I begin my statement by conveying the apologies of our President, Mr. Luis Abinader Corona, who, for unexpected reasons resulting from Hurricane Fiona, which has severely affected several provinces of our country, was unable to participate in this important general debate.
I cannot continue without first expressing our condolences to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as to the members and observers of the Commonwealth of Nations, on the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Her example of dedication to public service will be remembered forever.
After a painful period, which left millions of victims, we are once again in this great setting, since, thanks to science, we have managed to overcome the worst effects of the coronavirus disease. But who would have foreseen that, in the twenty-first century, the spectre of war would once again haunt Europe? It has been a severe test, and we will hopefully learn lessons that better prepare us for the challenges ahead.
Those would be preventable situations if there were the will to work together to find answers to the pressing problems facing humankind. That should be clear to us by now because, in a globalized world, there are no borders when it comes to the effects of epidemics, conflicts and violence. Precisely because ours is such an intertwined world, far-reaching goals always require “transformative solutions to interlocking challenges”, as the theme of this session of the General Assembly aptly puts it.
It is essential to recognize that this Organization needs major reforms to shake it out of the comfort in which it has been operating. It must be stressed that what is important to our countries is to consolidate a renewed multilateralism. As part of a substantive reform, the General Assembly must be given greater powers and participation in order to reduce the excessive use of the veto in the Security Council, especially when it comes to issues involving human rights violations and support for humanitarian assistance.
Another pressing issue is climate change and its devastating effects, which call for proactive solidarity with those that are the least able to deal with it effectively. As an island, our country is ready to make concrete proposals in the context of the twenty- seventh Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Naturally, our positions, as small island developing States, demand that the countries that contribute most to global warming maintain on their agendas a vital cooperation mechanism with those that suffer the most from the effects of climate change. We therefore seek a greater commitment to funding for adaptation and mitigation given the crisis.
Small countries, such as ours, are significantly increasing their education programmes, at the expense of other essential aspects of development. For that reason, we attach particular importance to the Summit on Transforming Education and the establishment of the United Nations Youth Office and Youth Mobilization Day. Our country has a population of 70 per cent young people. We believe in their meaningful, full and equal participation in decision-making.
Today humankind needs results that promote peace and prevent new conflicts, especially those that pose a threat to the very existence of the planet. The Dominican Republic therefore supports the total elimination of nuclear weapons and, as proof of that,
tomorrow we will deposit our instrument of ratification for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
As part of that commitment to multilateralism and a greater presence in the community of international organizations, our country is seeking a seat on the Human Rights Council for the period from 2024 to 2026. It is our genuine desire to be part of that Council for the first time and, to that end, we hope to have the support of this community of nations.
The twenty-first century ushered in many positive developments to improve the living conditions of all humankind, but, unfortunately, events such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have created not only distress due to the loss of human lives, but also a dangerous increase in hunger in various regions, many of which are far removed from that conflict. With Russia and Ukraine being the world’s main producers of grain and fertilizers, the conflict has jeopardized the global distribution of that important food source, not to mention how Europe is being affected by shortages of fuel, of which Russia is a major supplier.
We welcome the Security Council’s extension of the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) until July 2023, including the establishment of a unit to deal with sexual and gender-based violence, one of the most abhorrent manifestations of that violent context.
The expected results of BINUH are dependent, first, on Haitians reaching a national agreement as a starting point to combat and rein in the gangs and, secondly, on ensuring the holding of elections as soon as conditions allow.
Unfortunately, that approach has not succeeded. In that regard, the Dominican Republic believes that, as we have reiterated numerous times, stabilization efforts in Haiti must be focused on immediate peacemaking and political dialogue as the only appropriate means to deal with the violence and disorder.
As the Special Representative of the Secretary- General for Haiti has stated, I would like to reiterate that criminal gangs have increased their suffocating grip on Port-au-Prince, and everything suggests that the Haitian National Police does not have the capacity to contain them. It is the responsibility of the Haitian authorities to control and put an end to the gang activity that is resulting in crimes so heinous they may amount to crimes against humanity.
