S/PV.7994 Security Council

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. At this meeting, the Security Council will hear a briefing by the representative of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, which led the Security Council mission to Haiti from 22 to 24 June. I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. The Security Council visited the Republic of Haiti from 22 to 24 of June on an official mission headed by Bolivia in its capacity as President of the Council for the month of June. The purpose of the visit was to: reaffirm the support of the Security Council to the Government and the people of Haiti for the purpose of contributing to its stability and development; review the implementation of resolution 2350 (2017), with a focus on the conclusion of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and the transition to the new United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH); and identify the necessary measures for the successful implementation of the mandate of MINUJUSTH. The visit was conducted over three days. All meetings were held in Port-au-Prince. On the first day, the Security Council met four stakeholders. The first meeting was with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of Mission, Ms. Sandra Honoré, and her team. Ms. Honoré welcomed the mission and indicated the progress being made in the drawdown of MINUSTAH and preparations for the transition to MINUJUSTH. The second Council meeting was with His Excellency the President of the Republic of Haiti, Mr. Jovenel Moïse, and members of his Cabinet. President Moïse indicated the vision of his Government to respond to the major challenges facing his country, while emphasizing the Caravane du changement and the joint legislative agenda. He expressly mentioned the wish that MINUJUSTH be reclassified under Chapter VI of the Charter of the United Nations, instead of Chapter VII. He deplored the cholera situation and expressed his support for the new focus of the United Nations. He also expressed his concern about the well- being of orphaned children and cases of sexual abuse and exploitation. The third meeting was with the officials of the United Nations team in Haiti. They indicated that the United Nations has before it an opportunity to focus on decentralization, the rule of law, agriculture and education. The first day of the visit ended with a meeting with the diplomatic corps, during which the many complex challenges and needs that the country is facing were enumerated. On the second day, we had six meetings. We first met with the Supreme Council of the National Police, under the Prime Minister, Mr. Jack Guy Lafontant, who thanked the Security Council for its visit and reaffirmed his country’s commitment to the professionalization of the police. Another senior member of the Supreme Council of the National Police, the Director-General of the Haitian National Police, Mr. Michel-Ange Gedeon, reviewed the many achievements and challenges of the police and informed us about the priorities of his institution set out in the strategic development plan for the period 2017-2020. After this meeting, we held an event to pay tribute to the victims of, and persons affected by, the earthquake of 2010. The second meeting we had on 23 June was with main authorities of the National Assembly and the commissions for justice, public security, human rights, constitutional reform, ethics and anti-corruption. Parliamentarians were grateful to the United Nations for the support in stabilizing the country and the deployment of MINUSTAH in 2004. They requested that the new Mission be placed under Chapter VI of the Charter of the United Nations. They reviewed the legislation, highlighting parliamentary initiatives under way and the constitutional review process. Lastly, they explained the difficulties faced by women with respect to gender equality and the exercise of their rights. After that, we met representatives of civil society and the private sector. In a meeting with civil society we highlighted issues of access to justice and impunity and the inadequate response to the challenges of cholera. Civil society representatives spoke of the need to review the work conducted by MINUSTAH with respect to the rule of law. In the meeting with the private sector, emphasis was placed on the need for economic development in Haiti, as well as the relationship between strengthening the judicial system, encouraging investment and employment creation. Also mentioned was the appropriateness of implementing MINUJUSTH under Chapter VI of the Charter of the United Nations in order to improve Haiti’s international image, thereby making it possible to attract greater investment. The fifth meeting we had was with the High Judicial Council. During that meeting, Council members discussed the various difficulties faced by the judiciary and the need to modernize the system and be able to access the appropriate technology. The sixth and last meeting of the day was with the representatives of the Office of Citizen Protection, the Central Financial Intelligence Unit and the Superior Court of Accounts and Administrative Disputes, national entities for accountability and safeguarding. The three entities requested the technical and financial support of the future MINUJUSTH, as well as support for criminal legislation and procedure reform. The third and last day of the visit, we visited one of the formed police unit camps. The Police Commissioner, Mr. Georges-Pierre Monchotte, reported on the support that the United Nations provides to the Haitian National Police. After that visit the Council hailed the work of the commanders of the troop- and police-contributing countries. In conclusion, we can affirm that the mission of the Security Council to Haiti was successful because of the large amount of first-hand information we obtained in the face-to-face meetings, gathering thereby a better understanding of the challenges, concerns and the expectations that Haitians have about the conclusion of MINUSTAH and the transition to the new mission of MINUJUSTH. The information gathered will be of great use with respect to defining more precisely the nature of the implementation of the new mission. The Security Council was informed by various actors of the existing concerns and the need to deal with the situation of cholera, as well as the existing concerns about the cases of sexual exploitation and abuse. The issue of cholera was mentioned at every meeting as a serious concern that requires attention. In the opinion of many members of the Security Council, Haiti is at a stable political crossroads, one that represents a window of opportunity to implement the reforms the country needs in order to respond to challenges related to the rule of law, justice sector reform, the provision of such basic services as health care and education, the supply of water and sanitation services, the improvement of tax-collection levels, economic growth, the promotion of investment and the creation of jobs for the sustainable development of Haiti. Security Council members all expressed their support for the new focus of the Secretary-General to solve the problem of cholera in Haiti. I now resume my functions as President of the Council. On behalf of the Council, I should like to express appreciation to all of the members of the Security Council and the Secretariat who participated in the mission for the manner in which they discharged their important responsibilities and for all their support.