Security Council

7040^th Meeting (AM)

Security Council Extends Mandate of United Nations Stabilization Mission

In Haiti until 15 October 2014

United Kingdom Says Military Presence ‘Makes Little Sense’ in Absence of Conflict

Recognizing the steps that Haiti had taken towards stabilization, and noting with concern the delays in preparations for elections scheduled for later this year, the Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) until 15 October 2014, encouraging it to enhance further the Government’s ability to extend State authority throughout the country and promote good governance and the rule of law at all levels.

Unanimously adopting resolution 2119 (2013) under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, the Council endorsed the recommendations contained in the Secretary-General’s report (document S/2013/493), reducing the Mission’s overall force levels from 6,270 to 5,021 troops, and maintaining a police component of 2,601 personnel.

The Council underlined the need to further strengthen Haiti’s judicial and correctional systems, and reiterated the critical role of the national police, acknowledging that the country continued to face significant humanitarian challenges.  Reiterating the need for security to be accompanied by social and economic development, it noted ongoing Government efforts to control and eliminate the cholera epidemic.

Recognizing the ownership and primary responsibility of Haiti’s Government and people over all aspects of stabilization, the Council urged political actors cooperate in completing all the steps required to hold long-overdue free, fair and transparent elections.  It called upon MINUSTAH to deliver and coordinate electoral assistance in cooperation with international stakeholders.

Encouraging the Mission to help the Government tackle gang violence, organized crime, drug trafficking and trafficking of persons, the Council called upon all actors to complement security and development operations with activities aimed at improving the living conditions of the concerned populations.

The Council strongly condemned grave violations against children affected by criminal gang violence, as well as wide-spread rape and other sexual abuse of women and girls, calling upon the Government to continue to protect and promote their rights.

It requested MINUSTAH to continue to support the Haitian authorities in their efforts to control the flow of small arms, develop a weapons registry, revise current laws on the importation and possession of arms, reform the weapons permit system and to develop and implement a national community policing doctrine.

Mark Lyall Grant ( United Kingdom), expressing his strong support for MINUSTAH, raised two points of concern.  Describing MINUSTAH as an example of a mismatch between needs on the ground and the tools used by the Security Council to address them, he pointed out that 5,000 military peacekeepers remained in a country where there had been no recent military conflict.  “This makes little sense,” he said, emphasizing that some tasks would be better managed by other United Nations entities.

In that context, he noted the continued provision of quick-impact projects, noting that, with the Mission entering its tenth year, it was long past time for dependence on measures used for its initial confidence-building phase.  Such dependence suggested that their impact had not been very quick, and transferring those tasks to United Nations agencies or funds would ensure long-term support for Haiti, while allowing MINUSTAH to ensure a safe environment.  That would be more in line with the principle of enhanced national ownership.  There would be scope for a more accelerated drawdown, which could be carried out in such a way as to consolidate and protect security gains.

The meeting began at 10:05 a.m. and ended at 10:10 a.m.

Resolution

The full text of Security Council resolution 2119 (2013) reads as follows:

“The Security Council,

“Reaffirming its previous resolutions on Haiti, in particular its resolutions 2070 (2012), 2012 (2011), 1944 (2010), 1927 (2010), 1908 (2010), 1892 (2009), 1840 (2008), 1780 (2007), 1743 (2007), 1702 (2006), 1658 (2006), 1608 (2005), 1576 (2004) and 1542 (2004),

“Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and unity of Haiti,

“Recognizing that, over the past year, Haiti has taken steps towards stabilization, including the establishment of the Transitional College of the Permanent Electoral Council and the submission of a draft electoral law to National Assembly, which are important to the holding of long-overdue partial senatorial, municipal and local elections,

“Noting with concern that elections preparations are still experiencing delays which could affect the holding of elections in 2013, as announced by the Government of Haiti; calling on the Government of Haiti and all concerned actors to hold free, fair, inclusive and credible elections as a matter of urgency in accordance with the Constitution of Haiti to nurture political stability and create an environment conducive to socioeconomic development,

“Recognizing that the overall security situation remained relatively stable with some improvement since the adoption of its resolution 2070 (2012), allowing MINUSTAH to continue to drawdown and to adapt its configuration without undermining the security and stability of Haiti, and recognizing the importance of condition-based, security-related decisions about the future of MINUSTAH,

“Recognizing the critical role of MINUSTAH in ensuring stability and security in Haiti, and commending MINUSTAH for continuing to assist the Government of Haiti to ensure a secure and stable environment, and expressing gratitude to the personnel of MINUSTAH and to their countries and paying tribute to those injured or killed in the line of duty; commending also the wide range of reconstruction efforts in Haiti and the successful work achieved by MINUSTAH’s military engineering units,

