UNITED NATIONS, CMC – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the installation of the new government in Haiti on Thursday, noting most importantly that it includes women in key cabinet positions.
Guterres’s deputy spokesperson, Farhan Haq, told reporters that the Secretary-General is also encouraging Haitian stakeholders to continue to make steady progress in the transition to restore democratic institutions through the holding of elections.
“Urgently needed security gains should accompany this positive transitional governance milestone. The Secretary-General reiterates his call for the swift deployment of the Multinational Security Support mission to Haiti to support the Haitian National Police in addressing the dire security situation.
“He appeals to Member States to ensure the MSS mission urgently receives the financial and logistical support it needs to succeed,” Haq said.
“This year’s Humanitarian Response Plan, which calls for $674 million, is just 23 percent funded at $156 million,” Haq said.
Last October, the United Nations Security Council approved a Kenya-led multinational force as efforts continue to restore peace and security in the country, with criminal gangs reported to be in control of at least 80 percent of the capital.
The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Chad, Jamaica, and Kenya have officially notified the Secretary-General of their intent to contribute personnel to the support mission.
Kenya’s President William Ruto has said the deployment would likely start within a few weeks.
Haiti’s 12-member cabinet was sworn into office on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Garry Conille underscoring the importance of peace and security in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.
Conille’s attorney, Carlos Hercules, will be the Minister for Justice and Public Security, and Haiti’s ambassador to UNESCO, Dominique Dupuy, will be the foreign affairs minister. Princeton-educated Ketleen Florestal will take over the Finance Ministry from Michel Patrick Boisvert, who also served as interim prime minister this year.
In addition, the 58-year-old Conille, a former United Nations senior official, said his administration would crack down on corruption.
“The fight against corruption will be an absolute priority of my government,” Conille said, promising regular audits of public resources.
“My government will work without rest to improve the conditions of every Haitian,” he said, telling the ceremony that “without security, no sustainable progress can be achieved.”
Meanwhile, Haq said that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has indicated that aid organizations continue to support people displaced by violence in the capital, Port-au-Prince.
He said that between June 8 and 12, the World Food Programme (WFP) distributed more than 40,000 hot meals to over 9,000 displaced people in Port-au-Prince and that since the beginning of the year, WFP has distributed more than 1.1 million hot meals to over 120,000 displaced people.
In May, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) supplied 900 dignity kits to women and girls. It also deployed eight mobile clinics providing sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence services and support. In May, the UNFPA’s hotline offering psychosocial support received more than 160 calls.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) also continued to provide mental health, well-being, and other types of assistance through sessions held in sites hosting displaced people.
“Our humanitarian colleagues continue to sound the alarm on the deteriorating situation in Haiti’s southern regions, where more than 268,000 people are now displaced. This represents a 95 percent increase since March,” Haq told reporters.
He said the health system in the country continues to face serious challenges, crippled by both the recent violence and years of lack of investment. Currently, just 20 percent of health facilities in Port-au-Prince are functioning normally.
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