As delivered

Madame la Présidente,

1. Je voudrais exprimer ma gratitude au Luxembourg, en sa qualité de Président du Conseil de sécurité, et à tous les membres du Conseil pour l'organisation de cette session convoquée pour considérer le rapport du Secrétaire général sur la Mission des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation en Haïti (MINUSTAH).
2.  Je profite aussi de cette opportunité pour saluer la présence du Représentant Permanent de la République d’Haïti.
3. Quisiera agradecer especialmente a todos los países que contribuyen con tropas y elementos de policía a la MINUSTAH y a todos los Estados miembros que han colaborado con el proceso de estabilización y de reconstrucción por su valioso apoyo a la consolidación de la Paz y la democracia en Haití.

Madam President,

1. Since my last briefing to the Security Council in August 2013, the overall security situation in Haiti has remained relatively stable. As compared to 2012, the year 2013 saw a decrease in major crimes, including homicides and kidnappings, by 21 and 53 per cent respectively. While the first half of the reporting period witnessed a 57 per cent increase in demonstrations, notably in the metropolitan area of Port-au Prince and in other urban areas across the country, most of these were peaceful and largely triggered by socio-economic grievances.
2. The performance of the Haitian National Police continued to improve and the security situation in the five Departments vacated by MINUSTAH’s military component remained stable. However, when the capacity of the national police was put to severe test, operational support by MINUSTAH forces was often necessary. The further strengthening of the national police remains therefore a critical stabilization benchmark for MINUSTAH.

Distinguished Members of the Council,

1. Turning to the political situation, I would first like to commend the political leaders of Haiti for chosing the path of dialogue and for having reached an agreement on the holding of elections this year.
2. I would further like to congratulate the Conférence Episcopale d’Haïti and its President, Cardinal Chibly Langlois, for the successful mediation of an agreement resulting from the unprecedented step in Haitian political history when on January 24th an inter-Haitian dialogue among the Executive, Parliament and political parties was launched to discuss issues of democratic governance, elections and amendment of the Constitution.
3. The formal signing of the “Accord of El Rancho” by the Executive, the Legislative and participating political parties, was finally accomplished on 14 March. This Accord stipulates that one election will be held this year, combining the long delayed local, municipal and partial senatorial elections with those foreseen for the end of 2014, that is for a second third of the Senate, and the entire Chamber of Deputies.
4. As provided in the Accord, key provisions to be implemented within a ten-day timeframe are: the amendment of the electoral law to confer the appropriate mandate upon the electoral council; the replacement of up to one member of the electoral council by each of the three powers of the State; and a cabinet reshuffle to include individuals drawn from interested political parties. A Commission has been established to monitor the implementation of these provisions. A number of signatories to the Accord expressed reservations about certain provisions, signalling the likelihood of further negotiations being necessary to facilitate its implementation.

Distinguished Members of the Council,

1. The long awaited adoption and promulgation of the Electoral Law in December 2013, along with the March 14^th Accord emanating from the inter-Haitian dialogue, have prepared a path toward inclusive and transparent elections to be held later this year - a sine qua non for the continuous functioning of Parliament in January 2015. It is now of critical importance that the provisions of the Accord, including the amendment of the Electoral law be implemented in a timely manner by Haitian authorities. To this end, MINUSTAH along with members of the international community represented in Haiti, are engaging Haiti’s key political actors.

