S/PV.9808 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. At this meeting, the Security Council will hear a briefing by Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations in her capacity as Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2653 (2022) concerning Haiti. I give the floor to Ambassador Rodrigues-Birkett. Mrs. Rodrigues-Birkett: It is an honour for me to address the members of the Security Council in accordance with sub-paragraph 19 (e) of resolution 2653 (2022), by which the Council decided that the Committee should report on its work on an annual basis. In my statement, I will provide a brief overview of the work that has been undertaken since the most recent report by my predecessor to the Council on 12 December 2023 (see S/PV.9504/Corr.1). To date, in 2024, the Committee has met on three occasions in the format of informal consultations and has held two briefings to Member States. On 15 March, the Committee heard a presentation by the Coordinator of the Panel of Experts concerning the Panel’s interim report, contained in document S/2024/253, submitted pursuant to paragraph 20 of resolution 2700 (2023), and discussed the findings and recommendations contained in the report. On 15 July, during the briefing to all Member States, the Coordinator of the Panel of Experts provided an overview of the main findings and recommendations contained in the Panel’s interim report, submitted pursuant to paragraph 20 of resolution 2700 (2023). The Permanent Mission of Haiti to the United Nations, as well as delegations of States of the region and other Member States, participated in the briefing. On 11 September, the Committee heard a presentation by the Coordinator of the Panel of Experts concerning the Panel’s final report, contained in document S/2024/704, submitted pursuant to paragraph 20 of resolution 2700 (2023), and discussed the findings and recommendations contained in the report. On 8 November, the Committee heard a briefing by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, on behalf of the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, pursuant to paragraph 5 of resolution 2664 (2022). On 11 November, during the briefing to all Member States, the Coordinator of the Panel of Experts provided an overview of the main findings and recommendations contained in the Panel’s final report, contained in document S/2024/704, submitted pursuant to paragraph 20 of resolution 2700 (2023). The Permanent Mission of Haiti to the United Nations, as well as delegations of States of the region and other Member States, participated in the briefing. The Panel of Experts appointed pursuant to resolution 2700 (2023) submitted to the Council an interim and a final report on 29 March and 30 September, respectively. In addition, the Panel submitted two confidential periodic updates to the Committee during its mandate. Those reports provided extremely useful insights on the situation in Haiti, as well as on several individuals who could be responsible for or complicit in, or who could have engaged in, directly or indirectly, actions that threaten the peace, security or stability of the country. The mandate of the Panel was extended until 17 November 2025 pursuant to resolution 2752 (2024). The Panel was appointed by the Secretary- General on 13 November. Resolution 2752 (2024), which renewed the sanctions regimes on Haiti for a period of one year, also directed the Committee to expeditiously consider the update of the list of individuals and entities designated pursuant to resolution 2653 (2022), taking into account the reports submitted by the Panel of Experts. In that regard, on 27 September, the Committee added two individuals to the list, and there are currently seven individuals on the sanctions list of the Committee. Moreover, the Committee remains actively seized of the matter. I believe that the resolution 2653 (2022) sanctions regime, together with other necessary measures, can contribute to improving the security situation in the country and creating a conducive environment for both the ongoing political transition and the longer-term political process. Finally, I would like to thank member States for their engagement with the Committee and for participating in meetings of the Committee this year. I encourage member States to continue to strengthen their cooperation with the Panel of Experts and the Committee.

I thank Ambassador Rodrigues- Birkett for her briefing. I now give the floor to the representative of Haiti.

First of all, I would like to welcome the initiative of holding today’s important meeting to hear a briefing by the Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2653 (2022) concerning Haiti. In that regard, I would like to express our delegation’s satisfaction with the dynamism and leadership of Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Permanent Representative of Guyana, at the helm of the Committee. Once again, our country has witnessed yet another act of collective violence by armed gangs, who have again sown grief and desolation among the Haitian population. Last weekend in Cité Soleil, a commune of Port-au-Prince, more than 200 people were massacred by the henchmen of the powerful gang leader known as “Micanor”. As members can see, Haiti is continuing to grapple with this unprecedented multidimensional crisis, which is security-related, humanitarian, institutional and economic in nature and is paralysing the country. The security situation continues to deteriorate. Armed gangs are becoming increasingly violent and are operating without any fear or restraint. They commit terrifying abuses, such as killings, kidnappings, rape and destruction. Children, women and men have been trapped by the indiscriminate violence. People are living in constant fear, facing violence that is worsening every day. They continue to be subjected to increasing violence and widespread violations of their fundamental rights, including sexual violence, killings, kidnappings and forced displacement. The crisis has taken on catastrophic proportions as a result of the intensification of large-scale attacks on the population. According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, approximately 5,000 people have been killed since January this year. A few days ago, members of a criminal gang, whose leader is known as “Micanor”, killed at least 200 people in Cité Soleil, mainly defenceless elderly people, to avenge the death of their leader’s son. According to their leader, the victims were responsible for the son’s death, as they had allegedly put a curse on him. Through the Transitional Presidential Council, the Haitian Government strongly condemned this odious act. The Government reiterated its determination to pursue those responsible for this crime, as well as their accomplices, and to bring them to justice. This tragedy reflects the absolutely urgent need to re-establish security and stability to protect Haitian citizens. There is no doubt that the proliferation of weapons and ammunition is one of the main reasons behind this spiral of violence. Haiti has been invaded by weapons of war despite the embargo imposed by the Security Council through resolution 2653 (2022). The weapons come from outside Haiti, as Haiti does not manufacture weapons. Assault and automatic weapons, which were originally designed for war zones, are now found in the hands of Haitian gangs. Between January and November 2024, homicides increased by 30 per cent, and the number of kidnappings tripled. Gangs with sophisticated weapons are overpowering the Haitian National Police in terms of both firepower and logistics. These weapons are thus fuelling terror — extortion, rape, kidnapping and murder. How can we justify these illegal flows of weapons when an embargo is in place? Why are existing measures not enough? The sanctions imposed on Haiti in 2022 should play a critical role in reducing insecurity. The weapons embargo, travel ban and assets freeze are indispensable tools for restoring peace and security to the country. However, the effectiveness of those sanctions depends on their strict implementation. Regrettably, sophisticated networks circumvent those measures. Local and international complicity is facilitating trafficking. Targeted sanctions, although they are essential, should be strengthened to include all actors involved in this criminal chain. We must ask ourselves the difficult questions. What new measures are needed to intercept these weapons? What mechanisms can we put in place to monitor these weapons and prevent them from entering Haitian territory? Given this crisis, it is clear that additional measures are required. First of all, targeted sanctions must be urgently and strictly applied, identifying and punishing all actors involved in weapons trafficking, including their financial and logistical accomplices. Furthermore, massive support to law enforcement is urgently needed in order to provide them with equipment, training and logistical support to restore security. Haiti is at a critical juncture. Every day that passes, lives are being lost, families are being destroyed, and hope is disappearing. The resolutions that have been adopted must lead to specific measures being taken. We are counting on the sanctions Committee to uphold the decisions that were taken in resolution 2653 (2022).