UNITED NATIONS, CMC – Dominica Thursday called on the United Nations Security Council “to move decisively to offer support to Haiti “ as the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country continues to grapple with a political and socio-economic situation.
Haiti has been in turmoil since the July 7, 2021, assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, with the interim government of Prime Minister Dr. Ariel Henry urging the international community to send in a multi-national force to maintain peace and security in the country.
President Charles Savarin, addressing the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), said that the prevailing situation in Haiti is dire and deserves urgent international intervention.
“Haiti faces deep-rooted crises on multiple fronts. Much of it arose from its post-independence relations with the international community, poor governance over the years, and the lingering effects of the catastrophic devastation that a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in January of 2010 visited on that country.”
Savarin said that while there may have been preliminary figures, he needs to be made aware of any comprehensive assessment detailing the extent of the destruction of the 2010 earthquake nor a World Bank estimate of the cost of reconstruction, as has been done with the situation in Ukraine.
“The fact remains that since 2010, Haiti has been hit by several earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, pandemics, and sociopolitical instability. If ever there was a cause deserving the full attention of the international community, that cause is Haiti.”
He said Dominica aligns itself with processes outlined by the Organization of American States (OAS) to support the people of Haiti in August 2022, as well as decisions taken by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders at their last summit held in Trinidad and Tobago in July this year “to lend active support to the government and people of Haiti, in their efforts to arrive at a Haitian led solution to the ongoing crisis.
“While both these institutions have offered commendable and necessary recommendations, even collectively, these will not be sufficient to normalize the current situation in Haiti.”
Savarin said that Dominica, which is chairing the 15-member regional integration grouping, CARICOM, has accepted that the crises in Haiti are not limited to food shortage and security.
Savarin said that the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report lays bare the severity of Haiti’s food crisis, noting “that nearly half of the population of 11 million people is grappling with high levels of acute food insecurity.”
He said a national security problem, including the illicit flow of arms and ammunition and gang-related violence, is further aggravating the humanitarian situation.
“The Commonwealth of Dominica is of the view that the people of Haiti will embrace a strategy that addresses the root causes of instability in Haiti. We also underscore that such an approach cannot be pursued without the unwavering support of the international community.”
Savarin said Dominica is “calling on the Security Council to move decisively to support Haiti in key priority areas including security, governance, education, health, water and electricity, sustainable livelihoods and long-term development planning and advocacy.”
In his wide-ranging speech, Savarin called on the United States to end the decades-old embargo against Cuba, saying, “Dominica continues to stand with the overwhelming majority of the international community in calling for the removal of the 60-year-old economic blockade.
In November of 2022, he recalled that the UN voted overwhelmingly by a margin of 185-2 to condemn the embargo, saying, “Even Ukraine, Mr. President, could not bring itself to support the United States in this outdated and unjust measure and abstained from voting.”
In February 1962, US President John F. Kennedy proclaimed an embargo on trade between the United States and Cuba in response to specific actions the Cuban government took and directed the Departments of Commerce and the Treasury to implement the embargo, which remains in place today.
Dominica said that the United Nations must continue to condemn “this egregious violation until it is lifted, as it has severely impacted the lives and livelihoods of the ordinary Cuban citizens for the last six decades.
“Additionally, the inclusion of that country on the US State Department’s unilateral list of State Sponsors of Terrorism are all unjustified measures,” Savarin said, adding that Dominica also supports lifting sanctions on the people of Venezuela.
“This hegemonic situation constitutes a violation of the human rights of the Venezuelan People. We, therefore, stand in solidarity with the government and people of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and look forward to a complete lifting of all such sanctions, thus allowing for the realization of the great potential for the rapid socio-economic development of this great nation,” said Savarin.
On the issue of climate change, Savarin said Dominica will continue to identify with and champion the agenda of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) on the International level.
“Accordingly, we wish to emphasize the need to implement the Loss and Damage Fund agreed upon at COP27. Implementing this fund will allow SIDS to access the required resources earmarked for the recovery of our vulnerable economies post disasters and further facilitate the creation of a vital safety net for our people.”
He said over the last 30 years, SIDS has advocated for resilience-building measures based on our inherent vulnerabilities and the frequency and magnitude of the increase in global shocks.
“The lack of adequate assistance from developmental partners and international financial institutions has forced governments to borrow at unfavorable terms, resulting in high repayment costs and unsustainable debt levels for our fragile economies,” Savarin told the UNGA, adding that Dominica fully supports the work on the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI), which can contribute to unlocking the type of financing which is so urgently required.
Additionally, Dominica pledges its full support and participation in the upcoming SIDS Conference to be held in Antigua and Barbuda in 2024. This conference should serve as a watershed moment for all SIDS so that action-oriented outcomes can be derived.
“Moreover, mindful of the challenges confronting SIDS today, there should be no further delay in the much-needed reform of international financial institutions to address the contemporary realities of debt distress and debt solvency.
“Dominica, therefore, joins fellow Member States of CARICOM in support of the Bridgetown Initiative as a core blueprint for restructuring the architecture of sovereign debt.
The Multivulnerability Index is a measure of the exposure of a population to some hazard. Typically, the index is a composite of multiple quantitative indicators that, via some formula, deliver a single numerical result. At the same time, the Bridgetown Initiative, spearheaded by Barbados Minister Mia Mottley, aims to reform how wealthy countries finance poor countries in a climate crisis.
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