S/PV.9752 Security Council

In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of Haiti 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/2024/753, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by Ecuador and the United States of America. 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 2752 (2024). I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements after the voting.

I welcome the representative of Haiti to this meeting. The unanimous adoption of resolution 2752 (2024) is a key element in addressing the crisis in Haiti, whose multidimensional character necessitates a comprehensive response. I thank the United States, as co-penholder, for its close and positive cooperation. I also underscore the constructive engagement of all delegations in the negotiations, which made it possible to renew and strengthen the sanctions regime. This is the third resolution we have adopted on Haiti in approximately as many months, which is testament to Ecuador’s priority commitment to the Haitian people and to the search for sustainable solutions that address the structural causes of violence in that country. Since July of this year, we have renewed the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) and extended the mandate of the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support Mission. The adoption of this resolution is therefore an instrument among the host of tools at the Council’s disposal to advance a political solution in Haiti and to promote a peaceful and prosperous future for its people and for the region. Ecuador welcomes the extension of the mandate of the Panel of Experts, the extension of the travel ban and the assets freeze measures and the inclusion of the illicit exploitation or trade in natural resources as an additional designation criterion. I highlight the extension of the arms embargo as well as the safeguarding of the space required by humanitarian and security operations. That expansion strengthens the fight against transnational organized crime, which uses every form of violence against the civilian population, especially against women. The resolution also incorporates references to the exchange of best implementation practices and encourages Member States to report to the Panel of Experts on implementation measures. Similarly, the resolution recognizes the need to strengthen due process in an ongoing manner to ensure clear and fair procedures in matters of sanctions. In conclusion, I express my appreciation for the role of the Permanent Representative of Guyana, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, and her team in guiding the work of the Sanctions Committee, and I thank the Secretariat and the Panel of Experts for their work.

We are grateful to Ecuador, our co-penholder, for its leadership on resolution 2752 (2024), and we thank all Council members for their continuing support for the sanctions regime. The situation in Haiti remains dire. The United States remains deeply concerned by the security and humanitarian crises in Haiti. Too many people continue to suffer from ongoing violence. The unanimous adoption of this resolution expands the scope of the territorial arms embargo in Haiti and demonstrates our commitment to leveraging available United Nations tools to support the people of Haiti. The Security Council’s recent designations of Luckson Elan and Prophane Victor shows our determination to hold accountable the perpetrators and the enablers of gang violence. The Haiti sanctions regime is a key component of broader international efforts to promote peace and stability in Haiti and in the region. But more work needs to be done to strengthen the impact of the sanctions measures. We urge all Member States to diligently implement all provisions of this resolution. The United States is committed to the people of Haiti and will continue to work closely with all stakeholders to facilitate peace and prosperity for the country and the region.

China welcomes the Council’s unanimous adoption of resolution 2752 (2024), which renews the sanctions regime on Haiti for one year. I thank Ecuador and the United States for their work as co-penholders. I also wish to take this opportunity to commend Guyana for its hard work as Chair of the Sanctions Committee and to acknowledge the work done by the Committee and the Panel of Experts. Over the past year, in order to effectively combat gang violence and utilize the sanctions regime on Haiti, the Sanctions Committee has seriously implemented the relevant resolutions and has in particular actively promoted efforts on the arms embargo. However, we have noted that the security situation in Haiti has not improved, with gang violence remaining rampant and even spreading and expanding. That points to the absence of an effective arms embargo. Arms and ammunition continue to flow into the country. The security of the Haitian people is still under serious threat. The Haitian authorities, countries of the region and the overwhelming majority of Council members have expressed concern and repeatedly called for strengthening the arms embargo regime on Haiti. The just-adopted resolution 2752 (2024) is an effective response to those calls. It sets out stricter, more detailed and more targeted provisions on the arms embargo. First, it stipulates broader proscriptions on the arms embargo, covering all arms and related military equipment. Secondly, it requests the Sanctions Committee to consider listing individuals and entities violating the arms embargo as soon as possible. Thirdly, it encourages the Haitian authorities to strengthen control over arms, ammunition and borders and effectively raise awareness of the arms embargo among Government agencies and the general public. Fourthly, it encourages Member States to regularly report to the Sanctions Committee and the Panel of Experts on their implementation and calls on Member States to cooperate with the Panel on its investigations. Fifthly, it encourages the Panel, the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to strengthen coordination and cooperation. We hope that all parties will spare no effort in implementing the resolution and the measures mentioned so that they can have a real deterrent effect on gangsters. Since last July, the Security Council has unanimously adopted three resolutions renewing the mandates of BINUH, the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti and sanctions regime on Haiti by one year each. That demonstrates the determination of the international community to stay united to help Haiti address the crisis. However, external support can cure only the symptoms, not the root causes. For Haiti to emerge from the current plight, the key lies in its own efforts. It is imperative to establish at an early date a legitimate, responsible and effective Government and effectively promote a Haitian-led and Haitian-owned political process. We hope that all parties in Haiti will give priority to the interests of the Haitian people, speed up political consultations in pursuit of consensus and push for early substantive progress in the political process. We support the continued good offices of BINUH and the Caribbean Community and stand ready to work with the international community to help Haiti restore peace, stability and tranquillity as soon as possible.

