Promises Versus Action: A Review of the Role of the UN in the Development of Haiti

Promises Versus Action: A Review of the Role of the UN in the Development of Haiti

By Maya Garner

In an address to the United Nations General Assembly at the end of September 2019, Haiti’s Foreign Minister Bocchit Edmond called on the UN to translate promises into action in the country. Citing the UN Charter and the Sustainable Development Agenda, the Foreign Minister criticized the lack of “concrete actions” and the “striking gap” between the UN’s commitments as promised and its actual achievements. In the current global political landscape and the looming threat of climate change, ensuring effective implementation of the Sustainability Development Agenda is an issue of utmost importance for the UN. The Foreign Minister’s timely call renews the focus on UN actions and programs that though compelling on paper, are of little significance when it comes to combatting the challenges facing countries such as Haiti, much less on a global scale.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) adopted in September 2015 by the General Assembly, established 17 SDGs to be achieved worldwide by 2030. The SDGs made up of 169 targets measured in 232 indicators replaced the UN’s Millennium Development Goals which covered the years 2000 to 2015. The SDGs advocate intersectional development policies, calling for a complete end to hunger and extreme poverty, improving education and reducing gender inequality and global inequality, while promoting sustainability in the face of an increasing climate crisis.

In 2018, the World Bank labeled  Haiti “the poorest country in the Western hemisphere” with a GDP per capita of $870 and a Human Development Index ranking at 168 out of 189 countries. Over six million Haitians live below the poverty line of $2.41 per day.  More than 2.5 million live below the extreme poverty line of $1.23 per day. This at a time when Haiti struggles with currency depreciation and inflation rates and more than 96% of the population remains dangerously exposed to natural disasters ranging from earthquakes and floods to hurricanes. The SDGs were adopted five years after the earthquake which struck Haiti in 2010 that killed 316,000 Haitians, displaced 1.5 million and left the country in a state of medical crisis and political unrest. A cholera epidemic subsequently spread throughout the country, killing at least 10,000 people and in 2014 alone infecting at least 21,000. A report pointed to evidence indicating that cholera had been brought to the country by Nepalese peacekeepers serving with the UN and that inadequate sanitary precautions taken at a UN military base had caused its spread through the waterways.  Following the outbreak, UN peacekeepers failed to follow protocols with regard to water sanitation and wastewater disposal,  Only in  2016, six years on,  did the UN finally accept responsibility for not “[doing] enough with regard to the cholera outbreak and its spread in Haiti”.  However, even then, it did not fully admit to being the cause of the outbreak.

 These findings inevitably added to Haitian skepticism about the UN given the number of cases of violence and sexual abuse and exploitation of the local civilian population by peacekeepers. In many instances, these cases took place without accountability for the perpetrators or justice for the victims.

In October 2019, marks the end of 15 years of peacekeeping in Haitif with the UN now assuming a purely political, developmental and diplomatic function. Since  the UN continues its  attempt to eliminate cholera, the question arises  as to whether the UN peacekeeping legacy will be based on how it responded  to political unrest and natural disasters, or whether it will remain known for its ineffective management of an epidemic that its presence in Haiti was responsible for unleashing.

As the UN Integrated Office in Haiti was succeeded on October 16 by the UN Mission in Support of Justice in Haiti (MINUJUSTH), Haiti’s Foreign Minister described the new mandate as being “to advise the Government on the means to promote and strengthen political stability and good governance.” As such, he called for “better coordination of the UN presence” in Haiti and advocated for a “new paradigm of international cooperation,” which would require a reform of UN structures and their functioning. He also pointed out how “responsible and timely action by the United Nations could have helped to limit the damage and avoid suffering for the population affected by the cholera epidemic.”

Granted, the Haitian government has not lived up to international human rights standards, with Amnesty International citing for example new discriminatory laws against LGBT+ persons, , the UN should heed the words of the Foreign  Minister with regard to its own role and responsibilities in the country.

A day after the transition, a statement by UN Secretary-General Guterres promised “continuous commitment” in the form of a “new partnership.” He emphasized that the UN would  “integrate their activities to support national efforts to bring about lasting stability and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

However, the Secretary-General’s statement and the withdrawal of the peacekeepers came at a time of political protest and unrest. Since August 2019, people have been calling for the resignation of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, who entered office in February 2017 and who is being blamed for fuel shortages, corruption, inflation, and a general lack of goods. Haiti’s political Opposition refuses to recognize Moise’s presidency and has helped mobilize civil society against him. The country has endured weeks of anti-government protests in 2017. The President has so far refused to resign, reiterating his 2017 mandate and stating that “The constitution determines how it will end.” Meanwhile, protests are being suppressed by police with tear gas, with incidents accounting for 20 people killed and more than 200 injured. Secretary-General Guterres has urged “all actors to set aside their differences and particular interests to work together to overcome” deteriorating situation. Recently, thousands of protesters marched against the UN Mission in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, demanding that the UN stop supporting the President.

Amidst the impending chaos and prevailing skepticism, the UN must make a transparent and open commitments to development in the country, set forth an effective and achievable agenda, and own up to its past failures, mistakes and neglect in carrying out its previous mandate in Haiti. The UN must also accept full legal responsibility for its role in failing to prevent and manage the cholera crisis. Considering the particular vulnerability of the country’s population, as well as the damage caused by UN peacekeepers and the unmet promises, the UN must put Haiti at the forefront on the agenda and take all necessary measures to eradicate disease and ensure real sustainable development in the country.