Since the
Charter of the United Nations was adopted in San
Francisco, the international community has made it a
true act of faith in setting up a new international order
based on the ideals and values that elevate human dignity
and encourage sustainable development and solidarity
among peoples. It is an honour for me to speak before
the General Assembly, convened for nearly 70 years,
to address key issues of justice, universal peace and
security.
I take this opportunity to send Mr. Sam Kutesa
my warmest congratulations on his election as the
President of the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth
session. His proven experience on international issues
and the United Nations system is a guarantee of the
success of the work that will be taken up at this session.
He can be assured of the full cooperation of the Haitian
delegation.
I commend the remarkable work of Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon. I pay special tribute to him
for his courage and commitment to the cause of peace
worldwide. As humanitarian crises and conflicts
between States threaten the stability and security of
peoples of the world, the Secretary-General’s leadership
has repeatedly demonstrated that there is always a
way to resolve our differences through dialogue,
understanding and mutual respect.
That is why I encourage the United Nations to
continue to support the good relations between the
parties on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and the
peaceful and constructive approaches to establish
lasting peace in East Asia and the East China Sea.
We in the Caribbean have chosen to take the path
of dialogue with our neighbour to the east for the good
of our two peoples and in order to preserve peace in
the region. We believe in the power of dialogue. We
are convinced that it is always necessary to engage
in negotiation and productive discussions. We readily
agreed to come to the negotiating table with our friends
from the Dominican Republic to set out the real problens
of mutual interest for the benefit of our two peoples
and to resolve half-century-old misunderstandings. We
welcome the fact that a number of agreements have
been reached on issues that were not always easy to
resolve. We hope to be able to continue on that path
towards a better understanding between two States that
share the same island.
Despite a challenging route, 70 years later it is clear
that this common project that is the United Nations has
lost nothing of its topicality and relevance. At a time when
hotbeds of international tension persist, the enlightened
Powers of our planet must unite to preserve peace,
democracy, stability, human rights and development.
In that context, in line with the new realities of this
century, Haiti argues strongly for concrete progress in
the negotiations for United Nations reform, particularly
with regard to the enlargement of the Security Council
to include new permanent members.
The example of inclusion must begin where the
right to participation is a fundamental right expressed
through the Charter of the United Nations. Our voice
counts. Our leadership, being responsible, must be
expressed through concrete and tangible actions when
peace, the health of our environment and the health of
our people are threatened. In that connection, I wish to
pay tribute to our Cuban brothers, among other peoples
of the world, who have supported African countries
affected by Ebola.
As much as we have a moral responsibility to raise
our voice against injustice whatever its origin, against
fanaticism, to reject repression and violence in all its
forms and to fight discrimination and prejudices that
hinder solidarity among peoples, we also have an
obligation to recognize and encourage efforts to unite
people.
The legitimacy and credibility of the United
Nations depends upon its ability to act quickly and
respond effectively in recognizing the added value of
each Member State. More than ever, problems must
be addressed pragmatically. That is an urgent matter
in these times of political tensions on a global scale
and of the spread of some diseases that are just as
devastating. Moreover, the international community
is greatly challenged by the resurgence of a brutal and
fanatical international terrorism in a new form. The
United Nations is and remains today our best defence
against those challenges through respect for the dignity
of peoples and through the participation and inclusion
of everyone.
Allow me to present the situation in my country,
the Republic of Haiti.
The Haitian people are at a decisive turning point
in their long march in search of stability, democracy
and progress, towards the consolidation of democratic
institutions established 27 years ago with the adoption
of the 1987 Constitution. After more than two decades
punctuated by disasters of all kinds, Haiti has made
undeniable progress over the past three years in
terms of consolidating democracy and the rule of law,
strengthening its institutions and protecting human
rights, reducing poverty and laying the foundations
for sustained growth and long-lasting development.
We are aware that the road that should lead Haiti to
socioeconomic stability is still long. However, the
obstacles, however daunting they may be, are not
insurmountable.
In terms of security, the situation has improved
to the point where Haiti has become one of the safest
countries in the Caribbean. The Government has made
great efforts to strengthen the professionalism of the
Haitian National Police. I maintain and reaffirm my
stance on the need for a gradual and orderly withdrawal
of United Nations troops from Haitian soil. That
process has in fact already commenced, along with
the strengthening of the operational capacity of the
National Police of Haiti, which will allow it to take
over from the forces of the United Nations Stabilization
Mission in Haiti.
I wish to make a plea for better coordination of
the work of United Nations agencies with national
institutions and for taking into account the real needs
of the country.
With regard to education, 70 per cent of pupils
in the first two years of primary school receive a
free education. For the first time in Haiti, 5 per
cent of the gross domestic product is earmarked for
education. Today, the net school enrolment rate has
increased significantly. We are working hard to reach
the Millennium Development Goals, which are set at
100 per cent in this regard, as the Assembly knows.
In the area of health, we have stepped up efforts to
reduce the incidence of diseases such as AIDS, malaria
and vector-borne diseases. The significant increase in
health centres across the country has improved access
to care and led to a reduction in maternal and infant
mortality. Maternal mortality fell from 350 to 157 per
100,000 live births per 100,000. Through our Ministry
of Health, we were able to build and rehabilitate more
than 200 health facilities. And to strengthen governance
in health, we are committed to the ongoing training of
our health professionals so they can provide better care
and services. With regard to cholera, while assuming
our duty to our fellow citizens, Haiti calls for a decisive
commitment from the United Nations to contribute to
the National Plan for the Eradication of Cholera.
With regard to the economy, major reforms have
been put in place to improve the business environment.
The increased flow of foreign capital and the number of
tourists visiting our country are tangible evidence of the
improving business climate in Haiti. We are resolutely
focused on our goal of making Haiti an investment
destination, not a humanitarian destination.
On the political front, Haiti will conduct free,
honest and transparent elections as soon as possible
for the renewal of democratic and constitutional
institutions. That is a necessary step. Democratic rules
require it, and I will uphold republican principles until
the end. As Head of State, guarantor of the stability of
institutions, I have spared no effort to find consensus
among all parties and institutions involved in the
organization of legislative and municipal elections.
Despite the discrepancies, in the spirit of Jean-Jacques
Dessalines, I am confident that together we will arrive
at such consensus. I look forward to bringing my
fellow citizens together around the table to provide that
harmonious area marked by the purest ideals that the
Haitian people have established for themselves, ideals
that we remain firmly committed to.
I would like to reiterate the support of the Republic
of Haiti to the fight that the United Nations is leading
to eradicate poverty. While waiting for the summit to
be held next year in which Member States will decide
on the post-2015 development agenda, I can already
express the confidence of my Administration in the
sustainable development goals intended to replace the
Millennium Development Goals.
The world currently has enormous resources.
Our challenge is to find effective ways and means to
ensure that they are distributed in an equitable and just
manner. I remain convinced that our commitment to
reduce poverty and inequality throughout the world is
necessary. It is in that spirit that the Republic of Haiti
joins the international community to contribute its part
to meet that challenge. It is suitable, therefore, that we
heighten the effectiveness of the Organization and give
it the necessary and sufficient resources in the exercise
of that mission.
Our goal is for that truly to become the basis of
a system of security and collective solidarity that is
able to ensure the rule of law and to preserve peace and
international security; a system able to prioritize basic
freedoms and human rights; a system able to promote
strong growth that is careful to respect the environment
and development that responds to current needs without
risking the future of generations to come. It is up to us,
on the eve of the seventieth anniversary of the Charter
of the United Nations, to transmit that new spirit, so
indispensable to the promotion and defense of the
universal values of which we are the custodians.