Haiti is confronting a deepening, multilayered crisis—humanitarian, security and political—prompting renewed engagement from the international community. The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) is coordinating much of that effort.
Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Haiti and head of BINUH, outlined the mission’s priorities following meetings in Washington, D.C., with U.S. Administration officials, Members of Congress, and civil society representatives in early December.
Click here to hear SRSG Massieu during his visit to UNIC Washington.
Hurricane Melissa delivered a major blow in late October, battering Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba with severe flooding and landslides. Across the region, communities saw roads washed out, bridges collapse, water systems contaminated and essential services interrupted. Many families were left struggling to access food, drinking water, medical care and education.
UNICEF, the World Food Programme and other UN agencies are delivering urgent humanitarian aid, supported by BINUH and a strengthened security framework recently endorsed by the Security Council. Through Resolution 2793, the Council approved a new Gang Suppression Force (GSF), proposed by the United States and Panama, to operate alongside the UN mission with additional backing from Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica and the Bahamas.
The GSF is designed to succeed the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission—led by Kenya and mandated by the UN—to support Haiti’s National Police in their fight against powerful armed groups and in efforts to restore political stability. The GSF is expected to deploy more than 5,500 personnel with a police-military mandate to respond more robustly to gang-driven violence that has displaced communities and worsened the humanitarian emergency.
This week, the GSF received a new contingent of 230 Kenyan police officers—the first foreign deployment since February—bringing its strength to nearly 1,000 personnel, according to Reuters.
The spillover effects of Haiti’s crisis extend beyond its borders. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime is working with Haitian and regional authorities to address the growing involvement of Haitian gangs in international drug trafficking.
In August, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell briefed the Security Council on the profound toll on children. She noted that minors make up roughly half of gang members and that gang-related sexual violence accounts for a quarter of reported cases—figures she described as “appalling.”