Madam President,

1. As regards the economic situation, there is reason for cautious optimism and renewed hope because of the economic growth rate of 4.3 per cent in 2013 which provides the Haitian Government with an important building block for more sustainable and equitable development.
2. Post-earthquake reconstruction and rehabilitation has continued, and of the 1.5 million people housed in camps in the aftermath of this tragedy in January 2010, only an estimated 146,573 people remain in temporary camps. Notwithstanding this achievement, it is a humanitarian imperative that the Government follows through on its commitment to ensure an orderly closure of these camps and finds durable solutions for the displaced who continue to live under adverse conditions or to face forced evictions.
3. Of concern is that some 600,000 Haitians still face severe food insecurity, and that the prevalence of acute malnutrition amongst children has increased from 5.1 per cent in 2012 to 6.5 per cent in 2013.
4. While the number of suspected cholera cases has been reduced significantly every year from 352,033 cases in 2011 to 58,608 cases in 2013, more needs to be done since Haiti still has the highest number of cholera cases in the world.
5. Delivering and sustaining better health requires an urgent, scaled up effort to combat the disease and to address decades of under-investment in basic systems for safe water, hygiene, sanitation and healthcare. The United Nations system in Haiti has developed a two-year, 68 million US dollar initiative in support of the Government’ s 10-year National Plan for the Elimination of Cholera. In addition, the United Nations and the Government of Haiti are finalising the creation of a High Level Committee that will oversee the coordinated implementation of the cholera response measures as contained in the National Plan.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. In accordance with Security Council resolution 2119, regarding MINUSTAH’s further conditions-based consolidation, the Mission is on target to achieve a 15 per cent reduction of its uniformed strength and to reach the mandated strength of 5,021 military troops by the end of June 2014. The strength of the police component remained at 2,601 personnel.
2. Given the gains in stabilization since 2004, the Secretary-General is confident that Haiti and her partners can continue moving forward with the ongoing consolidation process. Further, in his report of August 2013, the Secretary-General had indicated his intention to explore the best way for the United Nations to continue contributing to greater stability and development in Haiti beyond 2016.
3. On the basis of an initial review of activities of MINUSTAH and the United Nations Country Team, five broad options have been identified and proposed in the Secretary-General’ s latest report. These include (1) designating a UN Special Envoy for Haiti to deliver political good offices; (2) the establishment of a Special Political Mission, with continued support to police development through individual police officers and assistance to rule of law and human rights efforts; (3) establishing a smaller, more focused peacekeeping mission without military presence and a continued and possibly increased country-wide UN Police presence. It is important to note that no UN military presence is envisioned under these first three options. The forth option would establish a smaller, more focused peacekeeping mission with UN Police and a small military presence; and a fifth option would adjust the current mandate of MINUSTAH to reflect a reduced scope of activities achieved through the completion of the Consolidation Plan.
4. The UN remain firmly committed to including key national and international stakeholders in the consultative process that will ultimately lead to determining which option is the most appropriate to ensure not only that Haiti benefits entirely from a successful transition to a new configuration of the United Nations presence beyond 2016, but also that stabilization achievements are preserved and sustained. Distinguished Members, to this end, a full scale, UN-wide strategic assessment should be conducted to provide this Council with an updated, in-depth evaluation of conditions on the ground.
5. In parallel with the process just described, a revision of the 2013-2016 United Nations Integrated Strategic Framework for Haiti is being envisaged, in coordination with Haitian Government counterparts and the donor community, to identify priority areas for the UN country team’s strategic engagement as the Mission consolidates.
6. In the meantime, it is important that the Government and MINUSTAH continue to work on multiple fronts to attain the stabilization benchmarks outlined in MINUSTAH’s Consolidation Plan.
7. Concerning the development of the Haitian National Police, MINUSTAH, together with our international partners, continues to support the Haitian government and the police in the implementation of the HNP Development Plan 2012-2016. With the objective of achieving a minimum of 15,000 active police officers by 2016, the 24^th promotion graduated 1,058 cadets, including 111 women, in December 2013. The 25^th promotion, set to start soon, will have an expected 1,250 cadets and will be completed by the end of 2014. The current strength of the police is 11,228 active police officers, including 950 women.
8. The further development of the Haitian police is vital for enduring stability in Haiti. Notwithstanding the progress achieved in the build-up of a professional and accountable police force and the important contributions made by bilateral partners to the police development plan, resources are still insufficient to achieve all the targets of this plan. The sustained commitment of the Haitian government and the continuous generous assistance of the international community will remain critical not only to enabling the national police to progressively assume full responsibility for internal security, but also to strengthening required management and administrative capacity, oversight mechanisms and the development of specialized units.
9. Progress in the professionalization of the HNP needs to be complemented by similar improvements in other areas of the rule of law, notably in the justice and corrections sector. The Mission is supporting the Presidential Commission on Judicial Reform and a Law Reform Working Group with a view to finalize a new criminal code. Updating Haiti’s antiquated criminal code and criminal procedure is a preoccupation for Haitian jurists, human rights advocates, and for MINUSTAH. Similarly, the mission continues to work with Haitian authorities and international partners to reduce lengthy periods of pre-trial detention and to improve deplorable prison conditions, however, the Government of Haiti needs to develop a more strategic, comprehensive and sustained approach to reform the justice system as a whole. Concerning the respect for the rule of law, it is equally important that key oversight and accountability mechanisms be rendered operational and allowed to operate independently.
10. With respect to the forthcoming electoral process, the United Nations continues to provide technical advice and capacity building support to the Electoral Council which has the constitutional responsibility for the organization of the elections. However, the Mission’s consolidation implies a more focused and strategic use of available assets in support of the national electoral authorities.
11. In relation to governance, MINUSTAH has concentrated its good offices on promoting dialogue among national stakeholders to overcome the electoral impasse. During the reporting period, despite the lingering stalemate between the Executive branch and Parliament, Haiti saw the adoption of important legislation beyond the electoral law, such as the law on the financing of political parties, the law against money laundering and terrorism financing and the anti-corruption law, for which MINUSTAH had been advocating.