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the three African members of the Security Council, namely, Algeria, Mozambique and Sierra Leone, as well as my own country, Guyana (A3+). We welcome the participation of the Permanent Representative of Haiti. The A3+ welcomes the unanimous adoption of resolution 2752 (2024), which renews the Haiti sanctions regime and the mandate of the Panel of Experts. We thank the co-penholders — Ecuador and the United States  — for their constructive efforts throughout the negotiations and for yet again delivering a consensus text. By unanimously adopting this resolution today, the Security Council reaffirms its strong commitment to curbing gang violence in Haiti and to helping the men, women and children who have been victimized by brutal gang violence for far too long. We also welcome the Council’s decision to broaden the scope of the arms embargo to cover all types of weapons and ammunition and to include activities that destabilize Haiti through the illicit exploitation or trade of natural resources, demonstrating yet again its readiness to respond to the evolving situation on the ground and the demands of the Haitian people. We stress the importance of greater coordination among the Sanctions Committee, the Panel of Experts, the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and other regional frameworks to implement the sanctions measures, as called for in this resolution, and to encourage them to work together to raise awareness among Member States and relevant Haitian authorities on the provisions those measures. We see that as a critical step to strengthening the implementation of the sanctions regime, and we encourage all States Members of the United Nations to fully comply with its provisions. We also urge the international community to scale up support to the Haitian National Police, where needed, so that they can meet the expectations outlined in this resolution, by bolstering their capacity to combat illicit firearms and ammunition trafficking, the illicit possession and misuse of such weapons and border and customs control. Those efforts must also go hand in hand with the continued advancement of a transparent Haitian-led and -owned political process and support for the humanitarian response. We commend the progress being made in the implementation of the transitional governance arrangements and underscore the need for more robust support from the international community to help holistically address the security and humanitarian challenges in Haiti. The humanitarian response is critical to addressing the pressing needs of those affected by the crisis, including by providing protection services for women and children, addressing their immediate and long-term food and nutritional needs and preventing famine. It is also critical to ensuring that persons in need have access to water, hygiene and sanitation services and that displaced children have access to a safe and protective education. Those efforts, together with the restoration of security and the promotion of economic recovery are critical components of the overall effort to strengthen the country’s stability and improve the living conditions of the Haitian people. We would like to emphasize the crucial work of the Sanctions Committee in continually updating the sanctions list to include individuals and entities responsible for insecurity in Haiti. In conclusion, I wish to extend our appreciation to the Panel of Experts for their excellent work in service of justice and accountability for the victims of gang violence in Haiti, as well as to our fellow Council members for their constructive engagement on this text.

I now give the floor to the representative of Haiti.

First of all, I would like to congratulate the Swiss presidency on presiding over the Security Council in the month of October and to thank you, Madam President, for organizing this meeting devoted to renewing the sanctions regime on Haiti. Haiti welcomes the unanimous adoption of resolution as 2752 (2024), which renews for a year the sanctions regime established by resolution 2653 (2022) and which, at the same time, extends by 13 months the mandate of the Panel of Experts that assists the Committee in its work. I would like to thank all of the members of the Council, in particular the co-penholders — the United States of America and Ecuador — for having worked actively to arrive at this outcome. By unanimously adopting this timely resolution, the Security Council reaffirms its resolute determination to go after everything that contributes to a deterioration of the security situation in the country and that at the same time represents a serious threat to peace and security in the region. In that regard, we are particularly encouraged by the new provisions adopted to make the sanctions more effective  — for example, when it comes to the arms embargo, whose scope now has been broadened — to prevent the inflow of illicit weapons into Haiti, which fuel the epidemic of gang violence in the country. In addition to light weapons and munitions, the ban is now expanded to related weapons and material of all kinds, military vehicles and materials and spare parts, as well as technical assistance, training, financial assistance and any other assistance having to do with military activities, to name but a few. Along the same lines, we are very encouraged by the fact that this resolution expands the activities set out in paragraph 15 of resolution 2653 (2022) to activities that destabilize Haiti, such as the illicit exploitation or trade of natural resources. We cannot but welcome these important advances. Once again, we call on Member States to be more proactive in combating the illicit trafficking in weapons, which not only sows sorrow among Haitian families but also undermines the social, economic and political fabric of the country. I should also like to highlight the provision set out in paragraph 4, which calls for greater coordination among the Sanctions Committee, the Panel of Experts and other United Nations and regional stakeholders in the implementation of the sanctions regime, by organizing joint information meetings for the United Nations to raise awareness of the sanctions. In conclusion, by adopting this resolution, the Security Council has significantly moved forward in finding a solution to the serious multidimensional crisis assailing my country. We must now move on to the active phase, namely, the effective implementation of this important text by Member States. It is our hope that, in line with paragraph 13 of the resolution, the main goals of the resolution will be achieved by the time of the next assessment, which is scheduled for a year from now.