In what is being hailed as an historic first, the UN Security Council on Monday authorized the deployment of an international security force to help Haiti’s national police quell surging gang violence and restore security across the strife-torn Caribbean nation.
The mission was requested by the Haitian Government and civil society representatives, following months of chaos and steadily worsening conditions affecting civilians.
There have been more than 3,000 homicides reported this year, and over 1,500 instances of kidnapping for ransom.
Around 200,000 have been forced to flee their homes while sexual violence and abuse against women and girls at the hands of armed gangs ticks up.
Tens of thousands of children are unable to go to school.
Adopting the resolution with a recorded vote of 13 in favour and 2 abstentions (Russia and China), ambassadors in New York also authorized the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to help secure critical infrastructure and transit hubs such as the airport, ports, schools, hospitals and key intersections.
They also called on countries participating in the mission to ensure the highest standards of transparency, conduct and discipline for their personnel, and called for an oversight mechanism to prevent human rights violations or abuses, including sexual exploitation.
The non-UN mission is also slated to help ensure unhindered and safe access to humanitarian aid for millions of Haitians in need.
The resolution, adopted under UN Charter’s Chapter VII, which sets out the Security Council’s responsibilities to maintain international peace and security, was penned by the United States and Ecuador.
‘Act of solidarity’
Jean Victor Geneus, Foreign Minister of Haiti – not currently a Security Council member – thanked ambassadors for their support and for tabling the historic resolution.
“More than just a simple vote, this is in fact an expression of solidarity with a population in distress,” he said.
He added that the resolution is glimmer of hope for the Haitian people that have for too long suffered the consequences of a multipronged crisis.
He urged Member States to commit to the mission “as quickly as possible” to help restore a safe and stable environment and re-establish democratic institutions there.
‘New way’ to preserve peace
Speaking after the adoption, Jeffrey DeLaurentis, Representative of the United States, said the Council had “made history” by authorizing the multinational support mission, and stepping up to “create a new way of preserving global peace and security”.
He said it was answering the call from a fellow Member State facing a multidimension crisis.
“The deployment of this mission will help to support Haiti’s critical near term needs and to foster the security conditions necessary for the country to advance long term stability,” he said.
He added that while the mission will primarily support Haitian police, it is but one part of the larger effort to address the wider crisis, including humanitarian, economic and political challenges.
Supporting the people
Also speaking after the adoption, Zhang Jun, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of China, said that his country has always taken a cautious and responsible approach to the Council’s invocation of Chapter VII of the UN Charter on the authorization of the use of force.
“We hope that the country leading the Multinational Security Support mission will hold in-depth consultations with Haiti on their specific arrangements for the deployment of security forces,” he said, stating also that it should be fully in support of the Haitian people.
He also urged timely reporting to the Security Council, and that the mission must comply with international law and the basic norms governing international relations, so as to avoid infringing on sovereignty.
‘A beacon of hope’
Martin Kimani, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Kenya (also not a current Council member) recalled his country’s bold offer to lead the mission and thanked the Council for responding in an “exemplary spirit of cooperation.”
“With this action, the Security Council has ignited a beacon of hope for the beleaguered people of Haiti”, he said.
The Foreign Minister reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to work closely with Haiti’s allies and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member States, in establishing the mission in accordance with the resolution.
SOURCE: UN News
Yes, the help is good for Haiti but on the contrary
Guard your oil , that pot of gold; guard your children from those sex-trafficking …, guard your resources and make wise decisions, policies, do not trade your resources for a dollar or sign agreements under the table (very frequent in the Caribbean), do not be guinea pigs for any medical experiment ( the dark agenda) … Rise Haiti and take control of your country and lives with Jesus.
Let the stabilisation or evolution begin … Rise up Haiti! Rise !!!
I love how they just omitted what is really going on there with the country. No mention of how the people are being treated by the neighbouring nation and the fact that they’re fighting over water or river branch. Its sad when one group of people feel they’re better than their own fellow man and refuse to reach out to work things. Why cant we as humans just get along…..work for the betterment of the future which is our kids.
Much as I lament the votes of Russia & China (abstentions) on the matter of Haiti’s impending invasion, I can understand their position in the matter. Haitians have already been sold out by the house n1gg@s (CARICOM) supervising massa’s plantation affairs in the Caribbean.
Hence, the free peoples of Russia & China (who live on the other side of the globe) chose not to use their veto to stop the invasion, because CARICOM has openly sold out Haitians, in support of a puppet government that was installed by the US to keep them repressed, while US pirates made off with their natural resources (patrimony) in broad daylight!
CARICOM leaders have chosen to cede their sovereignty to the dying US empire in the hope that the US will come to their aid in the future, should Caribbean voters decide (if they ever attain civic maturity) that they do not want traitors to manage their affairs of state. They should consider the current situation in Ukraine, where the US sponsored a coup to overthrow the elected government, so they could operate illegal bio-warfare labs on Russia’s borders, and forever despoil the black soil of Ukraine with their GMO crops & depleted uranium. Caribbean people should urgently revisit the history of US military incursions after World War II – millions of innocent civilian lives forever extinguished by a blood-thirsty predator.
IT MIGHT ALREADY BE TOO LATE!