S/PV.7277 Security Council

In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representatives of Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, Guatemala and Uruguay to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2014/732, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by Brazil, Canada, France, the United States of America and Uruguay. Members of the Council also have before them document S/2014/617, which contains the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti. It is my understanding that the Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2180 (2014). I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements following the adoption of the resolution.

Chile voted in favour of resolution 2180 (2014) as an expression of my country’s ongoing commitment to the democratic process, the rule of law and the promotion of human rights and socioeconomic development in Haiti, in which the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) has had and continues to have an important role. We also did so in order to maintain a constructive spirit in the work of the Security Council. We regret that we were not in a position to be a sponsor of the resolution this year, as we have been in the past. The Council has just adopted the resolution renewing the mandate of MINUSTAH on the basis of recommendations to that led to apprehension on our part, as they do for some in the Latin American community that contribute troops and police to the Mission. In the course of the negotiations, Chile supported a gradual reduction of forces, taking into consideration the electoral timetable in order to ensure a process that ensures transparency and eventual democratic governance, so to avoid undermining the achievements recent years. A drastic reduction in the number of MINUSTAH’s military contingents could diminish the Mission’s prevention capacity and, in a crisis, which we hope will not occur, it would be obliged to react under operational concepts that are still unclear, with all the risks that that entails. My country cannot ensure in advance if it will be able to continue participating, as we have done in the past 10 years. Furthermore, our understanding of paragraph 2 of the resolution is that military contingents will remain at levels similar to the current ones until the next report of the Secretary- General, due in March 2015, so as to be able to support any development in the electoral realm. We reiterate that any decision with regard to an increase or decrease in the number of troops should be adopted in accordance with the situation on the ground, not on the basis of considerations that may vary. In that connection, Chile expects that the provisions of paragraph 3 of the resolution will be strictly implemented — that any adjustment in the configuration of the forces must be based on the situation on the ground — as well as those of paragraph 4, which reinforces the commitment of the Security Council to review any situation that jeopardizes the achievements made. But it is equally important that Haiti’s political leaders take on their responsibilities with maturity and now agree to pursue the pending elections and ensure the realization of the 2015 presidential elections. That process has abeen delayed more than is prudent, with a peacekeeping Mission that has already been on the ground for more than 10 years and must necessarily be in the process of envisioning a horizon for an exit. In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that Chile considers it important that the views of troop- contributing countries be adequately taken into account in evaluating any reconfiguration of a peacekeeping operation of the United Nations, especially when reconfigurations of this magnitude are considered.

The United Kingdom welcomes the fact that the Security Council voted unanimously in favour of the renewal of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). We also welcome the spirit of compromise and flexibility displayed on all sides during the negotiations on the text of resolution 2180 (2014). The unanimous adoption of the resolution sends a strong message of united Council support for this important Mission. The United Kingdom notes that concerns have been expressed by some about the provisions for the drawdown of the Mission. In that respect, the United Kingdom welcomes the balance that has been struck in the text. Haiti has seen no military conflict in recent times, and peacekeepers have been called out only twice in the past 18 months to deal with security incidents. As the Permanent Representative of Chile said, the role of MINUSTAH should be to help Haiti take back responsibility for its security, and not to perform that task itself indefinitely. The resolution provides for a responsible scaling back of MINUSTAH’s military component over time, based on a thorough assessment of the security situation.

I want to thank members of the Council for their efforts to forge a consensus that reaffirms to the people of Haiti today that the members of the Security Council remain united in their support for Haiti’s aspirations to a secure and stable country. We agree with the Chilean Ambassador — and, I assume, with everyone else on the Council — that the situation on the ground should drive our decision-making as a Council. It has up to this point, and it must continue to do so going forward. The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) will continue to make an important contribution to Haiti’s security. I would like to reiterate the appreciation of the United Nations to the troops, police and other staff who make up MINUSTAH in order to support the Haitian people. Several of the troop- and police-contributing countries are represented in the Security Council, and others are here in the Chamber. We thank them for all that they have done and will continue to do. We look forward to continuing to work constructively together and with the Haitian people to help them achieve durable peace, security and democracy.

I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of Argentina. Argentina’s delegation voted in favour of resolution 2180 (2014) on the understanding that the Haitian Government has expressed its agreement with the terms of the renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), as well as an expression of Argentina’s continued solidarity with efforts to strengthen the democratic process and bolster Haiti’s security and stability. However, we would have preferred that the resolution reflect the comments and proposals made by Argentina and other Latin American troop contributors during the negotiations in the Group of Friends of Haiti, as well as the concerns of those same contributors in the debate the Council held on the situation in Haiti on 11 September (see S/PV.7262). Unfortunately, it is for that reason that we did not join as sponsor of the resolution, as have on previous occasions in which the Council renewed the mandate of the Mission. We are greatly concerned that the security situation in Haiti has not improved enough to favour a rapid and sharp reduction in the level of MINUSTAH troops, or such a substantial change in its mandate as this, in a year when such an important electoral process for Haiti’s future is scheduled to take place. We also believe that the Haitian National Police does not yet have or come to have in the next year the capabilities necessary to maintain public order and security, especially during the elections. We are concerned in particular that, as indicated by the latest report of the Secretary-General (S/2014/617), the residual military component will not have the capacity to carry out the important deterrence and conflict-prevention tasks it has undertaken to date, including conducting patrols. That could have unintended consequences and could force the international community to have to face an even more difficult and complex situation. In such circumstances Argentine troops could be called upon to perform duties beyond deterrence that are prohibited by law in our country. Therefore, my delegation believes it important to reiterate that the Argentine armed forces do not, and will not, perform repression activities, neither in Argentina nor abroad. They will therefore not carry out functions of that kind in Haiti. Moreover, we would like to emphasize the importance of the Secretariat consulting with countries that contribute military or police personnel when evaluating the reconfiguration of a peacekeeping operation, including taking their views into consideration, especially when dealing with reductions of this scope. Argentina, along with many other countries, has made great efforts over the past 10 years to help strengthen the democratic process, safety and the economic and social development of Haiti. Therefore, we believe that we must make a final effort, in the most appropriate way and in accordance with the circumstances, to properly and successfully conclude the work to which we have committed ourselves. In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that the delegation of Argentina voted in favour of resolution 2180 (2014) in the understanding that the Government of Haiti has expressed its acceptance of the terms of the renewal of MINUSTAH’s mandate and as an expression of our solidarity with the efforts aimed promoting at democratic, economic and socially inclusive development in Haiti. I now resume my functions as President of the Council. I give the floor to the representative of Guatemala.