“Underlining the need to further strengthen Haitian judicial and correctional systems, in order to support a more integrated and cohesive Haitian security sector, and noting the commitment by the Government of Haiti to strengthen the rule of law, and to make further progress in security sector reform, and encouraging Haitian authorities to continue to pursue efforts in that regard,

“Reiterating the critical role of the Haitian National Police (HNP) to Haiti’s security and stability; stressing the importance of the ongoing strengthening, professionalization and reform of the HNP in order to enable it to assume full responsibility for Haiti’s security; noting the progress made in the implementation of the five-year 2012-2016 Haitian National Police Development Plan and reiterating the importance of maintaining support for it, especially in the area of recruitment and retention,

“Recognizing the steps taken by the Superior Council of the Judiciary to carry out its mandate and promote the strengthening of judicial independence, and expressing the need to further address human rights concerns that still remain in the corrections system, such as prolonged pre-trial detentions, prison overcrowding and sanitary conditions,

“Acknowledging that, while important progress has been made, Haiti continues to face significant humanitarian challenges, with approximately 279,000 internally displaced persons still dependent on assistance for their basic survival, an ongoing cholera epidemic, and with living conditions in the camps that need to be further addressed,

“Emphasizing that progress in the reconstruction of Haiti, as well as in Haiti’s social and economic development, including through effective, commendable international development assistance and increased Haitian institutional capacity to benefit from this assistance, are crucial to achieving lasting and sustainable stability, and reiterating the need for security to be accompanied by social and economic development, including efforts in risk reduction and preparedness that address the country’s extreme vulnerability to natural disasters, efforts in which the Government of Haiti plays a leading role,

“Welcoming the continued development of the Government of Haiti’s Framework for the Coordination of External Aid (CAED) as its preferred donor coordination mechanism and venue for supporting the Government of Haiti’s development priorities and welcoming also the increased joint programming of the United Nations country team in Haiti in alignment with the Government-endorsed Integrated Strategic Framework, and welcoming also the commitment to foster greater alignment of international assistance with national priorities, increase transparency and strengthen mutual accountability, as well as the need for stronger coordination,

“Noting the ongoing efforts by the Government of Haiti to control and eliminate the cholera epidemic, and urging the United Nations entities in coordination with other relevant actors to continue to support the Government of Haiti in addressing the structural weaknesses, in particular in the water and sanitation systems, and underscoring the importance of strengthening the Haitian national health institutions, and recognizing United Nations efforts to combat cholera, including through the Secretary-General’s initiative to support the National Plan for the Elimination of Cholera; stressing the importance of adequate and sustainable support with particular attention to rapid and targeted medical responses to outbreaks designed to reduce the threat,

“Urging donors to complete the pledges made at the 2010 New York Conference in order, inter alia, to help promote access to services and jobs for the most vulnerable, and underlining the Government of Haiti’s responsibility to provide clear guidance to donors on its priorities and to facilitate delivery of assistance to those most in need,

“Emphasizing the role of regional organizations in the ongoing process of stabilization and reconstruction of Haiti and calling on MINUSTAH to continue to work closely with international financial institutions, regional and subregional organizations, and other stakeholders, in particular the Organization of the American States (OAS), Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM),

“Recognizing also the interconnected nature of the challenges in Haiti, reaffirming that sustainable progress on security, the rule of law and institutional reform, national reconciliation and development, including the combat against unemployment and poverty, are mutually reinforcing, and welcoming the continuing efforts of the Government of Haiti and the international community to address these challenges, in line with the Government’s priorities set forth in its “5Es” policy programme (employment, education, environment, energy and the rule of law),

“Welcoming the continued efforts of the HNP to patrol and enhance its presence and engagement directly with the population; recognizing MINUSTAH’s continued community policing efforts, in close coordination with camp committees, in camps for internally displaced persons, and welcoming their engagement with the population,

“Acknowledging that sexual and gender-based violence remains a serious concern, particularly in marginalized districts of Port-au-Prince, internally displaced persons camps and remote areas of the country,

“Recognizing that strengthening national human rights institutions, as well as respect for human rights and due process and combating criminality, sexual and gender-based violence, and putting an end to impunity are essential to ensuring the rule of law and security in Haiti; welcoming in this regard the establishment of the inter-ministerial commission on human rights,

“Reaffirming the authority of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the coordination and conduct of all activities of United Nations agencies, funds and programmes in Haiti, and reaffirming also its support to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General’s role in ensuring optimal coordination and collaboration between MINUSTAH and the United Nations country team in connection with the aspects of their respective mandates that are correlated particularly as part of MINUSTAH’s condition-based consolidation plan,

