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8226th Security Council Meeting: Question Concerning Haiti
The Security Council today decided to extend for one year the mandate of the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH), while also laying out a staggered decrease in its uniformed personnel and requesting periodic progress assessments on the Secretary-General’s proposed drawdown and exit strategy.
Adopting resolution 2410 (2018) under Chapter VII the Charter of the United Nations by a recorded vote of 13 in favour to none against with 2 abstentions (China, Russian Federation), the Council extended until 15 April 2019 the mandate of MINUJUSTH — established in 2017 as a follow-up to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) — tasked with assisting the Government in strengthening the rule of law, supporting the national police and monitoring human rights, among other responsibilities. It further decided that MINUJUSTH would maintain 7 formed police units and 295 individual police officers until 15 October 2018 — to be adjusted down to five units between that date and 15 April 2019 — and that it would maintain the 295 individual officers until 15 April 2019.
Deciding that the reduction would take into account Haiti’s evolving security situation and be adjusted accordingly, the Council requested the Secretary-General to report on the implementation of the present resolution every 90 days, beginning on 1 June. Recalling the two-year, benchmarked exit strategy detailed in a 20 March report of the Secretary-General (document S/2018/241), it requested him to develop specific dates and indicators for achieving its benchmarks, with the goal of transitioning tasks and responsibilities to the Government.
The Council encouraged the Government to work with MINUJUSTH towards implementing those benchmarks, including adopting the draft Criminal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure, strengthening the judicial and correctional systems and increasing internal oversight and accountability mechanisms in the justice, corrections and police sectors. It further requested the Secretary-General to conduct a strategic assessment mission to Haiti and submit, by 1 March 2019, recommendations on the United Nations future role in the country including relating to a drawdown and exit.
In that vein, the Council affirmed its intention — based on the security conditions on the ground and Haiti’s overall capacity to ensure stability — to consider the Mission’s withdrawal and transition to a non-peacekeeping presence no sooner than 15 October 2019.
Speaking following the adoption, some Council members voiced support for the resolution’s specific stipulations and its commitment to taking Haiti’s evolving situation into account as MINUJUSTH proceeded to its drawdown and ultimate exit. Others, however, raised serious concerns that their positions on several key issues — especially the designation of the MINUJUSTH mandate under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter — had been ignored by the text’s sponsors and especially the penholder, the United States.
Dmitry A. Polyanskiy (Russian Federation), voicing support for prompt and lasting stability in Haiti, expressed regret that the resolution’s sponsors had decided to toughen a key element of the text, namely, the reference to Chapter VII of the Charter which stipulated the application of sanctions and armed force. The mission in Haiti had been operating under Chapter VII for more than a decade, but that reference had been limited to ensuring the safety of civilians and peacekeepers themselves. In contrast, the new Mission, MINUJUSTH, was focused on building the capacity of the Government and monitoring human rights. Some Council members, “with inexplicable haste”, had decided to continue to include the Chapter VII designation, even though the situation in Haiti posed no threat to international peace and security.
Describing the text’s language as an attempt to exploit the human rights issue, he added that Haiti’s own position on key issues had also been ignored by the resolution’s sponsors. In addition, some delegations that had expressed support for the Secretary-General’s zero-tolerance policy for sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeepers had neglected to include in the resolution a reference to such crimes committed by non-governmental organizations accredited with the United Nations. As international support for Haiti remained critical, the Russian Federation had decided not to block MINUJUSTH’s mandate renewal. At the same time, it could not support the text for the reasons outlined, especially because Chapter VII should always be treated only as a last resort.
Amy Noel Tachco (United States) said the text reflected Haiti’s continuing progress and was focused on adapting the United Nations presence in the country to the reality on the ground. Indeed, it was about helping Haiti take the lead, she said. While some Council members had tried to stoke divisions about “standard peacekeeping language”, the text, in the form adopted, reaffirm the Council’s full support for the Government, for MINUJUSTH and for all partners working to build a stronger Haiti. That would be critical as the United Nations strove to transition to a non-peacekeeping mission in October 2019, she said.
Sacha Sergio Llorentty Solíz (Bolivia) said that, despite having voted in favour of the draft, his country had several concerns about the actions of the penholder, the United States. The fact that the renewal had not been adopted by consensus sent the wrong message to Haiti, he said, stressing that the country required strong international support. Penholder States must not refuse to take into account the positions of other Council members, and should certainly not ignore those of the country concerned. During the Council’s 2017 mission to Haiti, officials from the Government and civil society had expressly requested that MINUJUSTH’s mandate be renewed under Chapter VI of the Charter, stressing that their country did not pose a threat to international peace and security. The language used in the text adopted today “cannot be allowed to set a precedent for subsequent missions”, he said.
Wu Haitao (China) said MINUJUSTH should focus on supporting the people of Haiti with an eye to an ultimate drawdown of its presence. The overall situation in the country was stable, and therefore, the Mission’s mandate should be clear and explicit, and avoid focusing too much on human rights. As several Council members had major concerns about the draft resolution, its sponsors should not have been allowed to “railroad” them into supporting their position. It was for those reasons that China had abstained in the vote.
Gustavo Meza-Cuadra (Peru), Council President for April, spoke in his national capacity, expressing support for MINUJUSTH’s mandated support for the Government of Haiti’s work to achieve the benchmarks laid out in the Secretary-General’s 20 March report. Despite the lack of unity on the text, he underscored that all Council members shared broad support for Haiti’s stability and security, and expressed hope that work would continue towards further bolstering trust between the country and the United Nations in general.
Denis Regis (Haiti), citing several important elements of the resolution — including its stipulation of a gradual drawdown of the United Nations police units and the inclusion of plans for an assessment mission to monitor progress towards the Secretary-General’s benchmarks — nevertheless deplored the fact that the positions of many Council members, as well as those of his own Government, had not been considered in its drafting. Most evident was the application of Chapter VII, he said, stressing that MINUJUSTH was intended to be a support mission and that his Government had a strong history of close cooperation with the United Nations. He hoped harmonious relations would be developed between the Mission, the Government and the population, all based on mutual trust. However, he voiced specific reservations about certain parts of the resolution’s preamble and several operational sections which had not been agreed by consensus, namely the application of Chapter VII of the Charter.
Also speaking were the representatives of France, United Kingdom, Ethiopia, Poland, Netherlands and Equatorial Guinea.
The meeting began at 10:08 a.m. and ended at 10:45 a.m.