United Nations Security Council Resolution 2743 – The question concerning Haiti (BINUH)

Resolution 2743 (2024)

The Security Council,

Recalling all its previous resolutions on Haiti, including resolutions 2645 (2022), 2653 (2022), and 2692 (2023),

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 2700 (2023), which renewed the sanctions regime on Haiti, consisting of a travel ban, an assets freeze and an arms embargo, and further recalling resolution 2664 (2022) which supersedes the asset freeze exception set forth in paragraph 10 of resolution 2653,

Recalling its resolution 2699 (2023) which, acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, authorizes Member States that have notified the Secretary-General of their participation to form and deploy a Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to Haiti to support the efforts of the Haitian National Police to reestablish security in Haiti, in strict compliance with international law, including, international human rights law, as applicable, and build security conditions conducive to holding free and fair elections,

Condemning in the strongest terms the increasing violence, criminal activities, mass displacement of civilians, 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 abduction and recruitment of children by armed gangs and criminal networks, and expressing deep concern on the impact of transnational organized crime dynamics on the security situation of Haiti, including with regard to arms and ammunition trafficking and drug trafficking,

Stressing that it is the primary responsibility of the Government of Haiti to address root causes of instability and inequality, to respect, promote, and protect all human rights, 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, and ensuring the 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,

Welcoming the establishment of the transitional governance arrangement in Haiti, in keeping with the CARICOM Declaration of 11 March 2024, and the subsequent establishment of the Transitional Presidential Council and inauguration of the interim Prime Minister and his Cabinet,

Commending the Haitian National Police for continuing to perform their duties and secure critical infrastructure, and taking note of the arrival of the first contingent of the deployment of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to support the efforts of the Haitian National Police (HNP) to reestablish security in Haiti, and build security conditions conducive to the holding of free and fair elections,

Reaffirming the importance of the rule of law, human rights, and restoring efficient judicial institutions in order to strengthen the fight against impunity, noting the need for technical assistance and support for capacity building by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) 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 enhance its effort to hold the perpetrators accountable in a timely manner and consistently with international human rights law,

Reiterating the importance of BINUH’s good offices role for a transparent Haitian-led and Haitian-owned political process leading to free and fair elections, including but not limited to supporting an inclusive inter-Haitian dialogue, engaging with all sectors of Haitian society, including communities living in areas controlled by gangs, and advocating for broad political participation, including by women and youth, and the transition timeline agreed to by Haitian stakeholders,

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, restrictions on humanitarian access 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, and expressing concern that gang violence and other criminal activities, among other factors, might hinder disaster risk reduction, preparedness and resilience-building measures aimed at addressing these events,

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 alarming number of reported grave violations against children, and welcoming of the signing of a handover protocol in January 2024 between the Government and the United Nations for the transfer of children allegedly associated with armed gangs to civilian child protection actors,

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,

Strongly condemning and expressing deep concern over the gravity and numbers of violations and abuses committed against children in Haiti; and urging all actors, especially gangs and criminal networks, to immediately end and prevent all violations and abuses against children, including those involving killing and maiming, recruitment and use, rape and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence, particularly against girls, attacks on schools and hospitals, abduction, and denial of humanitarian access,

Expressing grave concern at the continued flow of illicit arms and ammunition into Haiti, reiterating the strong correlation between the illicit trafficking of arms and ammunition to Haiti and the expansion of territorial control by gangs, the extreme levels of armed violence, including sexual and gender based violence, that leads to the deteriorating security situation 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,

Recalling 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 reiterating its call upon the Government of Haiti to swiftly implement the National Action Plan,

Reiterating 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,

Reiterating its support for the Basket Fund for security assistance for Haiti developed with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and encouraging BINUH to play a coordination role with regard to external security assistance to Haiti that is provided 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, reintegration and resilience, and sustainable development challenges, including in the agricultural, industrial, and education sectors,

Deploring the disruption of education and economic opportunities for youth, and acknowledging the need for appropriate measures to ensure physical and psychological recovery, assistance, including legal assistance and social reintegration of young survivors while ensuring that the specific needs of girls and boys as well as children with disabilities are addressed, including access to health care, psychosocial support, and education programmes that contribute to the well-being of children and to sustainable peace and security, 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 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 multi agency collaboration to this end, and the necessity to address the most immediate humanitarian needs,

Taking note of the significant deterioration in the security context as a result of political instability and accompanying gang violence challenging state authority in the metropolitan areas of Port-au-Prince, and its extension to neighboring departments, and its impact on the operating environment for BINUH and condemning in the strongest terms the violence carried out by the armed gangs,

Emphasizing the Security Council’s role in placing and enhancing sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for or complicit in actions that threaten the peace, security or stability of Haiti, also emphasizing BINUH’s role in raising awareness about the existence and applicability of the territorial arms embargo on Haiti in accordance with resolution 2653 (2022) and 2700 (2023),

Noting with concern, the 2653 Sanctions Committee Panel of Experts repeated reports that despite the imposition of the territorial arms embargo in October 2023pursuant to resolutions 2699 (2023) and 2700 (2023), gangs and other non-state actors continue to procure arms and ammunition unlawfully, in part due to a lack of awareness of the provisions of the arms embargo among those institutions meant to enforce the embargo,

Taking note of the extended disruption to commercial air traffic and the roadblocks at major roadways that severely constrained access to the country and capital city, increased the security risks to BINUH personnel, severely limited the mobility of BINUH personnel into and out of the duty station, and resulted in a temporary reduction in the international presence in Port-au-Prince,

Underscoring the need for strengthened capacity and effectiveness of to the Haitian National Police, including in re-opening police stations damaged or rendered non-operational as a result of gang violence, to extend state authority and provide continuous police presence in all communities,

Adopted by the Security Council at its 9684th meeting, on 12 July 2024.