We must take off our blindfolds and acknowledge that the Haitian National Police alone is not able to carry out the capacity-building necessary to maintain order and subdue the gangs. Security Council resolution 2645 (2022) puts us in a position to implement that necessary process and to take the decisions most needed for preventing the situation in Haiti from completely exceeding the reach of normal channels. The paragraphs of the resolution are indeed binding, and I would therefore like to highlight the following.
First, we need to ban without delay the illicit transfer and trafficking of small arms, light weapons and ammunition to anyone who participates in or supports gang violence, criminal activities or human rights abuses in Haiti.
Secondly, we emphasize the importance of taking appropriate measures, including by freezing the assets or banning the travel of those involved in promoting the state of violence and terror prevailing in Haiti and affecting the entire region.
Thirdly, the actions to be taken by the Secretary- General with regard to enhancing security support for the Haitian National Police’s efforts to combat the high levels of violence, as stipulated in paragraph 10 of resolution 2645 (2022), must be carried out with the urgency they demand.
Fourthly, an urgent Haitian-led political agreement needs to be reached by all the parties concerned with a view to organizing legislative and presidential elections that include the full participation of the entire population, especially that of women, young people and civil society.
In that regard, we consider it important to strongly endorse what Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated in his interview on French television on 18 September — that it is imperative to address the security situation in Haiti and that, in addition to capacity-building for police training, what is needed is a robust police force that is capable of restoring peace and putting an end to the violence perpetrated by armed gangs, which have permeated the political and economic power structures.
We have asked ourselves on many occasions whether the most catastrophic event for the Haitian people was the 2010 earthquake that devastated Port- au-Prince, causing the death of some 220,000 people, including 102 United Nations staff members, or the
current situation, which may be characterized as a low-intensity conflict. The answer, I have no doubt, is that, despite the horrible suffering caused by the earthquake, the current situation is more desperate for the Haitian people.
In the face of the earthquake in 2010, all Haitians came together in solidarity as one people and worked to support and rescue their neighbours. Similarly, concerted action was also taken at the global level to deliver relief to Haiti. The Dominican people of course immediately came to the aid of our Haitian brothers and sisters. In addition to the natural disasters it has faced, in 1986 Haiti’s entire population, compelled by its civic spirit, came together to end the dictatorship that had lasted there for more than two decades. In other words, the Haitian people have historical experience in uniting together to face adversity.
Today the situation is dramatically different. Faced with the inability of the authorities to establish order and ensure public security, most people are paralysed with fear and, as a result, the resilient Haitian population feels abandoned to its own fate. The violence, which has created deep fragmentations in society, makes even the most basic social cohesion impossible, while Haitians are left to wait in despair for the delayed help of the international community. As President Abinader Corona said last year in his address to the General Assembly, Haiti can wait no longer (see A/76/PV.9). We must act responsibly, and we must act now.
The Dominican Republic reaffirms its belief that the only way to secure a lasting and sustainable response to the Haitian crisis is to ensure that it comes from Haitian people themselves. Despite the difficulties in reaching agreements, we urge and hope for that to happen so as to enable the people of Haiti to take the path required for achieving the consensus needed in their society to overcome such a grave situation. International collaboration is vital if we are to successfully bring stability and peace to the people of Haiti, its neighbours and the region. That is our only objective.
The Dominican Republic was a signatory to the Charter of the United Nations in 1945 and continues to fulfil its obligations with the same sense of responsibility with which it has done so for 77 years. We have played a role in the General Assembly’s adoption of historic decisions and resolutions. The Assembly can rest assured that our country will continue to play its part in the concert of nations. We stand ready to continue contributing to the strengthening of the United Nations, an instrument that continues to be fundamental to the maintenance of world peace and security.