UN / HAITI UPDATE
STORY: UN / HAITI UPDATE
TRT: 02:12
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 11 NOVEMBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, United Nations headquarters
11 NOVEMBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, press briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“A note on Haiti that I want to share with you, in light of the latest political developments. The Secretary-General urges all Haitian stakeholders to work constructively together to advance the political transition, as agreed upon on 11 March in Jamaica. Overcoming their differences and putting the country first remains critical to that end. The Secretary-General appeals to all Member States to sustain and increase their security support for Haiti, including through the Multinational Security Support mission (MSS) ensuring that it receives the financial support it needs to successfully implement its mandate and to expand its deployment and operations. On that note, Virginia Gamba, the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, issued a statement today, warning that children are at the heart of the crisis in Haiti and particularly vulnerable to armed gangs. Her office estimates that between a third and a half of armed gang members are children - under the age of 18. She added that the recent trends in Haiti concerning sexual violence against children, particularly girls, are deeply alarming, with verified UN figures showing an increase from 41 cases last year to over 400 in 2024. Ms. Gamba urges all parties in Haiti to do everything they can to prevent grave violations against children. She also calls on gangs to immediately release children from their ranks and hand them over to civilian child protection groups.”
4. Med shot, journalist
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“What Haiti needs, among many things, is stability, political stability and needs political leadership that puts the interest of stability, the interest of humanitarian aid, the interest of a return of law and order first and foremost.”
6. Wide shot, end of press briefing
Secretary-General António Guterres issued a call for Haitian stakeholders to “work constructively together to advance the political transition, as agreed upon on 11 March in Jamaica.” He emphasized the need for unity to overcome their differences and put the country first.
Guterres also appealed to UN member states to bolster security assistance for Haiti, particularly through the recently deployed multinational security support mission. "Ensuring that it receives the financial support it needs to successfully implement its mandate and expand deployment and operations” is essential, said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric at a press briefing today (11 Nov) in New York City.
In parallel, Virginia Gamba, the UN Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict, highlighted the crisis’s toll on children. "Children are at the heart of the crisis in Haiti," she said, underscoring that between a third and a half of armed gang members are children under the age of 18. Gamba also warned of an alarming rise in sexual violence against children, with verified cases in 2024 alone exceeding 400, a stark increase from previous years. “The recent trends concerning sexual violence against children, particularly girls, are deeply alarming,” Gamba stated, urging all parties to protect children and calling on gangs to “immediately release children from their ranks and hand them over to civilian child protection groups.”
Dujarric reiterated the UN’s stance on the importance of stability and leadership in Haiti. “What Haiti needs, among many things, is stability, political stability,” he said, calling for leadership focused on “the interest of stability, the interest of humanitarian aid, the interest of a return of law and order first and foremost.”
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