United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti – Report of the Secretary-General (S/2024/62) [EN/AR/RU/ZH] – Haiti

I. Introduction

1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 2692 (2023), by which the Council decided to extend until 15 July 2024 the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), in accordance with resolution 2476 (2019) establishing BINUH. The report includes significant developments since the previous report, dated 16 October 2023 (S/2023/768), and provides an update on the implementation of the BINUH mandate.

II. Political issues and good governance

2. During the reporting period, the Prime Minister, the High Transitional Council, the signatories of the 21 December Agreement and opposition groups pursued efforts to converge on a common vision for restoring democratic institutions. Discussions focused on formulating a governance framework that would set a course for the holding of elections. However, differences persisted, in particular regarding the power and competencies of a presidential structure, including its authority to replace the Prime Minister, as sought by some opposition parties.

3. The President of the High Transitional Council, Mirlande Manigat, expressed concern over the slow pace in establishing a provisional electoral council, crucial for organizing elections. During an interview on 1 November, she noted that the political stalemate hindered implementation of the 21 December Agreement to elect a President by 7 February 2024. The impasse has, notably, had an impact on the selection and nomination of electoral councillors, a necessary step in the electoral process. These challenges notwithstanding, technical preparations have continued. Of note, the Government contributed $15 million to the basket fund led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to bolster election efforts.

4. In fostering engagement among stakeholders, Special Representative of the Secretary-General met representatives from across the political and civil society spectrum, including academia, the private sector and religious groups. She emphasized the importance of creating security and political conditions conducive to the restoration of democratic institutions and undertook several initiatives to enhance the political participation of women and young people in decision-making processes. On 16 October, BINUH facilitated further inter-Haitian discussions among political parties, civil society organizations and private sector representatives in Cap Haïtien (North Department), on security, governance reform, elections and civic participation. On 27 November and 13 December, with the participation of the Special Representative, two round tables were held in Port-au-Prince to provide a platform for women and young political, civil society and private sector leaders, with attendees advocating for more training opportunities for women and youth leaders and the adoption of gender parity language in legal frameworks. Events were also held on 12 and 17 December that were aimed at creating safe spaces for LGBTIQ+ community members and enhancing their political participation through the sharing of perspectives and formulating proposals for solutions to the political and electoral crisis.

5. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Eminent Persons Group continued its work to foster a broader political consensus, meeting national stakeholders in Haiti from 8 to 14 November. In a 21 November statement, the Group outlined challenges encountered, including continued demands by some sections of the opposition group for the resignation of the Prime Minister as a precondition for dialogue. In an effort to bridge the gap and prepare a new round of consultations, on 23 November the Group proposed a draft framework for an 18-month transition period, with a Prime Minister at the helm of a national unity Government alongside a seven-member transitional council. The council would be endowed with specific presidential prerogatives, including the power to appoint a new provisional electoral council, co-sign government decrees, designate a constitutional review commission and preside over a newly established national security council.

6. The Eminent Persons Group returned to Haiti from 6 to 14 December, after giving stakeholders a two-week period to study and react to its proposal. The Prime Minister and the 21 December Agreement signatories voiced support for strengthening the High Transitional Council and suggested adding two opposition members to preserve institutional continuity. Representatives of the Montana Group expressed discontent that the proposal did not foresee the resignation of the Prime Minister, suspended their participation in the discussions and criticized a lack of clarity over the choice of civil society participants in the new round of consultations. Other opposition representatives advocated a fully-fledged dual executive with an entirely new transitional council of three or five members with clear presidential powers, including authority to appoint a new Prime Minister. A civil society proposal, reflecting mainly the key provisions of the draft framework, foresaw an executive power-sharing agreement between the Prime Minister and the seven-member transitional council but did not manage to bridge the differences.

7. At the conclusion of its visit, the Eminent Persons Group highlighted the valuable opportunity that negotiations had offered to bridge gaps between stakeholders. The collaborative effort did lead to a consensus on several key aspects of the draft framework, including on the establishment of a national unity Government, the formation of a new provisional electoral council and the initiation of a constitutional reform process. The Group also noted that Haitian stakeholders had agreed to continue their discussions independently and stated that they were ready to return to Haiti once stakeholders demonstrated substantial progress in their talks and showed a clear willingness to embark on the final stage of negotiations.

8. In reaction to the adoption of resolution 2699 (2023), in which the Security Council authorized the deployment of the Multinational Security Support Mission to Haiti, most signatories of the 21 December Agreement expressed optimism that its rapid deployment would contribute to restoring security and stabilizing the nation. Various civil society groups, including the Forum national de la société civile and the Conseil national de la société civile, representing collectively more than 4,000 organizations nationwide, considered the initiative a pivotal opportunity to foster peace and security within Haiti and across the Caribbean region. Some opposition groups, however, cast doubt on prospects for any successful outcome in the absence of significant governance reforms.

9. At the regional level, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) adopted a resolution on 17 November in which it commended the Security Council’s decision to authorize the Multinational Security Support Mission. It also encouraged Haitian political stakeholders to engage in dialogue and mandated the General Secretariat of OAS to align its efforts with those of the CARICOM Eminent Persons Group, notably through a joint OAS-CARICOM electoral and democracy strengthening mission.