UN peacekeeping chief says solid progress made in Haiti
UNITED NATIONS (CMC) — The head of the United Nations peacekeeping operations in Haiti says while the security situation in the French-speaking Caribbean country is “not perfect,” solid progress has been made over the past few years.
The UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous, also indicated that the organisation is considering a change in the mandate of the UN Stabilisation Mission, known by the French acronym MINUSTAH.
“The military component of MINUSTAH is likely to disappear in the relatively near future. We are looking at the modalities,” Ladsous told reporters in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, as he wrapping up a weeklong visit, during which he attended the swearing-in of the new Haitian President, Jovenel Moïse, and carried out an evaluation of MINUSTAH.
Ladsous said that at the heart of the mission’s work is ensuring stability, stating that the recent Haitian elections had gone off with few incidents, thanks largely to MINUSTAH, the Haitian National Police and the Provision Electoral Council.
“I think this is something to be noted,” he said, recalling that, in October 2016, when the UN Security Council renewed MINUSTAH’s mandate, it had expressed its wish to examine the mandate of the Mission in mid-April.
The UN said the Secretary-General is to make recommendations to the UN Security Council on March 15.
“I think that when we look at the situation in this country compared to what it was a few years ago, we have made a lot of progress,” Ladsous said.
“Security is not perfect, but I think it is much better,” Ladsous said, noting that the regular strength of the Haitian National Police is set to reach 15,000 and that efforts will continue to strengthen the capacities of the Haitian police.