Haiti

President of the General Assembly, Secretary-General, Ambassadors, Distinguished delegates, Ladies and gentlemen, Allow me, Mr. President, to begin by extending to you my warmest congratulations on your election to steer the seventy-sixth (76th) session of our Organization’s General Assembly. I also extend my congratulations to the members of the Bureau. I assure you of the full support of the Haitian delegation for the success of our work. I would also like to commend the outstanding work by your predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Volkan Bozkir, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Turkey, during the seventy-fifth (75th) session of the General Assembly. He was able to guide our work with dexterity and leadership, despite the constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. I would like to again congratulate the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Antonio Guterres, on his reappointment to the helm the Organization. It is no coincidence that the Member States have granted you a second term of office which, I firmly believe, will be successful. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for your ongoing support to the Haitian people and, in particular, for the Organization’s renewed commitment to and solidarity with my country. I would be remiss if I did not reiterate the appreciation of the Government of the Republic of Haiti for the initiative of the Bureau of the 75th session of the General Assembly to organize a ceremony on 14 July 2021 to pay tribute to the memory of His Excellency President Jovenel Moise. He was tragically shot to death during the night of 6 to 7 July. The Haitian people appreciated the messages of comfort and expressions of sympathy from the Governments of the Member States of the Organization. I would like to reaffirm here, at this rostrum, my determination to do my utmost to find the perpetrators, accomplices and sponsors of this heinous crime. Nothing, absolutely nothing — no political manoeuvring media campaign or distraction — can divert my attention from the goal of ensuring that justice is served for President Moise. It is owed to his memory, his family and the Haitian people. The current judicial investigation is challenging. It is a transnational crime. For that reason, we formally request mutual legal assistance. This is a priority of my Government for the entire nation. This crime must not go unpunished, and the culprits, all of them, must be punished. Mr. President, The theme you proposed for the 76th session, “Building resilience through hope — to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people and revitalize the United Nations”, is timely. Indeed, the coronavirus pandemic has challenged, to varying degrees, virtually every country in the world. This global health crisis has highlighted, among other things, the inequalities that exist between our countries, and exposed the weaknesses of our health systems. This pandemic has also demonstrated that only solidarity and cooperation among peoples can help us end it. Thankfully, people have understood this and have committed to sharing vaccines with countries that have less. The World Health Organization’s COVAX programme and bilateral solidarity actions around the world give hope that, together, we will be able to overcome this disease. The stakes are high for the future of humankind. Mr. President, The maintenance of international peace and security has been a priority objective of the United Nations since its inception. On this basis, the Organization’s activities are focused mainly on the areas of conflict prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding. We recognize that the United Nations has done much to save our world from the scourge of a world war, but we must admit that several areas of tension and violent conflict remain the greatest challenges facing our Organization. We must find relevant and adequate responses to new threats facing our world, such as the rise of international terrorism, mass atrocities, cross-border crime and other challenges, such as extreme poverty and climate change. The phenomenon of climate change is a major concern for all countries of the world. Global warming, severe weather conditions with alternating drought and flooding that affect agricultural and food production, and sea level rise have dire global consequences. It is imperative that we take the right measures to slow down the rate of temperature rise on the Earth’s surface. Immediate and collective action is therefore needed. I encourage all States to implement the ambitious measures adopted in Paris to avoid a climate catastrophe that could jeopardize humankind’s very existence. Mr. President, On the humanitarian front, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has estimated that there are more than 80 million people around the world who have been displaced. Nearly 30 million of them are refugees and asylum seekers. This is a humanitarian crisis whose magnitude challenges the human conscience. To find a lasting solution to the migration issue, we must address the root causes of human displacement. I call on the international community to urgently strengthen measures to improve living conditions in the countries of origin of political or economic refugees. To achieve this, States parties must recommit to the fundamental principles of the 1951 Convention and work together, in a spirit of cooperation, to find the best ways and means to ensure that the rights of refugees are respected and protected. In recent days, images of the treatment of several of my compatriots at the border between Mexico and the United States have shocked many. Without attempting to dispute the right of a sovereign State to control the entry of foreigners into its territory or to send back to their country of origin those who enter illegally, we believe that several countries that now enjoy prosperity were built by successive waves of migrants and refugees. The migration issue should remind us that human beings, fathers and mothers, will always seek to escape poverty and conflict and to provide better living conditions for their offspring. Migration will continue so long as there are areas of prosperity on our planet, while the majority of the world’s population lives in poverty, at times extreme poverty, with no prospects for a better life. Mr. President, It should be recalled that multilateral diplomacy within the framework of the United Nations has shaped our world for more than 75 years and is increasingly becoming an essential part of relations among States. Indeed, considerable progress has been made on initial aspirations of peace and international security, justice and prosperity for all, due to collective commitment and a permanent system of dialogue and consultation employed by State actors to reach negotiated solutions to their differences. However, much remains to be done to reach the ideal world