Haiti: Unanimous UN vote for Multinational Peace Mission
Kenyan President William Ruto Explaining the Peace Mission in Haiti, Sept 30, 2024 Photo: @osorotimothyKE
September 30, 2024 Hour: 3:17 pm
The Council was united in extending the mandate although the Ecuadorian representative recalled the ongoing discussions to turn the project into a UN peacekeeping force, an effort led by the US administration.
On Monday, the United Nations (UN) Security Council renewed the mandate of the Multinational Security Support Mission for Haiti after all 15 members voted in favor of the mission.
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The unanimous adoption of a resolution drafted by Ecuador and the United States sends a clear message of concern about the situation in the Caribbean country, which has been plunged for months into a spiral of violence and a severe humanitarian crisis.
It also supports the proposed Kenyan-led deployment while urging expanded financial contributions to the mission’s operations.
The Council was united in extending the mandate although the Ecuadorian representative recalled the ongoing discussions to turn the project into a UN peacekeeping force, an effort led by the US administration.
In this way, the troops would not depend on international donations or personnel, but rather on UN trust funds and the so-called blue helmets.
For its part, China’s representation asserted that the appointment of another type of mission could send the wrong message and disrupt the deployment process already underway.
The text adopted on Monday decides to extend the current mandate of the Mission until 2 October 2025 and encourages the peacekeeping force to accelerate its deployment.
At the same time, it calls on the international community to make additional voluntary contributions to expand support for troops in the Caribbean country.
The mission was first approved in October 2023 as a non-UN mission under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.
That chapter allows the Security Council to authorize the use of force after all other measures to maintain international peace and security have been exhausted.
The then Haitian foreign minister, Jean Victor Geneus, called the decision an expression of solidarity with a population in distress.
Weeks earlier, former Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry had called on the General Assembly to address the ‘structural and multidimensional’ crisis facing the nation.
The mechanism is intended to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid even in areas that are difficult to access due to gang activity, and its funding was established through contributions from regional organizations and member states.
Despite initial optimism, it was not until June of this year that the first 400 Kenyan gendarmes arrived, while the Caribbean arrived in Haiti this September.
Autor: OSG
Fuente: Haiti Libre, The Independent
