UNITED NATIONS, CMC – The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed, says Haiti is “at the eye of a storm” with armed gangs tearing apart communities and families being forced from their homes.
Addressing the high-level meeting on Haiti solidarity in action to restore security and political stability for the people in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country, Mohammed said that hunger and fear are commonplace. At the same time, women and girls face unspeakable sexual violence.
“Those who prey on their own people, who rape, kill, and terrorize, must know that they will face justice. This picture of despair may be the reality today, but we are all here to ensure it is not tomorrow’s reality.
“Time and again, whether through earthquakes or political upheaval, Haitians have shown their resilience. That is why today it is our responsibility to match their courage with action. The Haitian people must feel the full weight of international solidarity,” Mohammed told the meeting attended by Laurent Saint Cyr, President of the Transitional Presidential Council of Haiti;, Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Culture and Immigration of Belize, who is also the chair of CARICOM Caucus as well as Dr. Carla Barnett, the CARICOM Secretary General.
She said that Haitian leaders have started to chart a path forward and that CARICOM and the Organization of American States (OAS) are fully engaged, adding “we welcome their efforts” as well as acknowledge and appreciate the support of Canada.
However, she noted that, despite the goodwill, the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission on the ground still lacks the necessary funding, logistics, and personnel to deliver truly.
Mohammed said that in recent months, gang violence has claimed more than 2,000 lives, including dozens of children, and that six million Haitians need urgent assistance, with more than 100,000 people fleeing their homes since June alone.
“These numbers that demand an international surge of support – not just a trickle. The impact of not acting now will stretch far beyond Haiti. Instability will spill across borders and throughout the Caribbean and beyond. What happens in Port-au-Prince will not stay in Port-au-Prince.”
Mohammed said that security cannot wait for the people of Haiti, adding that schools, hospitals, and markets cannot reopen until people feel safe on their streets.
“Humanitarian workers cannot deliver at scale while they are targeted by extortion and kidnapping. Without filling the gaps in the mission, without predictable financing, the people of Haiti, and among them future generations of Haitians, will remain trapped in fear day in and day out.
“And yet we know: security alone will not break Haiti’s cycle of crisis. Stability will only come when security is matched by political progress and economic hope. That means dialogue. Deep dialogue.”
The UN Deputy Secretary-General said that there is a need for credible elections as well as public institutions that Haitians can trust.
“It means rebuilding confidence between leaders and citizens and ensuring that women and young people, who make up the majority of the population, are part of shaping Haiti’s future.
It also means investment. Haiti’s economy has been hollowed out by instability. Families cannot feed their children as markets collapse and livelihoods vanish.
“That is why we need bold financing: blending donor support with private investments, mobilising resources at scale, and placing them in Haitian hands and Haitian communities,” Mohammed said. The United Nations is committed to supporting this path.
“From urgent humanitarian relief to strengthening governance; from empowering women and youth to mobilising financing for jobs and livelihoods; from accountability for violence to a credible political horizon – we will stand with Haiti.
“The UN, however, cannot do this alone, and we need a coordinated international push. Fragmented projects will not deliver stability. If we want Haitians to feel the impact, if we want to shift the course of this crisis, every actor, every dollar, every intervention must pull in the same direction.”
She urged the international community not to “fall into the trap of describing despair while failing to change it.
“The facts are grave, but the responsibility is ours. The people of Haiti have endured the unimaginable. Let us support them to reclaim stability, rebuild their country, and realize the future of peace and prosperity they so deeply deserve.”
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