to which we all aspire. In this respect, today, more than ever before, we need to strengthen the multilateral system and make it more supportive and effective. Faithful to its historical traditions, the Republic of Haiti reiterates its commitment and willingness to continue working alongside the members of the international community, eager to build a more just and equitable world order. Mr. President, Secretary-General, Ambassadors, Distinguished Delegates, It has been a little over two months since I assumed the functions of Prime Minister, in the absence of President Moise, who honoured me by appointing me to this position only a few days before his horrific assassination. As soon as I took office, my main concern was to do my utmost to ensure that my country’s democratic institutions resumed regular operations as soon as possible. This was the wish of President Moise and it is the objective that has guided our actions, to date, and will continue to guide them. Some of you may not know it but I am governing a country whose democratic institutions no longer exist or are completely dysfunctional. In the light of the situation and in order to resolve the major political problems facing the country, such as unbearable insecurity, dysfunctional legislative power, shortcomings in the judicial system, I had to quickly form a Government to address State affairs. But it was obvious that only dialogue involving political parties and organized civil society actors would allow for the consensus required to ensure socio-political stability. Since assuming office as Head of Government, it is in this spirit that I have increased the number of meetings and discussions with all sectors of national life, without distinction, to create a peaceful socio-political climate, which is essential for the organization of credible, transparent and inclusive general elections as soon as possible. In my opinion, it is essential for institutions to resume normal operations, headed by elected officials who are trusted by the people. A few days ago, our official journal published the “Political Agreement for the Peaceful and Effective Governance of the Interim Period”, which I negotiated and signed with major political stakeholders, several popular organizations and various segments of civil society. This Agreement provides for the creation of a security environment that will encourage broad citizen participation in the upcoming elections. It puts in place a mechanism that requires the Government to be transparent and accountable. All sectors of national life will have a voice in the drafting of a constitution that will be adopted following a referendum. This is an important step in the process of restoring rule of law and democratic institutions. Despite this broad participation, we remain open to continuing discussions to expand consensus. We want the support of our fellow countrymen and women for this common project aimed at giving our country a new start. I have begun discussions with the signatories of the Agreement, as part of its implementation, and will continue them in the days ahead. I have chosen the quickest path to free, transparent, inclusive and nonpartisan elections. Some wish a longer transition. But I, along with many others, believe that this is not the right move. I will not shy away from persuading those who are still reluctant to sign the above-mentioned Agreement, so that, together, in peace and through ongoing dialogue, we will move towards lasting solutions to our country’s problems. Mr. President, In addition to the political crisis I have just briefly described, the effects of natural disasters must also be addressed. Haiti is ranked as one of the countries most vulnerable to natural disasters. After a spate of deadly and devastating disasters, including the 2010 earthquake and Hurricane Matthew in 2016, which hit the country hard, a powerful 7.2 earthquake destroyed the entire southern peninsula of the Republic of Haiti on 14 August. According to official statistics, at least 2,207 people died; 344 people are missing; more than 12,268 were injured and thousands of houses, as well as hospitals, schools, churches, bridges and roads, were destroyed or damaged. I would like to take this opportunity to again express gratitude for the spontaneous outpouring of solidarity from the international community, which quickly mobilized, alongside authorities that provide aid and assistance to victims. We welcomed Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, who visited the affected areas to assess the extent of the damage and the needs of the people affected. I will not mention the names of all the countries and organizations that came to our aid for fear of forgetting some of them, but please know that we thank them all. Allow me to invite the international community to remain collectively committed to Haiti to help it meet its immediate humanitarian needs and support the reconstruction process on which our Government is working. I have launched a PDNA (Post-Disaster Needs Assessment) with our technical and financial partners. Over the next few weeks, we should receive a comprehensive needs assessment to begin reconstruction. We need to rebuild better and more resiliency to better withstand climate threats and natural disasters in general. Here again, we are counting on your active solidarity, through existing mechanisms and new commitments, alike. The focus on reconstruction in the southern peninsula cannot and should not make us forget that fighting poverty and creating wealth remain a major Government priority. That is why we will continue to work to create an environment that will bring about economic recovery and attract domestic and foreign investment. Our population is young. Young people need decent jobs and better prospects. Mr. President, Now, more than ever before, we need a stronger and more effective multilateral system to enable the Member States of the Organization to develop joint strategies to address these major challenges within the framework of a holistic vision of a better world for all, while reaffirming our collective commitment to strong and renewed multilateralism. I cannot conclude without inviting member countries to consider the aspirations of the Republic of China/Taiwan, which is willing and able to play a significant role in our Organization’s initiatives to preserve international peace and security and promote cooperation and development among nations. In conclusion, I recall that multilateralism has been affirmed for more than three quarters of a century as an essential mechanism for relations among States. The United Nations remains the principal intergovernmental and universal instrument for building together a more just, peaceful and brotherly world. Let us make sure that it can continue to play its role as a forum for the peoples of the United Nations where, together, we can find common solutions to our common problems. I thank you.