Haiti

First of all, I would like to congratulate Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser on his election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session. I also want to use this occasion to commend the leadership of Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon and to laud the dynamism and wisdom he brings to the management of world affairs. From this rostrum, I extend a brotherly welcome to our sister nation, South Sudan, which just proclaimed its independence on 9 July. We share in their pride, and we welcome them with great respect as the 193rd Member State of the great family of the United Nations. On behalf of the Republic of Haiti, I send warm congratulations and our hope that the country may enjoy peace, happiness and prosperity. I honour the memory of those who died in the struggle before seeing the dawn of a new day shining in that part of the African continent. Speaking here today on behalf of Haiti, I join my voice with those of all the Member States that, like us, have known the heavy burden of post-disaster and post-conflict circumstances, in saying that even among the weakest and most vulnerable hope lives on. They carry the hope of rebirth, because they know that the pre-crisis reality is no longer a possibility. They know that change — change in their mentality and change in their political, economic and social affairs — must be their creed. They cannot afford not to change. In the case of Haiti, it is precisely because an entire people were firmly convinced of the need for change that I was elected with a very clear mandate, namely, that of bringing about that change. I am convinced that that leap in awareness that resulted from suffering is what will lead to a new global order. That was the case at the beginning of the nineteenth century, when Saint-Domingue broke its chains and brought about the birth of Haiti. It was the case in 1945, when countries of good will, including Haiti, came together to bring about this body which brings us together this week around noble ideals. It also seems to be the case in the light of the political changes affecting North Africa. In a country of the South where the human development index is still of concern, a major disaster unfortunately arises, the great question of responsibility comes brutally to the fore again, whether the responsibility be local in terms of governance, or whether the responsibility lies with the global order. Today’s world and the United Nations in particular will be more and more called upon, because those post- disaster situations include both situations resulting from natural disasters and those of a passing nature or those that are simply caused by human folly. When on top of that, in some of those cases, all of these factors come together, the response must be 21 11-51191 more carefully designed, more responsible, more coordinated, bolder and more determined. I strongly believe that, first of all, it is for the affected countries to seek and find solutions, because any solution that is imposed from the outside, however generous it might be, will, in the medium term, only produce adverse effects. It is up to the people of the South to determine how they use their wealth, their raw materials and their future. In the case of Haiti, I have to say that the international community, through the United Nations, showed by supporting, six months after the earthquake, presidential elections in a difficult context, that it understood the urgency. I would like to thank it for that. But I also strongly believe that it would be irresponsible for a country that has been hit by disaster to deny itself the assistance, expertise and cooperation of sisterly nations, whether they be from the emerging South or from the North, which is supposedly well-off. It is that balance, as I was saying, between mature governance and well-conceived international assistance that should be sought after and codified, genuinely and without any embellishment. I would cite as an example the various peacekeeping and stabilization missions of the United Nations in numerous places around the globe, including Haiti. The same situation arises everywhere: a country initially welcomes the missions, but in the medium term, they lose steam. Why? Problems arise because the expectations of the host country are excessive. Furthermore, missions cannot operate when they work under inflexible terms of reference. That is to be regretted, because nothing would more irresponsible and dangerous than to let missions leave before an effective national alternative is in place. In the case of Haiti, what would the United Nations Mission have accomplished if today, suddenly and without any warning, it were to be withdrawn? Of course, I am aware of the fact that unacceptable errors have been committed and have affected the prestige of the Mission, but the trees must not be allowed to hide the forest. I believe that political stabilization goes through a number of stages. It cannot be based simply on an intervention force or a more or less neutral observer presence. That would reflect a very simplified view of the primary role of the United Nations. Stabilization is more than that. Thus, the Government policy that I stand for consists of four main pillars: education, employment, environment and the rule of law. How can we build peace unless there is universal and free basic education in a country where there is massive illiteracy? How can we promote sustainable development without high quality education that promotes citizen values, ensures gender equality, values cultural identity and openness to the world, and leads to tolerance? With respect to jobs, allow me to say that we can talk as much as we like about human dignity and human rights, and about stabilization and peace, but an empty stomach is deaf to words. It is by creating decent jobs that are properly paid and that respect the rights of vulnerable categories of people that justice begins. It is by a fair distribution of the income from raw materials that we will stop smothering the countries of the South and put an end to the speculation that undermines democracy. On these major themes, nations must come together and come still closer together. They must be committed to combating deforestation and climate change. We must also seriously take into account the problem of water. There will be no peace in the world as long as the living conditions of countries such as mine are so poor that they lead to natural disasters becoming even more tragic, floods even worse, drought even more deadly and the rural exodus even more widespread. Stabilization today also means, above all, establishing the rule of law, but the rule of law requires, inter alia, an independent, responsible and strong justice system. It also means the ongoing and difficult but necessary establishment of strong institutions that are stronger than privilege and group interest. The world will become more beautiful when we stop talking about condemning or accusing people. Haiti has been witness to that fact. But Haiti can also say that in post-disaster assistance, the disbursement of funds that are not subject to inflexible, complex and clumsy red tape are those that are best adapted to needs. Therefore, those procedures, even if they are supported, allow the affected countries to take ownership of the strategic initiatives concerning their future. Specifically, in terms of the resources made available to the affected populations, it is also desirable 11-51191 22 that pledges be followed up with action and that reconstruction projects be actually implemented. In a word, I would say that it would be very sad to see the left hand taking back what the right hand had given. The temptation exists; it is the result of a difficult global economic context. But, once again, truth alone must prevail, because when reconstruction is left to wait, the long wait can lead to impatience and bring harm. In the case of Haiti, as in other post- conflict situations, the United Nations and friendly nations should come to our aid to help us to reconstruct more than just a physical space, but reconstruct men and women, to whom we must give hope. Beyond concepts and abstractions, this is above all a human story. This is the new order we are here to speak of today: putting human beings back into the heart of the central debates of our time. This is the momentum in which we are caught up and which is shared by billions of people in the grip of disasters, forced exoduses, conflicts and epidemics. In solidarity with those other victims, the Haitian people wish to send a very clear message from the platform of the United Nations. As long as there are men and women of good will, there will be hope. As long as there are nations united in solidarity, there will be hope. We in Haiti have experienced every conceivable kind of catastrophe: every form of man- made disaster and all the natural ones, aggravated by the systematic, irresponsible destruction committed by human beings. We have known epidemics and hunger, even marginalization, but Haiti is now back on its feet, ready to rebuild and ready for a new start. Nothing is predetermined. It is this new Haiti that is open to the world, this new Haiti that is open to new investments and collaborations, to reconstruction, dialogue and peace. And it is this new Haiti that says thank you to all those assembled here.