S/PV.8510 Security Council

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2019/311, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by the United States of America. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2019/198, which contains the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti. 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 13 votes in favour and two abstentions. The draft resolution has been adopted as resolution 2466 (2019). I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements.

We were pleased to vote in favour of resolution 2466 (2019), on the final renewal of the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH) until 15 October 2019. This resolution will conclude the United Nations peacekeeping presence in Haiti after more than 15 years. On this occasion, we would like thank the peacekeepers who have honourably served in MINUJUSTH, and in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti before it. We remember and honour their sacrifices and efforts in support of a free, prosperous and peaceful Haiti. The resolution sets the stage for the transition to a non-peacekeeping United Nations presence. We are eager to establish a special political mission and look forward to the report of the Secretariat that is tasked in the resolution, which will facilitate the Security Council’s consideration of a mandate. In the interim, we expect the Government of Haiti and MINUJUSTH to continue working together to achieve the benchmarks that the Council previously laid out until the drawdown of the Mission and beyond. The transition will mean a significant handover of responsibility back into the hands of the Haitian Government and its people. Now is the time for the Government of Haiti to step up and assume that responsibility. As a long-time partner and friend, the United States continues to support Haiti on that path, mindful of the challenges ahead. In the immediate future, we call on all Haitian actors to continue efforts towards a constructive and inclusive dialogue that aims to find lasting solutions to the current political and economic challenges. We are convinced that genuine dialogue and compromise, leading to a transparent and accountable Government, can best serve the needs and aspirations of the Haitian people.

We welcome the adoption of resolution 2466 (2019), which renews the mandate of the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti for the last time. The text, which includes a mention of Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, provides the Mission with the necessary means to conclude the tasks that were entrusted to it, implement all the recommendations of the Secretary-General and enable the Secretariat to expedite the transition to a special political mission focused on providing strategic advice to Haitian authorities, especially the Haitian National Police. This final renewal of the mandate is not only a new page that is being turned in the relations between the United Nations and Haiti, but a new chapter altogether. France remains more than ever committed to ensuring success in that regard.

We wish to welcome the adoption of resolution 2466 (2019), which renews the mandate of the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH) for a final period of six months, until 15 October, in line with the recommendation of the Secretary-General and the expectations of the Government of Haiti. Nevertheless, in accordance with resolution 2410 (2018), Peru believes that we must reiterate that, within the framework of the exit strategy and transition of MINUJUSTH, we must continue bearing in mind the security conditions on the ground and the overall capacity of Haiti to guarantee stability across its territory. Accordingly, based on the new report on the operational details of the special political mission that has been requested, we hope to promptly begin the negotiation process, with a view to ensuring a smooth transition and the establishment and full operation of the mission by 16 October 2019. Peru is firmly committed to Haiti’s being able to continue to count on the support and assistance of the United Nations through a robust special political mission together with the human and financial resources it needs.

Russia had to abstain in the voting on resolution 2466 (2019), on the final extension of the mandate of the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH), just as it was forced to do last year (see S/PV.8226). We would like to explain the motives for our decision so that no one has any doubt about our full support for the stabilization process in Haiti. Just a week ago, the Security Council discussed the situation in the country (see S/PV.8502). At that time, despite the concern about the tensions in the country on the eve of elections, most members of the Security Council shared the Security-General’s assessment that the Government and the Haitian National Police would be able to assume full responsibility for security in the country by October. However, to our confusion, the authors of the MINUJUSTH resolution have for two years now pursued a hard line, expanding the application of Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations to the entire mandate, including human rights monitoring. We continue to fail to understand how the human rights situation in a country where an armed conflict has long been over presents a threat to international peace and security. There is another reason for our being unable to support resolution 2466 (2019), namely, the comprehensive and integrated performance policy framework that the penholder has entrusted the Secretary-General to apply to the Mission in Haiti. Let us recall that work on this policy framework has not yet been concluded, and that if it is finalized before the drawdown of the peacekeeping presence in Haiti, then, according to the proper procedures, the policy framework must be discussed by States Members of the United Nations in relevant platforms before it can be applied. The fact that Council members have divergent views is not unusual. However, we are disappointed that the American penholder has blatantly ignored the concerns of other members of the Council. Consensus could have been achieved. To that end, we proposed specific, balanced options on this matter, but unfortunately they were ignored. Such an approach gives rise to serious concern as we begin discussions on a special political mission to replace the peacekeeping presence in the country. Our disagreement today can hardly help to strengthen the consensus in the Council that Port-au- Prince is requesting. Notwithstanding the foregoing, I would like to conclude my explanation of our abstention on resolution 2466 (2019) with words of support for the people and the Government of Haiti, who in six months will have the opportunity to take full national ownership of the fate of their country, its stability and its development. Russia will continue to work to ensure that the outcome of the Council’s efforts will be a true stabilization of the situation in Haiti and the strengthening of its sovereignty and self-sufficiency.

The Security Council just adopted resolution 2466 (2019), which renews the mandate of the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH) for the last time, until 15 October 2019. The resolution will be conducive to MINUJUSTH continuing to discharge its mandate, help the Haitian Government take up its responsibilities for national security, and achieve an orderly final exit. It is in the interest of Haiti and the countries of the region. China voted in favour of the resolution. At the same time, China believes that the Security Council bears the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. MINUJUSTH should be focused on assisting Haiti to deal with peace and security issues and should not be too involved in the country’s domestic human rights issues. Council members should have had more consultations on the draft resolution to strive for consensus and further bridge differences. China hopes that Council members will remain united in follow-on consultations on the special political mission and make efforts to promote peace, stability and development in Haiti.

For the Dominican Republic, the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH) will conclude at the same time that elections are expected to be held in the country, a time that always implies possible instabilities. We believe that the timing and conditions need to be taken into account when making way for any other post-MINUJUSTH work of the United Nations. The task of the Security Council is to ensure international peace and security and to achieve a transition from MINUJUSTH in accordance with the best interests of the Haitian people.

I will now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of Germany. I would like to make four points. First, we support the extension of the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH) for a final period of six months. Secondly, I would like to echo the sentiments of the representatives of Peru and the Dominican Republic that the United Nations should remain engaged with Haiti and that we should have a smooth transition to the follow-up United Nations presence, the special political mission, in Haiti. We believe that this is of crucial importance. Thirdly, in response to my Russian colleague with regard to the relationship between Chapter VII and human rights monitoring, we believe that the respect for human rights is a question of security and therefore rightfully within the mandate. The presence of Ms. Bachelet in our discussions last week (see S/PV.8502) was proof of this. Fourthly, I would like to highlight that Haiti is among the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change and natural disasters. When we look at the island from space, we can see that one half is absolutely green and the other half has hardly any trees, which makes this country particularly susceptible to natural disasters. We would have liked to have something on this issue in resolution 2466 (2019). and we regret that this was not possible. We believe that a future United Nations presence should provide advice to the Haitian Government on how to strengthen the country’s resilience with respect to the challenges of climate change. I now resume my functions as President of the Security Council. There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers.