United Nations Security Council Resolution 2692 – The question concerning Haiti (BINUH)
Resolution 2692 (2023)
The Security Council,
Recalling all its previous resolutions on Haiti, including resolution 2645 (2022)and resolution 2653 (2022),
Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and unity of Haiti,
Recalling in particular its resolution 2476 (2019), which established the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) beginning on 16 October 2019 based on the report of the Secretary-General of 1 March 2019 (document S/2019/198),
Recalling its resolution 2653 (2022), which established sanctions measures in response to the threat to international peace and security in the region posed by the high levels of gang violence and other criminal activities, as well as of illicit arms and financial flows, and further recalling resolution 2664 (2022) which supersedes the asset freeze exception set forth in paragraph 10 of resolution 2653,
Condemning in the strongest terms the increasing violence, criminal activities, and human rights abuses and violations which undermine the peace, stability and security of Haiti and the region, including kidnappings, sexual and gender-based violence, trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants, homicides, extrajudicial killings and recruitment of children by armed groups and criminal networks,
Stressing the primary responsibility of the Government of Haiti to address root causes of instability and inequality, and to engage with other stakeholders, including civil society, youth, and the private sector, to deliver durable solutions to Haiti’s immediate and long-term challenges, bearing in mind full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation of women,
Stressing that addressing the root causes of instability in Haiti requires political solutions, and in this regard further emphasizing the urgent need to encourage wider participation and forge the broadest possible consensus in the political process, with a view to holding free and fair elections that are credible and restoring democratic institutions,
Taking note of the signing on 21 December 2022, of the document entitled “National Consensus for an Inclusive Transition and Transparent Elections,”
Reaffirming the importance of rule of law and restoring efficient judicial institutions in order to strengthen the fight against impunity and, noting the need for technical assistance and support for capacity building by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to the Haitian judiciary, security forces, and prison administration, in collaboration with the BINUH and reiterating its condemnation in the strongest terms of the assassination of the President of Haiti Jovenel Moïse on 7 July 2021, and urging the Government of Haiti to hold the perpetrators accountable in a timely manner,
Reiterating the importance of empowering BINUH to carry out its good offices role for a Haitian-led, Haitian-owned solution, and to engage all sectors of Haitian society, in particular political actors, civil society, religious leaders, including communities living in areas controlled by gangs, in support of political consensus as well as in the necessary reforms to scale up advisory police support to the Haitian National Police (HNP), bearing in mind the need to promote full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation of women in Haiti in their engagements,
Expressing grave concern at the use of sexual and gender-based violence perpetrated by gang members,
Noting with deep concern the ongoing and deteriorating political, economic, security, human rights, humanitarian and acute food insecurity and nutrition crises in Haiti,), and reaffirming the commitment of the international community to continue to support the people of Haiti,
Recognizing that natural disasters, including hurricanes, earthquakes and floods, and other weather events associated with the adverse effects of climate change, among other factors, can adversely impact food security, water scarcity and the humanitarian situation in Haiti, and may aggravate any existing instability,
Recalling the importance of ensuring the protection of children and taking appropriate measures in this regard, in line with relevant Security Council resolutions, and expressing concern about the gravity and number of reported human rights violations and abuses against children,
Urging the Haitian authorities to reduce violence in a comprehensive and urgent manner, including through strengthened rule of law, socio-economic measures, violence reduction programs, including specific programs focused on sexual and gender based violence, child protection measures, weapons and ammunition management, and bolstering national accountability and protection mechanisms, as well as through any initiatives to assist the functioning of the judiciary, and to restore efficient judicial institutions,
Recognizing the strong correlation between the illicit trafficking of arms and ammunition to Haiti and the expansion of territorial control by gangs and the extreme levels of armed violence, and therefore reiterating the urgent need to prohibit the transfer of arms and related materiel of all types to non-State actors engaged in or supporting gang violence, criminal activities, or human rights abuses in Haiti; as well as to prevent their illicit trafficking and diversion,
