S/PV.8768 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/2020/1011, 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/2020/944, which contains the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Integrated Office 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, none against and 2 abstentions. The draft resolution has been adopted as resolution 2547 (2020). I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements after the voting.

At the outset, I would like to thank the United States of America for having drafted resolution 2547 (2020). One year ago in this very Chamber (see S/PV.8641), we discussed the multiple crises besetting Haiti at that time and the possible implications of establishing a special political mission in a country dealing with deep-rooted political, economic and social conflicts and a climate of violence whose victims, unfortunately, are primarily civilians. Today, one year on after the establishment of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), we are seeing a persistent, complex crisis that continues to be multidimensional and has been deeply exacerbated by a huge spike in violence and the impact of the coronavirus disease pandemic, a crisis that has further worsened the already precarious situation and is now including human rights violations, rampant impunity and a severe food crisis that has affected almost half of Haiti’s population. In the past week, aware of the difficult situation, we participated in the negotiation process of the new mandate for BINUH. It had been our hope that we would have a more extensive, cross-cutting and inclusive conversation in order to come up with a more robust multidimensional mandate, including at least the strengthening of human rights safeguards and accountability in Haiti  — a mandate that also would be geared towards combating impunity, providing reparations for victims and curbing the persistent violence perpetrated by the gangs that control the streets and have been assaulting, abducting and displacing people and assassinating eminent, high-profile persons. Unfortunately, the talks did not lead to the changes that we had wanted and that could have helped Haiti in the consolidation of its long-awaited political stability. With the adoption of resolution 2547 (2020), we believe that the Council is missing a tremendous opportunity to bring more international community support to the people of Haiti, who are the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. That would have enabled us to lock in the gains made by earlier peace missions in Haiti and averted any worsening of the crisis, which could extend to other countries in the region. However, BINUH will continue to operate under the same mandate as last year, even though indicators are pointing to the fact that progress has been minimal. We are aware of the fact that BINUH has striven to fulfil its mandate despite the limitations on it. It has sought to create a conducive environment so that Haitian society could overcome the paralysis in the process of holding of legislative elections and the lack of consensus on a common political agenda that would enable it to break the impasse and define a new electoral cycle. However, the fragile institutional capacity in the area of security and prevailing conditions mean that greater support is needed from the international community in order to enable the country to activate development and renew hope. It is for that reason that during the negotiations, the Dominican Republic took an active part in coming up with clear-cut proposals on the changes that it thought could strengthen the mandate of BINUH, with a view to devising a stronger mandate with greater capacity that would reflect the solidarity of the international community and be focused on the most pressing challenges facing Haiti. We regret that we were unable to reach a consensus in that respect. The experience in the country and the complexity of the current situation prompt us to conclude that this mandate will continue to fall short of its objectives, especially if Haitian society does not pool its efforts to ensure that this or any other mandate is successful. Nevertheless, given the critical situation in Haiti, we voted in favour of resolution 2547 (2020), because our understanding is that, at the risk of seeming conformist, it is better to have this mission than none at all. It is our hope that at least the limited powers entrusted to the mission will mean that it will have enough resources and personnel. We reiterate in closing that the Dominican Republic will continue with an open policy and its long-term collaboration with the people and the Government of Haiti, which reflects our deep solidarity with that country.

France welcomes the adoption of resolution 2547 (2020). The efforts undertaken by the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) in support of political dialogue as well as for governance and the strengthening of the rule of law is of vital importance and should be continued. We welcome the renewal of its mandate for a period of one year. We welcome the fact that the resolution recalls the urgent need to engage in a nationwide dialogue that brings in all Haitian stakeholders in order to facilitate the conduct of free, fair and transparent elections. We call on the Haitian Government to redouble its efforts to undertake the necessary reforms, first, in terms of justice and the fight against impunity. At a time when the country is experiencing an uptick in violence, it is vital that the Haitian State ensure the safety and security of its citizens and that the perpetrators of violence are held accountable for their actions. Secondly, the credibility of Haitian institutions is being significantly undermined by instances of corruption. Civil society has for years been calling for transparency. The fight against corruption must to be the top priority of the political establishment in Haiti, and the Haitian authorities must provide guarantees in terms of the proper use of the international funding that is granted to them. The adoption of this resolution reflects the fact that the international community remains vigilant with respect to the situation in Haiti. This is of vital importance, and France will continue to work to that end alongside our partners.

