U.N. makes plea to Haiti: Settle differences and hold elections

The often divided U.N. Security Council Wednesday issued a unified call for Haitian President Jovenel Moise to tackle the country’s deepening security and institutional problems while advancing preparations to ensure free, fair and credible legislative and presidential elections take place this year.

All 15 members of the Security Council approved the call to action during a brief virtual hearing, signing off on the first statement to come from the group’s president on Haiti since 2017, in a sign of the group’s mounting concerns for the country after ending its 15-year U.N. peacekeeping mission.

“The Security Council expresses its deep concern regarding the protracted political, constitutional, humanitarian, and security crises in Haiti,” noted the statement, which was drafted by the United States, whose ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, presided over the meeting and is the current council president. The group stressed that it was “the primary responsibility of the government of Haiti to address underlying drivers of instability.”

The unusual statement comes as Haiti is in the throes of a severe political, security and humanitarian crisis, with Moise facing calls to step down from power, thousands taking to the streets in recent protests, and powerful, armed gangs wreaking havoc on ordinary Haitians who are now fearful of even sending their children to school. Observers say the U.N. statement shows the U.S., under the Biden administration, is growing more critical of Moise. For some it also shows that the international community is equating democracy to elections, missing other crucial good governance factors.

In a Feb. 22 meeting on Haiti, diplomats expressed concern about the situation in Haiti, where kidnappings have spiked by 200% and the U.N.-trained Haiti National Police force has taken to the streets in protests in recent days after several officers were killed during a botched raid in a Port-au-Prince gang stronghold.