“Underscoring the importance of adequately funding the Haitian National Police to enhance its logistic, administrative and operational capacities, and encouraging the Government of Haiti to take advantage of the support being provided by the international community to guarantee the provision of adequate security for the Haitian people and calling on all international partners to strengthen their coordination in this regard,

“Welcoming the Secretary-General’s report S/2013/493 of 19 August 2013,

“Mindful of its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security under the Charter of the United Nations,

“Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, as described in section 1 of operative paragraph 7 of resolution 1542 (2004),

“1.   Decides to extend the mandate of MINUSTAH as contained in its resolutions 1542 (2004), 1608 (2005), 1702 (2006), 1743 (2007), 1780 (2007), 1840 (2008), 1892 (2009), 1908 (2010), 1927 (2010), 1944 (2010), 2012 (2011) and 2070 (2012) until 15 October 2014, with the intention of further renewal;

“2.   Decides that MINUSTAH’s overall force levels will consist of up to 5,021 troops, following a balanced withdrawal of infantry and engineering personnel consistent with paragraph 54 of the Secretary-General’s report, and of a police component composed of up to 2,601 personnel;

“3.   Affirms that adjustments to the force configuration should be based on the security situation on the ground, taking into account the importance of maintaining a secure and stable environment and the impact of social and political realities on Haiti’s stability and security; the increasing development of Haitian State capabilities, in particular the ongoing strengthening of the Haitian National Police; and the national authorities’ increasing exercise of the Haitian State’s responsibility for the maintenance of stability and security in the country; calls upon MINUSTAH to maintain capacity to deploy troops rapidly throughout the country;

“4.   Takes note of the ongoing implementation of the conditions-based consolidation plan of MINUSTAH; reiterates its objective of focusing the Mission’s activities on a core set of mandated tasks achievable within a reasonable timeframe as agreed with the Government of Haiti; takes note of paragraph 64 of the Secretary-General’s report and looks forward to the proposals to be included in the next report of the Secretary-General after consultations with the Government of Haiti and Member States;

“5.   Recognizes the ownership and primary responsibility of the Government and the people of Haiti over all aspects of the country’s stabilization; encourages MINUSTAH to intensify its efforts to provide logistical and technical expertise, within available means and consistent with its mandate, and coordinating as appropriate with the United Nations country team and others active in stabilization efforts, to assist as requested by the Government of Haiti, to continue to implement decentralization efforts and build the capacity of its institutions at the national and local levels, with a view to enhance further the Government of Haiti’s ability to extend State authority throughout Haiti and promote good governance and rule of law at all levels;

“6.   Urges Haiti’s political actors to work cooperatively to complete all steps, including an electoral law, required to prepare for and hold long-overdue free, fair, and transparent senatorial, municipal, and local elections in accordance with the Constitution of Haiti in order to ensure the continued functioning of the National Assembly and other elected bodies;

“7.   Welcomes the Special Representative of the Secretary-General’s efforts to support the political process under way in Haiti; reaffirms its call upon MINUSTAH to continue to support this process; calls upon MINUSTAH to deliver and coordinate, as appropriate, international electoral assistance to the Government of Haiti in cooperation with international stakeholders including the OAS, UNASUR and CARICOM as appropriate;

“8.   Recalls its resolution 1325 (2000) and encourages the Government of Haiti, with the support of relevant stakeholders, to promote increased women’s political participation in Haiti, in accordance with the Constitution of Haiti;

“9.   Reaffirms that, in the framework of the improvement of the rule of law in Haiti, strengthening the capacity of the Haitian National Police is paramount for the Government of Haiti to take timely and full responsibility for the country’s security needs, which is central to Haiti’s overall stability and future development;

“10.  Reiterates that the Haitian National Police’s capacity-building remains a most critical task for MINUSTAH; requests MINUSTAH to continue its efforts to strengthen the institutional and operational capacities of the Haitian National Police, in particular by renewed efforts to mentor and train police and corrections personnel, including at intermediate rank levels; calls on MINUSTAH to align skills of UNPOL personnel to support these objectives and provide skilled trainers and technical advisers;

“11.  Underlines the need to ensure effective support from the Government of Haiti and its international and regional partners for the 2012-2016 HNP Development Plan, in order to achieve the goals of a minimum of 15,000 fully operational serving police officers by 2016, adequate logistic and administrative capacity, accountability and respect for human rights and rule of law, a robust vetting process, enhanced recruitment procedures and training, strengthened land and maritime border control, and improved deterrence of transnational organized crime;

“12.  Stresses the need for close coordination among MINUSTAH, donors, and the Government of Haiti to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of HNP capacity-building efforts; requests also MINUSTAH to facilitate this coordination and to continue to provide technical guidance to donor-funded projects as requested for the rehabilitation and construction of police and corrections facilities, as well as for other projects aiming to support HNP’s institutional capacity as appropriate;