Madame la Présidente,

1. En conclusion, Haïti se trouve à un tournant où les progrès en matière de paix, sécurité et stabilité doivent être pérennisés à travers la consolidation du processus démocratique, l’Etat de droit, la bonne gouvernance et une meilleure prise en charge des besoins de toute la population. La promulgation de la loi électorale et la récente signature de l’Accord D’El Rancho issu du processus de dialogue inter-haïtien marque des pas importants vers la tenue des élections en 2014.
2. L’engagement démontré par les intervenants nationaux en faveur d’un dialogue comme moyen d’entente est une victoire pour Haïti. Je formule le souhait que ce dialogue continue et s’approfondisse afin d’apporter des réponses aux nombreux défis auxquels le pays fait face. Il est dans l’intérêt national que les acteurs politiques haïtiens adhèrent à l’esprit de cet Accord afin d’assurer que le pays continue d’avancer sur la voie de la démocratie et de la stabilisation, une condition nécessaire pour le développement socio-économique durable au bénéfice du peuple haïtien.

Merci. Muchas gracias. Thank you!

As delivered

Madame la Présidente,

1. Je voudrais exprimer ma gratitude au Luxembourg, en sa qualité de Président du Conseil de sécurité, et à tous les membres du Conseil pour l'organisation de cette session convoquée pour considérer le rapport du Secrétaire général sur la Mission des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation en Haïti (MINUSTAH).
2.  Je profite aussi de cette opportunité pour saluer la présence du Représentant Permanent de la République d’Haïti.
3. Quisiera agradecer especialmente a todos los países que contribuyen con tropas y elementos de policía a la MINUSTAH y a todos los Estados miembros que han colaborado con el proceso de estabilización y de reconstrucción por su valioso apoyo a la consolidación de la Paz y la democracia en Haití.

Madam President,

1. Since my last briefing to the Security Council in August 2013, the overall security situation in Haiti has remained relatively stable. As compared to 2012, the year 2013 saw a decrease in major crimes, including homicides and kidnappings, by 21 and 53 per cent respectively. While the first half of the reporting period witnessed a 57 per cent increase in demonstrations, notably in the metropolitan area of Port-au Prince and in other urban areas across the country, most of these were peaceful and largely triggered by socio-economic grievances.
2. The performance of the Haitian National Police continued to improve and the security situation in the five Departments vacated by MINUSTAH’s military component remained stable. However, when the capacity of the national police was put to severe test, operational support by MINUSTAH forces was often necessary. The further strengthening of the national police remains therefore a critical stabilization benchmark for MINUSTAH.

