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Statement on the situation in Haiti

Statement by Representative of Slovenia to the UN Security Council Ambassador Samuel Žbogar at the briefing on the question concerning Haiti

Thank you very much, Mr. President.

I would like to thank SRSG Salvador for her briefing today.

We express our appreciation for the invaluable efforts of BINUH amid the continually challenging environment in Haiti.

I also welcome Prime Minister Conille, Minister Dupuy, and Minister Álvarez Gil, as well as other representatives of Member States to today’s meeting. 

Mr. President,

In recent weeks, progress in the transitional governance arrangements in Haiti has given us reason for cautious optimism.

We welcome the appointment of Prime Minister Conille and the installation of the Cabinet of Ministers, which, importantly, includes women in key positions.

We assure the Haitian people of our continued support as they transition to restore democratic institutions through elections.

This includes our commitment to work with other Council members to strengthen BINUH’s mandated activities in preparation for the elections.

Mr. President,

Recent positive milestones in transitional governance in Haiti must be accompanied by urgently needed improvements in the security situation.

To this end, we welcome the deployment of the first contingent of two hundred Kenyan police officers to support the Haitian National Police. We reiterate hope for the swift full deployment of the MSS mission. We thank Kenya for leadership and we call on close cooperation and coordination between BINUH and MSS.

At the same time, we applaud the persistent actions of the national police to secure critical infrastructure and conduct anti-gang operations in the capital, Port-au-Prince, despite facing operational limitations and a lack of adequately specialized personnel.

In the upcoming renewal of BINUH’s mandate, we continue to support the mission’s training of the Haitian National Police as one of its ongoing priority tasks.

We are also support reinforcing BINUH’s activities in the wider criminal justice sector, including corrections, ensuring accountability for serious human rights abuses and effectively combat impunity.

All these efforts should be complemented by the effective implementation of the arms embargo to stem the flow of illicit arms and ammunition to Haiti. We should also extend sanctions on individuals who finance gangs and support their activities.

Mr. President,

Amid the persisting security crisis, human rights abuses, including targeted killings, continue at alarming levels and as we heard from SRSG Salvador just now, spread beyond Port-au-Prince to the north and south.

We condemn, in the strongest terms, all forms of sexual and gender-based violence affecting women and girls, and express alarm over the increased forced recruitment, exploitation, and trafficking of children by gangs.

We are alarmed by gang violence, which further exacerbates the dire humanitarian situation in Haiti, resulting in deteriorating food security and mass displacement of the population.

To this end, we continue to call for allowing and facilitating humanitarian access to all those in need.    

The Haitians can count on Slovenia’s continued engagement and support.

Thank you.

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