Further welcoming the signing by the Government of Haiti of the National Action Plan to implement the Roadmap for Implementing the Caribbean Priority Actions on the Illicit Proliferation of Firearms and Ammunition across the Caribbean in a Sustainable Manner by 2030, in an effort to address the proliferation of illicit weapons and ammunition, and calling upon the Government of Haiti to swiftly implement the National Action Plan,
Further acknowledging the urgent need to address the challenge of illicit financial flows to Haiti enabling armed gangs to operate and posing a growing threat to the country’s stability, including by prioritizing severing links between political and economic actors and gangs,
Welcoming the establishment of the Basket Fund for security assistance for Haiti developed with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and BINUH, acknowledging BINUH’s advisory support for the HNP, and encouraging BINUH to play a coordination role with regard to external security assistance to Haiti through this fund,
Recognizing the key role of neighbouring countries, regional and subregional organizations such as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and other international partners, and calling on the international community to remain committed to Haiti’s efforts in overcoming the ongoing political stalemate and security situation, welcoming further efforts from member states to augment training, mentor, and improve the operational capacity of the HNP as well as encouraging the support and financing of activities to address Haiti’s humanitarian, stabilization, reconstruction, disaster risk reduction and resilience, and sustainable development challenges, including in the agricultural, industrial, and education sectors,
Taking note of the meeting of Haitian Stakeholders on 11–13 June 2023 in Kingston, Jamaica, hosted and mediated by CARICOM and the Group of Eminent Persons (GEP), and welcoming CARICOM’s and GEP’s continued readiness to assist,
Deploring the disruption of education and economic opportunities for youth, and acknowledging the need for appropriate measures to promote physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration of young survivors, reaffirms the need to enhance international assistance to provide access to education and skills development such as vocational training, and further stresses the central and constructive role youth can play in the prevention and resolution of conflict,
Emphasizing the need to address the loss of livelihoods, food security and nutrition, health security, internal displacement, and access to social infrastructure, including that caused by the earthquake that struck western Haiti on 6 June 2023, and further emphasizing that progress in the recovery, reconstruction, and resilience -building of Haiti is crucial to achieving lasting stability, security and socio-economic development, and in this regard acknowledging the multiagency collaboration to this end, and the necessity to address the most immediate humanitarian needs,
Taking note of the letter dated 7 June 2023 from the Prime Minister, Council of Ministers, and High Transition Council of Haiti to the Secretary-General renewing the direct appeal for the deployment of an international specialized force and technical assistance to address gang violence, reiterated in the letter of the Secretary-General (S/2022/747), as well as of the report of the Secretary-General (document S/2023/274) dated 14 April 2023, in which he reiterates the request of the Haitian government for a specialized international force to support the Haitian National Police’s efforts to combat high levels of gang violence and re-establish security,
Noting with deep concern the impact of the deteriorating security situation on the operating environment, which has severely limited the mobility of BINUH civilian and police personnel inside and outside Port-au-Prince, further noting the crucial role of BINUH to continue to support the Government of Haiti and to provide strategic and advisory support to the Haitian National Police, and reaffirming the primary responsibility of Haitian authorities to protect civilians across its territory,
Welcoming the decision of the Secretary-General to carry out a visit of solidarity to Haiti on 1 July 2023,
- Decides to extend, to 15 July 2024 the mandate of BINUH in accordance with its resolution 2476 (2019), headed by a Special Representative of the Secretary‑General of the United Nations, and the reporting requirements as specified in paragraph 1 of resolution 2645 (2022);
2. Further decides that BINUH’s police and corrections unit will include up to 70 civilian and seconded personnel to serve as police and corrections advisors and led by the current UN Police Commissioner and to scale up its strategic and advisory support to the training and investigation capacities of the Haitian National Police and recalls paragraph 2 of resolution 2645 (2022), which decides that BINUH’s human rights unit will include dedicated capacity to address sexual and gender-based violence including the identification of women’s protection advisers as applicable, and notes that this decision is in line with the United Nations Development Cooperation Framework;
3. Requests BINUH to take fully into account child protection as a cross-cutting issue throughout its mandate and to assist the authorities in the protection of children including through prioritizing advisory support on child-protection;
