Thank you President.
I would like to thank SRSG La Lime for her briefing and the work of her team in an increasingly difficult context.
I’m glad to hear today our civil society informant and His Excellency join us today.
Mr President, allow me to make three points.
First, the international community must remain committed to supporting a Haitian-led solution to the complex security, health and economic challenges facing the Haitian people. The UK strongly believes that the work of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti is fundamental to facilitating a unified approach to addressing these multi-faceted issues. By strengthening the Haitian National Police and facilitating dialogue among Haitian political actors, BINUH’s efforts are laying the foundation for stability in Haiti. It is therefore essential that BINUH continues this work and we look forward to discussions on renewal.
Second, while we support Haitian-led solutions, we understand that Haitian stakeholders have made limited progress in resolving the political impasse. We are disappointed that this continues to hamper potential solutions to ensure the well-being of the Haitian people.
We call on all actors to resume negotiations and agree to form a government capable of providing the necessary security environment in which free and fair elections can be held as soon as possible.
Furthermore, it is extremely regrettable that the perpetrators of the assassination of President Moïse have not yet been brought to justice. This heinous act undermined the right of the Haitian people to democratically determine their own future.
Thirdly, as the Council discussed in February, the security and human rights situation continues to deteriorate, including with the increase in kidnappings, indiscriminate criminal violence and cases of human trafficking . These kidnappings increasingly target members of the international community who often support the Haitian government’s efforts to overcome these crises.
Women and girls in Haiti suffer a myriad of human rights abuses, including sexual and gender-based violence. The UK urges the Haitian authorities to improve access to medical and psychosocial services for survivors and to hold perpetrators to account.
We continue to support BINUH’s work with the Government of Haiti and the international community to address these challenges. We look forward to BINUH’s renewed efforts to help restore human rights and the rule of law in its next term.
Mr. President, we remain deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Haiti. Existing economic and health crises were compounded by the devastating earthquake in southern Haiti last year and rising global food prices exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The UK encourages all actors to work constructively to find solutions to the root causes of these crises and to support the recovery and progress of the Haitian people.