China abstained in the voting on resolution 2547 (2020), on the rollover of the technical mandate of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), primarily for the following reasons. First, the resolution failed to respond to the dire situation prevailing in Haiti. According to the report of the Secretary-General (S/2020/944), Haiti is still mired in a political deadlock, and the Haitian people face a deteriorating security environment and worsening livelihoods. The political, economic and social crisis in Haiti, far from being alleviated, has shown signs of worsening further. Various parties unanimously expressed concern over the situation in Haiti during the Council’s discussions held on 5 October (see S/2020/979). The Council, in adopting a mere technical rollover resolution, has failed to demonstrate the importance that it attaches to the current grim situation in Haiti. It has not satisfied the concerns of the countries in the region. It has failed to send a strong message and to live up to its responsibilities. Secondly, the draft resolution failed to take account of China’s constructive views and the consensus of all parties. China took an active part in the consultations on the draft and put forward constructive and highly consensual amendments with popular support, embodying such ideas as promoting human rights, reducing violence, protecting civilians, implementing good governance, combating corruption and conducting free, fair, transparent and credible presidential elections. Regrettably, the penholder turned a deaf ear to those constructive suggestions, and China’s legitimate concerns and consensus among all parties were therefore not fully reflected in the draft. To achieve stability in the country, ultimately Haiti can rely only on itself. We urge the Haitian Government and the various factions in Haiti to abide by a people-centred approach, put aside their differences, enhance mutual trust and reach a political solution through inclusive dialogue and extensive consultations. It is hoped that BINUH will intensify efforts and make more progress in pushing for dialogue between the Government and the opposition in Haiti, while stepping up political mediation and promoting peace through development. For its part, China stands ready to work with the members of the Council to continue to support BINUH in implementing its mandate and play a positive role in promoting stability and development in Haiti.

The United States will continue to stand by Haiti and support the vital work of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti. Resolution 2547 (2020) ensures that the United Nations has the mandate that it needs to continue its critical efforts to support democratic institutions, strengthen the rule of law, promote stability and protect human rights in Haiti, in partnership with the United States, Haiti’s neighbours, the core group and the international community. The mandate also reiterates the urgent need for national dialogue to address long-standing drivers of instability and to conduct long-overdue legislative elections as soon as feasible. A well-functioning democracy requires all branches of Government, including the legislative branch, to play their roles. We welcome the renewal of the mandate, and we will continue to demand progress from Haiti’s political actors in resolving those long-standing challenges.

I shall now make a statement in my national capacity. The Russian Federation abstained in the voting on resolution 2547 (2020), on the extension of the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti. We value the efforts of the sponsors to include in the document important elements on the role of the Parliament and the need for national dialogue to surmount the problems besetting the country and to conduct elections. At the same time, we regret the fact that not all of the concerns of Security Council members were taken into account. For example, the document fails to mention the most serious problems with violence vis-à-vis civilians, encroachment on human rights and corruption. It also does not mention the need to respect the country’s Constitution when adopting momentous decisions. It is a great pity that the artificially short timelines prevented an agreement from being reached on what is necessary under present conditions, that is, a substantive document that would go beyond the framework of a mere technical resolution. That is all the more lamentable given that, under such difficult conditions in the country, it is exceedingly important to send a united Council message in support of national dialogue on the basis of the constitutional process. Port-au-Prince needs responsible international assistance. That is why the main goal of the mission, in our view, is to help facilitate nationwide discussions to end the deadlock and to address the situation on the basis of current legislation. We stand ready to provide all the necessary assistance to the Haitian people so that the fruit of the Council’s efforts will be a genuine normalization of the situation in Haiti, strengthened sovereignty and self-sufficiency for the country. I now resume my functions as President of the Council.