4. Reiterates the need for all Haitian stakeholders, including with BINUH’s support to continue to facilitate a Haitian-led, Haitian-owned political process to permit the organization of free, fair and credible legislative and presidential elections, and with the full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation of women and the engagement of youth, civil society, and other relevant stakeholders through an inclusive inter-Haitian national dialogue, and further requests all Haitian stakeholders to urgently reach an agreement on a sustainable, time-bound and commonly accepted roadmap for elections;
5. Encourages BINUH, in close cooperation with relevant United Nations agencies, regional organizations, subregional organizations, and international financial institutions, to explore options to enhance the Haitian criminal justice sector in order to fight impunity;
6. Strongly urges Member States to without delay prohibit the supply, sale, or transfer of small arms, light weapons, and ammunition to non-State actors engaged in or supporting gang violence, criminal activities, or human rights abuses in Haiti, as well as to take all appropriate steps to prevent their illicit trafficking and diversion, and expresses its intent to consider further appropriate measures in this regard in connection with the renewal of the measures imposed under resolution 2653 (2022);
7. Demands cooperation between Member States to prevent illicit arms trafficking and diversion, including through inspecting cargo to Haiti, in their territory, as necessary and in a manner consistent with national and international law, and through providing and exchanging timely and up to date information in order to identify and combat illicit trafficking sources and supply chains;
8. Requests BINUH to cooperate with Sanctions Committee established pursuant to resolution 2653 (2022) and its Panel of Experts in order to facilitate the Panel’s work;
9. Requests BINUH to work with UNODC and other relevant UN agencies to support Haitian authorities in combating illicit trafficking and diversion of arms and related materiel as well as illicit financial flows and in enhancing management and control of borders and ports and include the progress of relevant work in the Secretary-General’s regular report to the Security Council, and further requests UNODC to report to the Security Council every three months, concurrent with the reporting cycle of BINUH, through the Secretary-General, which shall include updates on sources and routes of illicit arms and financial flows, relevant UN activities and recommendations;
10. Requests BINUH to provide available information on cases of gang violence, criminal activities and human rights abuses in Haiti, collected in carrying out BINUH’s mandate, as an annex to the Secretary-General’s report to the Security Council;
11. Encourages continued close collaboration and enhanced coordination between BINUH, the United Nations Country Team in Haiti, regional organizations and subregional organizations and international financial institutions with a view to helping the government of Haiti to take responsibility to realize the long-term stability, sustainable development, food security, and economic self-sufficiency of the country and further encourages enhanced public strategic communication regarding BINUH’s mandate and specific role;
12. Encourages Member States, international financial institutions, and other entities to contribute to the Basket Fund for security assistance to Haiti with a view to supporting coordinated international assistance, and further encourages Member States, as well as relevant international organizations in a position to do so to further provide Haiti with capacity building, technical support, and the training of national customs, border control, and other such relevant authorities;
13. Reiterates the importance of the engagement of UNODC and other relevant UN agencies in support of efforts against armed gangs, to enhance port security, to improve customs revenue collections, and to curtail illicit financial flows, and further reiterates the importance of securing voluntary funding in support of these efforts;
14. Requests that BINUH scale up support and security capacities to enable its civilian and police personnel to move safely, and effectively implement the mandate;
15. Emphasizes the importance of allowing and facilitating the full, safe rapid, and unhindered humanitarian access to all people in need, and the full protection, safety and security of medical and humanitarian personnel and assets;
16. Urges all relevant actors including those with the ability to influence armed groups, to act to stop the blocking of roads required for the supplying of and access to local markets and the damaging of sources of food, including crops and livestock, as well as medical and humanitarian supplies;
17. Encourages Member States, including countries in the region, to provide security support to the Haitian National Police in response to the appeal from the Prime Minister of Haiti and the Secretary-General, including through the deployment of a specialized force, upon consultation with Haitian stakeholders;
18. Requests the Secretary-General to submit a written report to the Security Council, in consultation with Haiti, within 30 days, outlining the full range of support options the United Nations can provide to enhance the security situation, including but not limited to support for combating illicit trafficking and diversion of arms and related materiel, additional training for the Haitian National Police, support for a non-UN multinational force, or a possible peacekeeping operation, in the context of supporting a political settlement in Haiti;
19. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.
Adopted by the Security Council at its 9377th meeting, on 14 July 2023.