“13.  Encourages also MINUSTAH, in cooperation with the appropriate international actors, to assist the Government in effectively tackling gang violence, organized crime, drug trafficking and trafficking of persons, especially children;

“14.  Encourages the Haitian authorities to continue to implement justice reform by taking the necessary steps, including through ongoing support to the Superior Council of the Judiciary, to ensure the independence and effectiveness of the judicial institutions, and to continue to address the issue of prolonged pre-trial detentions and prison conditions and overcrowding, with special regard to women and children held in detention;

“15.  Calls on all donors and partners, including international and non‑governmental organizations, to better coordinate their efforts and work closely with the Haitian Government through its Framework for the Coordination of External Aid, which is intended to help the Government ensure increased transparency, national ownership and coordination of foreign assistance and to strengthen the Government’s capacity to manage external assistance;

“16.  Requests the United Nations country team, and calls upon all actors, to complement security and development operations undertaken by the Government of Haiti with the support of MINUSTAH with activities aimed at effectively improving the living conditions of the concerned populations, in particular women and children;

“17.  Requests MINUSTAH, working in coordination with the United Nations country team, to continue to implement quick-impact projects that contribute in building a secure and stable environment and enhance national ownership and the trust of the Haitian population towards MINUSTAH, particularly in the priority areas identified by the Mission’s leadership and consistent with the Government of Haiti’s priorities as appropriate;

“18.  Strongly condemns the grave violations against children affected particularly by criminal gang violence, as well as wide-spread rape and other sexual abuse of women and girls, and calls upon the Government of Haiti, with the support of MINUSTAH and the United Nations country team, to continue to promote and protect the rights of women and children as set out in Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000), 1612 (2005), 1820 (2008), 1882 (2009), 1888 (2009), and 1889 (2009), and encourages all actors in the Haitian Government, the international community and civil society to renew their efforts to eliminate sexual and gender-based violence in Haiti; as well as to improve response to rape complaints and access to justice for the victims of rape and other sexual crimes; encourages national authorities to promote national legislation in this regard;

“19.  Encourages MINUSTAH to continue assisting the Government of Haiti in providing adequate protection to the civilian population, with particular attention to the needs of internally displaced persons and other vulnerable groups, especially women and children, including through joint community policing in the camps, in line with Security Council resolution 1894 (2009);

“20.  Requests the Secretary-General to continue to take the necessary measures to ensure full compliance of all MINUSTAH personnel with the United Nations zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, and to keep the Council informed, and urges troop- and police-contributing countries to redouble efforts in preventing cases of misconduct and to ensure that acts involving their personnel are properly investigated and punished;

“21.  Reaffirms MINUSTAH’s human rights mandate as an essential component of the Mission and recognizes that respect for human rights is an essential element for Haiti’s stability, in particular attention to individual accountability for grave violations under past Governments, urges the Government to ensure with the support of the international community, as appropriate, the respect and protection of human rights by the Haitian National Police and the judiciary, and calls on MINUSTAH to provide monitoring and support in this regard;

“22.  Encourages MINUSTAH, within its mandate, to continue to use existing means and capabilities, including its engineers, with a view to enhancing stability in Haiti while fostering greater Haitian ownership in the context of its condition-based consolidation plan;

“23.  Requests MINUSTAH to continue to pursue its community violence reduction approach, in close collaboration with the Haitian Government, with a particular focus on at-risk youth, women, the displaced and those living in violence-affected neighbourhoods and to ensure that this activity is coordinated with, and supports the work of, the United Nations country team to build local capacity in this area;

“24.  Requests MINUSTAH to continue to support the Haitian authorities in their efforts to control the flow of small arms, the development of a weapons registry, the revision of current laws on importation and possession of arms, reform of the weapons permit system and the development and implementation of a national community policing doctrine;

“25.  Underscores the importance that planning documents for MINUSTAH’s military and police components, such as the concept of operations and rules of engagement, be regularly updated, as appropriate, and be in line with the provisions of all its relevant resolutions, and requests the Secretary-General to report on them to the Security Council and troop- and police-contributing countries;

“26.  Requests the Secretary-General to keep it regularly informed, and to report to the Council on the implementation of MINUSTAH’s mandate, semi-annually and not later than 45 days prior to its expiration;

“27.  Requests the Secretary-General to continue to include in his reports a comprehensive assessment of threats to security in Haiti, and to propose, as appropriate, options regarding MINUSTAH’s further consolidation and reconfiguration and to continue to present a progress report of the consolidation plan as an annex to his next report;

“28.  Decides to remain seized of the matter.”

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For information media • not an official record