Haiti: Situation not improved, but not worsening - Press Conference | United Nations

UN Special Representative for Haiti said, “We need to avoid, at all costs, that the situation worsens” in the country. Addressing the press Carlos Ruiz Massieu said, “We reported in our latest report that the situation in Port au Prince has been maintained, has not improved, but is not worsening. But we also reported there're more activities in advance of the gangs in other departments.” He stressed, “It's important to maintain, hopefully, to improve the situation while the GSF is fully deployed, and whoever really can provide additional support to the GSF and to Haiti general, I think is very much welcome because of the dire situation that they are facing.” Answering a question on security operations, he said, “We have offered already to monitor constantly activities of whatever measures they implement in order to make them aware first, if there is a highest risk of hitting population at large, let alone children.” He added, “Also, as we do with the Haitian National Police, more institutionally, as we do with, obviously, the MSS as part of the endeavor in the past, and we'll do with the GSF in terms of providing all the training needed so they abide by the principles of human rights, in terms of proportionality, in terms of accountability, but also the training they need in general.” He continued, “And with the government, what we will try to do is to offer to the government all additional capacity that they may need to implement this or to make sure that when they conduct security operations of whatever nature they decide to conduct, they have - the government - all the information needed in order to abide by these principles and to avoid the situations that we have faced in the past. “ He highlighted, “At the end of the day, the government can implement whatever security measures they believe they need to implement in order to reduce gang violence, in order to increase security, but in whatever decision they take and to utilize whatever measures they take is obviously the Haitian government, Haitian authorities have the obligation to abide by the human rights standards, and we will be working with them on that.” He reported, “Already by first week of November the Mission will be back around 75 percent of its international capacity, 84 percent of the overall capacity of the mission, and by the end of the year, or before, we will have 100 percent capacity of the mission. And that will allow us, then really to deliver fully our mandate.” He also said, “According to the resolution, the Office from the UN should be there by 31st March in country, the UNSOH, our enabler presence, I would say. And the GSF should be probably in full deployment – that doesn’t mean they will have all deployment after that - but in full deployment a couple of months later.”


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