Mr. President,

I wish to thank Special Representative María Isabel Salvador for her briefing on the situation in Haiti. I congratulate her on her new assignment. I also thank UNODC Executive Director Ghada Fathi Waly for her briefing, and welcome the representatives of Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Canada to this meeting.

At present, Haiti remains mired in political, security, and humanitarian crises. The Haitian people are struggling in pain and despair. Their situation is, as the head of a UN agency put, “a living nightmare”. This is deeply disturbing.

After the Haitian interim authorities reached an agreement on transition with some of the political parties and civil society organizations, the High Transitional Council was installed. However, the political transition process still lacks broad support. An immediate end to the political stalemate should be a pressing priority for all parties in Haiti. It is imperative that the Haitian interim authorities and all the political parties and factions put the fundamental interests of all Haitians first, show commitment to dialogue and their respective responsibilities with concrete action, and strive for broader agreement on transitional arrangements, so as to create conditions for free, fair, transparent, and credible elections to take place at the earliest date possible. We look forward to BINUH, under the leadership of SRSG Salvador, playing an important role in facilitating an inclusive dialogue among the Haitian political groups to reach consensus on transitional arrangements and advancing the Haitian-led and Haitian-owned political process.

Mr. President, 

Curbing the rising tide of gang violence and criminality are the key to improved security in Haiti. In this regard, cutting off political support for gangs and the sources of their funding and weapons are an imperative of great urgency. According to the latest assessment by UNODC, the raging gun violence is inextricably linked to the illicit flow of weapons into Haiti from abroad, especially the United States. This trend is deeply worrying. If left unchecked, it would fuel the reckless and violent behavior of gangs, and exacerbate the current insecurity and instability. Council Resolution 2653 provides for sanctions including an arms embargo targeting Haitian gangs. These measures must not stay on paper only. The countries concerned must take effective measures towards their implementation. China supports Gabon in its work as chair of the sanctions committee. We encourage the panel of experts to step up its work and the sanctions committee to update the sanctions list as soon as possible and further refine the sanctions measures and ensure monitoring of their implementation.

Mr. President, 

Haiti is experiencing a rampant cholera epidemic and an economic decline. Nearly half of its population is threatened by food insecurity. We are deeply concerned by the dire humanitarian situation facing the Haitian people. We support the UN and other international partners in their continuous support for Haiti through formulating sustainable development cooperation framework and other means, in particular assistance rendered to women, children, migrants, and other vulnerable groups. We support a bigger role for regional countries and organizations to work in synergy with UN agencies to jointly improve the humanitarian situation on the ground.

Haiti’s multiple crises are intertwined. Our thoughts are with the Haitian people in the current state. For a problem this complex, there is no simple fix. Together with international community, China will continue to support the Haitian people in finding an effective solution to their current plight and suffering.

I thank you, Mr. President.