Distinguished Members of the Council,

1. Turning to the political situation, I would first like to commend the political leaders of Haiti for chosing the path of dialogue and for having reached an agreement on the holding of elections this year.
2. I would further like to congratulate the Conférence Episcopale d’Haïti and its President, Cardinal Chibly Langlois, for the successful mediation of an agreement resulting from the unprecedented step in Haitian political history when on January 24th an inter-Haitian dialogue among the Executive, Parliament and political parties was launched to discuss issues of democratic governance, elections and amendment of the Constitution.
3. The formal signing of the “Accord of El Rancho” by the Executive, the Legislative and participating political parties, was finally accomplished on 14 March. This Accord stipulates that one election will be held this year, combining the long delayed local, municipal and partial senatorial elections with those foreseen for the end of 2014, that is for a second third of the Senate, and the entire Chamber of Deputies.
4. As provided in the Accord, key provisions to be implemented within a ten-day timeframe are: the amendment of the electoral law to confer the appropriate mandate upon the electoral council; the replacement of up to one member of the electoral council by each of the three powers of the State; and a cabinet reshuffle to include individuals drawn from interested political parties. A Commission has been established to monitor the implementation of these provisions. A number of signatories to the Accord expressed reservations about certain provisions, signalling the likelihood of further negotiations being necessary to facilitate its implementation.

Distinguished Members of the Council,

1. The long awaited adoption and promulgation of the Electoral Law in December 2013, along with the March 14^th Accord emanating from the inter-Haitian dialogue, have prepared a path toward inclusive and transparent elections to be held later this year - a sine qua non for the continuous functioning of Parliament in January 2015. It is now of critical importance that the provisions of the Accord, including the amendment of the Electoral law be implemented in a timely manner by Haitian authorities. To this end, MINUSTAH along with members of the international community represented in Haiti, are engaging Haiti’s key political actors.