Allow me to begin by reaffirming our commitment to United Nations peacekeeping operations, as well as to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), to which my country has contributed troops since its establishment in 2004. When it comes to United Nations peacekeeping operations, the Security Council must be predictable in its actions. That requires, including on the part of the Secretariat in accordance with the principle of triangular cooperation, that troop-contributing countries be kept informed and consulted during each cycle of the life of a mission so that they can make informed decisions. Even though it is true that the final decision is up to the Security Council, it is also true that troop-contributing countries are key partners in that common effort. Several reasons led us to ask to participate in this meeting on the renewal of the MINUSTAH mandate. First, we understand that the political and security situation in Haiti has not improved enough to proceed to an accelerated and sharp reduction by more than half of the current troop level, as the Security Council has just decided. Secondly, resolution 2180 (2014), which has just been adopted, interrupts MINUSTAH’s ongoing consolidation plan for 2013-2016. It also replaces in less than six months the five options that were under consideration by the Security Council and troop- contributing countries with a single new option with considerable consequences. Thirdly, it ignores another key index, which we had set as a condition for the reduction of troops, which is progress in the professionalization of the Haitian National Police, whose current plan will be completed in 2016. Fourthly, experience has shown that we must maintain an adequate presence in Haiti, particularly during electoral periods. The measures that have just been adopted could jeopardize the holding of the election itself. Finally, we believe that MINUSTAH should remain in Haiti no longer than necessary. We recall that the consensus reached was that any reduction of MINUSTAH’s military component should take place gradually and responsibly and be associated with the necessary capacity-building, increasing with respect to the Haitian National Police numbers, and that all decisions should be based on conditions on the ground, and not on the budgetary needs of other missions. We regret that the post-2016 scenario is being imposed in 2014, and we were therefore not in a position to co-sponsor the resolution, as my country and other countries in the region have traditionally done.

I give the floor to the representative of Ecuador.

While we endorse the consensus and the democratic process, I have asked through you, Madam President, to speak to the Security Council once again, within the framework of the process to renew the mandate of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), in my capacity as representative of a troop-contributing country and in the desire to express my delegation’s concern with regard to the adoption of resolution 2180 (2014) based on the following reasons. First, as I noted in the Chamber on 11 September (see S/PV.7262), a little over a month ago, my country attaches the utmost priority to the situation in Haiti and is therefore always willing to contribute and to provide the necessary assistance so that this brotherly country can overcome its difficulties. At the same time, I believe that decisions that are taken with regard to MINUSTAH’s consolidation should be based above all on information concerning the situation on the ground, which would make it possible to act on the basis of the principles of objectivity, transparency and justice. In that task, the role of the Secretariat — along with those of the Security Council and the troop-contributing countries — is especially important within the framework of triangular cooperation. At a time when the decisions of the United Nations and in particular the Security Council are under constant scrutiny by the international community within the context of a major debate on the need for its reform, I believe that the principles I have just mentioned are crucial. Secondly and more specifically, there are crucial factors on the ground that do not suggest the appropriateness of an acceleration of MINUSTAH’s consolidation process, as called for by resolution 2180 (2014). I am referring specifically to, first, the political and security situation in Haiti, which has not seen a substantive improvement; and, secondly, to progress in professionalizing the Haitian National Police, whose current plan will not be concluded until 2016; and, thirdly, to the uncertainty surrounding the electoral process for 2014 and 2016. In conclusion, and as I said on 11 September, the development of Latin America at all levels in recent years has made it possible for the Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States to declare the region a zone of peace. In that respect, I would like to express my country’s hope that shall one day be able to refer to MINUSTAH as the last peacekeeping operation to have been established in the zone of peace called Latin America. As a result, it is important to maintain the correct and proper management of the situation at this time so that its final stage will be successful. The decisions taken with regard to MINUSTAH must therefore ensure the sustainability of the progress achieved. To that end, we need a gradual and responsible drawdown strategy that corresponds to the development of the situation on the ground and not simply to budgetary factors. Deliberations on information that is unrelated to the situation on the ground could have undesirable consequences for Haiti and the United Nations. In that context, we also hope that the opinions of troop-contributing countries will be taken into account and serve as evidence in the decisions that the Security Council adopts when it comes to peacekeeping operations.

There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.