United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti – Report of the Secretary-General (S/2023/768) [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 of 3 July 2023 (S/2023/492) and provides an update on the implementation of the BINUH mandate.

II. Political issues and good governance

2. The reporting period was marked by the adoption of Security Council resolution 2699 (2023) authorizing the deployment of a non-United Nations multinational security support mission to Haiti. Dialogue between the Prime Minister of Haiti, Ariel Henry, his Government and signatories and non-signatories of the National Consensus for an Inclusive Transition and Transparent Elections of 21 December 2022, also known as the 21 December Agreement, continued, albeit at an unsteady pace, amid increasing security challenges. The enlargement of the High Transitional Council and a government reshuffle, and two consensus-building measures discussed in the political forums organized by the High Transitional Council in May and further discussed during the meeting of Haitian stakeholders, held in Kingston in June, under the auspices of the Eminent Persons Group of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), were central to discussions. Critical differences persisted, with some opposition groups advocating for the establishment of a presidential college to head the State or, alternatively, the appointment of a non-elected provisional president, with the authority to nominate a new Prime Minister.

3. On 20 August, members of the Commission for a Haitian Solution to the Crisis (known as the Montana Group), including members of its Bureau de suivi, called on the Prime Minister and his cabinet to resign, citing high levels of insecurity and a failure to deliver on basic needs for the population. They indicated that the immediate departure of the Prime Minister was a prerequisite for the political dialogue to achieve concrete results. In an open letter on 21 August, a forum of seven former Haitian Prime Ministers, from across the political spectrum, expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation, the weak economy, surging inflation, food insecurity and widespread poverty. They called on political stakeholders to address the mounting challenges confronting the country by setting aside their differences and engaging genuinely to strengthen democratic institutions and restore the rule of law. On 23 August, various signatories of the 21 December Agreement, including the Mouvement Toutouni and Compromis historique political platforms, called on the Prime Minister to continue dialogue on ways to enlarge the High Transitional Council and strengthen national consensus on the way forward.

4. The Special Representative for Haiti, María Isabel Salvador, continued to use her good offices to encourage the Prime Minister, as well as a wide range of stakeholders – including the High Transitional Council, the President of the Court of Cassation, political figures from across the spectrum, anti-corruption activists, academia, leaders of civil society organizations, women’s associations, youth organizations, trade unions, the business sector and religious groups – to work towards the restoration of democratic institutions and the rule of law.

5. With support from BINUH and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the secretariat of the High Transitional Council began planning to further dialogue among Haitians to broaden consensus on security solutions, as well as on political, constitutional and electoral reforms and the political participation of women and youth. On 9 August, the mission supported a Haitian youth platform initiative that gathered 300 participants, representing 30 youth organizations from the 10 Haitian departments. Discussions and recommendations focused on ways to foster youth political participation across the country, with an emphasis on future elections and constitutional reform. Similar support was provided for a Haitian “inclusion week” in August, featuring workshops, debates and other events aimed at increasing the participation of marginalized communities in political life. Participants included women, youth, members of the LGBTQI+ community, people living with disabilities and people living with HIV.

6. After its initial visit in July, the CARICOM Eminent Persons Group returned to Haiti from 4 to 11 September to follow up with Haitian stakeholders on the agreements reached at the Kingston meeting in June, namely the enlargement of the High Transitional Council, the formation of a “government of national unity”, the establishment of a new provisional electoral council and constitutional reform. At the end of the visit, the Eminent Persons Group issued a statement expressing disappointment with the tone of the discussions and the hardening of positions, such as the call by some political actors for the Prime Minister’s resignation. The Group, however, said it remained hopeful that determination, goodwill and recognition of the interests of the Haitian people would prevail and allow for a solution that would restore Haiti to a path of constitutionalism and democracy. On 22 September, in front of the seventy-eighth session of the General Assembly, the Prime Minister reiterated his commitment to establishing a new provisional electoral council and holding elections.

7. Following a 29 July announcement by Kenya that it would consider leading a multinational security support mission to Haiti, the Organization of American States and CARICOM issued statements welcoming this prospect. Caribbean countries, including the Bahamas and Jamaica, announced their readiness to contribute to the initiative. In Haiti, private sector organizations, civil society associations, national think tanks and community-based platforms also expressed support for the deployment of a multinational security support mission. They emphasized the urgency of restoring security and the rule of law to allow commercial activities to resume and strengthen the economy. Similarly, a conference of Haitian religious groups denounced the increasingly deteriorating security situation, calling on national stakeholders to overcome differences and chart a common path to end gang violence. The Forum national de la société civile, a countrywide organization of 2,000 community-based organizations, called for urgent international support to the Haitian National Police. Some organizations affiliated with the Montana Group released a letter to the African Union appealing to African nations to cease efforts towards a foreign occupation disguised as a multinational security presence. Similarly, the National Haitian-American Elected Officials Network and the Family Action Network Movement, two organizations based in the United States of America, addressed an open letter to the President of the United States, dated 22 September, opposing international military intervention in Haiti.

8. The civil society organization Alliance pour la gestion des risques et la continuité des activités released the results of its second survey on the security situation in Haiti on 9 August. The survey showed that 56 per cent of respondents had little confidence in the capacity of the Haitian National Police to counter armed gang violence, 60 per cent doubted that the Haitian National Police alone could restore security and 68 per cent agreed that an international force was necessary. In addition, 75 per cent indicated that the national army should intervene. The survey sample consisted of 1,387 persons, representative of the population in terms of age, gender and education, from across the country.

9. To foster regional solidarity for Haiti, the Special Representative travelled to Latin American capitals to meet with senior officials. From 26 to 30 August, she visited Mexico City, and from 3 to 10 September, Brasilia and Santiago de Chile. All interlocutors reaffirmed their solidarity with Haiti and agreed to continue exploring possible regional avenues for further support to the country and its people.