justice system and national police, the fight against impunity and prolonged pre-trial detention, the fight against and prevention of corruption, the establishment of the Permanent Electoral Council, and the launching of a national dialogue.By: UN News | April 3, 2018

A New Window of Opportunity for Haiti

MINUJUSTH Deputy Special Representative's first Haiti press conference in Port-au-Prince Eight days after the opening ceremony of the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH) on 16 October 2017, the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Haiti, and Oic Head of Mission, Dr. Mamadou Diallo, held his first press conference in Port-au-Prince today to mark UN Day celebrated each day on 24 October."Haiti is one of the 193 countries that have adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and has set itself the goal of becoming an emerging country and economy by 2030. Not only these objectives are possible, but they represents the commitment of Haiti with its children and grandchildren for a better future and the United Nations will remain side by side with Haiti on this path."Regarding MINUJUSTH, he reaffirmed the new window of opportunity the new mission represents, to foster sustainable development in the country."MINUJUSTH is a window of opportunity to consolidate the political stability achieved during the last years in order to give to open and give a voice to a democratic, stable and prosper future for all Haitians," he stated.Speaking to the media at MINUJUSTH HQ, in the Haitian capital, the Oic Head of Mission, Mamadou Diallo, called on the country’s youth to help address the challenges facing the nation. He considers Haitian youth and women as crucial actors for the development and stability of Haiti."I would like to stress that the United Nations regards youth and women as a priority sector of the population and driving forces for the country’s development, since their participation is essential for the stability and sustainable development of Haiti."Representatives of UN agencies in Haiti and MINUJUSTH’s leadership were also present at the press conference. On his capacity of UN Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Coordinator, Mr. Diallo affirmed that the UN System, Funds and Programs in Haiti remains engaged with the Haitian people when it comes to humanitarian assistance and development."The UN and the Humanitarian Country Team will continue to support national and local authorities in their response to humanitarian needs, always on the direction of Haitian institutions, as was the case after Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and hurricanes Irma and Maria this year" he added. "Nevertheless, the UN’s priority and approach will strengtheng the resilience of institutions and the population to better prevent, respond to and overcome external shocks and humanitarian situations. We are convinced that this is the way to gradually reduce the need for humanitarian assistance and build a solid foundation for development. "Recognizing that Haitians are responsible for choosing and shaping their own future, Mr. Diallo acknowledged that it is the UN priority to accompany them in that regard. « We the United Nations are partners in supporting the authorities and the people in this process, with an approach that prioritizes capacity building of institutions and the people."It is a priority to recognize that Haitians are primarily responsible for choosing their own future and making it a reality. We, the United Nations, are partners in supporting the authorities and the people in this process, with an approach that prioritizes capacity building and institutions and people. "UN Day: A global call to transform the futureThe Head of MINUJUSTH also delivered a message on behalf of the Secretary-General António Guterres' United Nations Day call for people from around the globe to overcome their differences and to address global challenges that go beyond national borders."Our world faces many grave challenges. Widening conflicts and inequality, extreme weather and deadly intolerance, [and] security threats - including nuclear weapons. We have the tools and wealth to overcome these challenges. All we need is the will" said Mr. Guterres in his message.The UN chief also stated in his message that the challenges faced by the world transcend borders and, therefore, everyone needs to transcend their differences to transform our future. "When we achieve human rights and human dignity for all people – they will build a peaceful, sustainable and just world," he added.The SG also urged humanity to respect the values, purpose and principles of the United Nations Charter insisting that " ‘We the Peoples’, have to make this vision a reality.Observed since 1948, the 24th of October -UN Day marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter, the world body’s founding document. As a founded member of the UN, Haiti has been one of the first to sign the Charter in 1945 and participates since then, in the work of the organization for the benefit of the Haitian people and others around the October 24, 2017