Madam President,

1. As regards the economic situation, there is reason for cautious optimism and renewed hope because of the economic growth rate of 4.3 per cent in 2013 which provides the Haitian Government with an important building block for more sustainable and equitable development.
2. Post-earthquake reconstruction and rehabilitation has continued, and of the 1.5 million people housed in camps in the aftermath of this tragedy in January 2010, only an estimated 146,573 people remain in temporary camps. Notwithstanding this achievement, it is a humanitarian imperative that the Government follows through on its commitment to ensure an orderly closure of these camps and finds durable solutions for the displaced who continue to live under adverse conditions or to face forced evictions.
3. Of concern is that some 600,000 Haitians still face severe food insecurity, and that the prevalence of acute malnutrition amongst children has increased from 5.1 per cent in 2012 to 6.5 per cent in 2013.
4. While the number of suspected cholera cases has been reduced significantly every year from 352,033 cases in 2011 to 58,608 cases in 2013, more needs to be done since Haiti still has the highest number of cholera cases in the world.
5. Delivering and sustaining better health requires an urgent, scaled up effort to combat the disease and to address decades of under-investment in basic systems for safe water, hygiene, sanitation and healthcare. The United Nations system in Haiti has developed a two-year, 68 million US dollar initiative in support of the Government’ s 10-year National Plan for the Elimination of Cholera. In addition, the United Nations and the Government of Haiti are finalising the creation of a High Level Committee that will oversee the coordinated implementation of the cholera response measures as contained in the National Plan.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. In accordance with Security Council resolution 2119, regarding MINUSTAH’s further conditions-based consolidation, the Mission is on target to achieve a 15 per cent reduction of its uniformed strength and to reach the mandated strength of 5,021 military troops by the end of June 2014. The strength of the police component remained at 2,601 personnel.
2. Given the gains in stabilization since 2004, the Secretary-General is confident that Haiti and her partners can continue moving forward with the ongoing consolidation process. Further, in his report of August 2013, the Secretary-General had indicated his intention to explore the best way for the United Nations to continue contributing to greater stability and development in Haiti beyond 2016.
3. On the basis of an initial review of activities of MINUSTAH and the United Nations Country Team, five broad options have been identified and proposed in the Secretary-General’ s latest report. These include (1) designating a UN Special Envoy for Haiti to deliver political good offices; (2) the establishment of a Special Political Mission, with continued support to police development through individual police officers and assistance to rule of law and human rights efforts; (3) establishing a smaller, more focused peacekeeping mission without military presence and a continued and possibly increased country-wide UN Police presence. It is important to note that no UN military presence is envisioned under these first three options. The forth option would establish a smaller, more focused peacekeeping mission with UN Police and a small military presence; and a fifth option would adjust the current mandate of MINUSTAH to reflect a reduced scope of activities achieved through the completion of the Consolidation Plan.
4. The UN remain firmly committed to including key national and international stakeholders in the consultative process that will ultimately lead to determining which option is the most appropriate to ensure not only that Haiti benefits entirely from a successful transition to a new configuration of the United Nations presence beyond 2016, but also that stabilization achievements are preserved and sustained. Distinguished Members, to this end, a full scale, UN-wide strategic assessment should be conducted to provide this Council with an updated, in-depth evaluation of conditions on the ground.
5. In parallel with the process just described, a revision of the 2013-2016 United Nations Integrated Strategic Framework for Haiti is being envisaged, in coordination with Haitian Government counterparts and the donor community, to identify priority areas for the UN country team’s strategic engagement as the Mission consolidates.
6. In the meantime, it is important that the Government and MINUSTAH continue to work on multiple fronts to attain the stabilization benchmarks outlined in MINUSTAH’s Consolidation Plan.
7. Concerning the development of the Haitian National Police, MINUSTAH, together with our international partners, continues to support the Haitian government and the police in the implementation of the HNP Development Plan 2012-2016. With the objective of achieving a minimum of 15,000 active police officers by 2016, the 24^th promotion graduated 1,058 cadets, including 111 women, in December 2013. The 25^th promotion, set to start soon, will have an expected 1,250 cadets and will be completed by the end of 2014. The current strength of the police is 11,228 active police officers, including 950 women.
8. The further development of the Haitian police is vital for enduring stability in Haiti. Notwithstanding the progress achieved in the build-up of a professional and accountable police force and the important contributions made by bilateral partners to the police development plan, resources are still insufficient to achieve all the targets of this plan. The sustained commitment of the Haitian government and the continuous generous assistance of the international community will remain critical not only to enabling the national police to progressively assume full responsibility for internal security, but also to strengthening required management and administrative capacity, oversight mechanisms and the development of specialized units.
9. Progress in the professionalization of the HNP needs to be complemented by similar improvements in other areas of the rule of law, notably in the justice and corrections sector. The Mission is supporting the Presidential Commission on Judicial Reform and a Law Reform Working Group with a view to finalize a new criminal code. Updating Haiti’s antiquated criminal code and criminal procedure is a preoccupation for Haitian jurists, human rights advocates, and for MINUSTAH. Similarly, the mission continues to work with Haitian authorities and international partners to reduce lengthy periods of pre-trial detention and to improve deplorable prison conditions, however, the Government of Haiti needs to develop a more strategic, comprehensive and sustained approach to reform the justice system as a whole. Concerning the respect for the rule of law, it is equally important that key oversight and accountability mechanisms be rendered operational and allowed to operate independently.
10. With respect to the forthcoming electoral process, the United Nations continues to provide technical advice and capacity building support to the Electoral Council which has the constitutional responsibility for the organization of the elections. However, the Mission’s consolidation implies a more focused and strategic use of available assets in support of the national electoral authorities.
11. In relation to governance, MINUSTAH has concentrated its good offices on promoting dialogue among national stakeholders to overcome the electoral impasse. During the reporting period, despite the lingering stalemate between the Executive branch and Parliament, Haiti saw the adoption of important legislation beyond the electoral law, such as the law on the financing of political parties, the law against money laundering and terrorism financing and the anti-corruption law, for which MINUSTAH had been advocating.

Madame la Présidente,

1. En conclusion, Haïti se trouve à un tournant où les progrès en matière de paix, sécurité et stabilité doivent être pérennisés à travers la consolidation du processus démocratique, l’Etat de droit, la bonne gouvernance et une meilleure prise en charge des besoins de toute la population. La promulgation de la loi électorale et la récente signature de l’Accord D’El Rancho issu du processus de dialogue inter-haïtien marque des pas importants vers la tenue des élections en 2014.
2. L’engagement démontré par les intervenants nationaux en faveur d’un dialogue comme moyen d’entente est une victoire pour Haïti. Je formule le souhait que ce dialogue continue et s’approfondisse afin d’apporter des réponses aux nombreux défis auxquels le pays fait face. Il est dans l’intérêt national que les acteurs politiques haïtiens adhèrent à l’esprit de cet Accord afin d’assurer que le pays continue d’avancer sur la voie de la démocratie et de la stabilisation, une condition nécessaire pour le développement socio-économique durable au bénéfice du peuple haïtien.

Merci. Muchas gracias. Thank you!