Mr. President,
I would like to thank His Excellency Andrew Holness and Special Envoy María Salvador for their contributions. My thanks also go to Madame Marie Yolène Gilles, Executive Director of the Fondasyon Je Klere, for her presentation, and to the Foreign Ministers of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, whose presence I welcome.
I thank Ambassador Biang for his report on the work of the 2653 Committee. We call on all member states to respect and implement the established sanctions. All measures must be taken to prevent the illicit proliferation and diversion of arms and ammunition.
The Secretary-General's report describes the extent of the deterioration of the security and human rights situation in Haiti. As he stressed during his visit to the country, "every day counts". Switzerland is ready to work with the other members of the Council towards a force to support the Haitian National Police.
In this respect, I would like to highlight the following three points:
Firstly, Switzerland strongly condemns the sexual and gender-based violence committed against Haitian women and men. It is essential to strengthen BINUH’s capacities in order to combat this scourge, notably through additional specialized human resources in the renewal of the mandate. Victims and survivors of such violence must have access to care, and those responsible must be brought to justice.
Secondly, given the number of serious violations of children's rights, Haiti is on the list of situations of concern in the latest Secretary-General's report on children and armed conflict. Children are particularly vulnerable to recruitment, abduction, murder, rape and other forms of sexual violence. Attacks on schools and hospitals and the denial of access to humanitarian aid have also been observed. Switzerland therefore supports the inclusion of child protection measures in the renewal of BINUH's mandate.
Thirdly, access to safe, rapid and unhindered humanitarian assistance remains essential for the population in need. The international community must stand by the Haitian people. Basic services are still inaccessible and almost half the population is food insecure, while thousands of hectares of arable land are abandoned in the face of gang violence and crops are destroyed by natural disasters. Early warning mechanisms and resilient agricultural systems are essential to mitigate the impact of climate change on food security.
Mr. President,
An answer to the complex crises affecting the country can only be found through inter-Haitian dialogue. We encourage the search for compromise by all parties, in order to propose a collective and inclusive political response, as well as the pursuit of regional dialogue, in particular the one led by the CARICOM member states. Switzerland also calls for the re-establishment of the rule of law, notably through a reform of the judicial and penitentiary systems. This would allow to effectively combat impunity and to lay the foundations for lasting peace.
This Council must show unity in renewing the mandate of the BINUH to enable it to fulfil its mission effectively.
I thank you.