THE SECRETARY-GENERAL -- PRESS ENCOUNTER FOLLOWING THE VISIT TO HAITI

 

Distinguished members of the press,

Thank you for coming.

I came to Haiti with a simple message: you are not alone. 

The United Nations is by your side. 

And the world does not have the right to look away.

In a few moments, I will be leaving your country. 

But what I have seen here will never leave me. 

I have seen a crisis of extraordinary magnitude, the root cause of which is insecurity. 

Gangs are terrorizing the country.

Whole families are being uprooted. 

Children are being deprived of protection, education and a future. 

For too many Haitians, every day is a struggle for survival.

But I have also – and above all – seen a people standing tall. 

This morning, at a site for displaced persons, I met families who have lost everything and yet are holding on, together, with a courage and a dignity that command admiration. 

Their resilience moved me deeply. And it obliges us. 

These families did not ask for my sympathy.

They are waiting for action.

The numbers speak for themselves. But behind each number is a life.

Haiti is facing the most severe – and most rapidly deteriorating – humanitarian crisis in the Western hemisphere. 

6.4 million people – more than half of all Haitians – are in need of assistance today, compared with 5.5 million two years ago. 

Nearly 1.5 million people have been internally displaced by violence.

And nearly 6 million people are facing severe food insecurity.

It is women and children who pay the heaviest price. 

In the first quarter of this year, on average, more than 20 women and girls were assaulted – every day. 

In one year, the number of children recruited by gangs has tripled. 

Currently, as many as half of all gang members are children.

Childhoods are being stolen – by violence, by exploitation, by hunger. 

That is the true nature of these groups, which prosper by exploiting the most vulnerable.

This is absolutely intolerable. This must end.

I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to our colleagues and humanitarian partners – the vast majority of whom are Haitians themselves – who refuse to give up, despite the dangers. 

Last year, they provided life-saving assistance to nearly 3 million people. 

But barely a quarter of our response plan – $880 million to help 4.2 million people – is funded. 

I will say this plainly to donors: Haiti is not asking for charity. 

Haiti is asking for the world to keep its word. 

And Haiti cannot wait.

Ladies and gentlemen,

This crisis is also, at its core, a security crisis. 

Since the beginning of the year, gang violence has left more than 2,300 people dead and more than 1,100 injured.

It is paralyzing the State, the economy, education and aid delivery.

Yet the greatest disgrace is not gang violence.

The greatest disgrace is indifference – the indifference of a world that has looked the other way for far too long.

Because there is a direct link between the absence of the international community and the absence of security for the Haitian people.

But the situation can be turned around. 

Neighbourhoods of downtown Port-au-Prince have been retaken. 

The Council of Ministers is meeting again at the National Palace, after more than three years. 

This is not merely symbolic: it is a sign of the gradual return of the State.

Today, at the Vertières base, I also met with the women and men of the Gang Suppression Force. 

Their deployment offers a real opportunity to curb violence and restore the authority of the State. 

We have no right to waste this opportunity.

The Force is not a United Nations operation, but it receives our full logistical and operational support through our support office in Haiti. 

I thank the Governments of Haiti and the Dominican Republic for their crucial cooperation.

I would also like to pay tribute to the Haitian police officers and soldiers who are holding the line, day after day, often at the risk of their lives.

These forces must be provided with the training, equipment and coordination necessary to carry out their mission – while strictly respecting human rights. 

Because human rights and the fight against impunity are not an obstacle to security. 

They are a prerequisite for security, and the foundation for the trust of the population.

And to ensure that these gains are sustained, gangs must be disarmed and dismantled and their members reintegrated – in a Haitian-led process. 

A working justice system is essential. 

And the flows of illicit weapons that feed this violence must be cut off. 

Because these weapons are not manufactured in Haiti.

But security alone will not be enough. 

It must be accompanied by political progress.

I had frank discussions with Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, as well as representatives from various sectors of Haitian society. 

My message was clear: the Haitian people have waited long enough.

The opportunity we have today may not come again – and I am counting on Haiti’s leaders to seize it.

It is necessary to speed up the political process and rebuild trust. 

It is up to Haitians, and Haitians alone, to chart the course.

And this process must yield results: an inclusive transition and credible elections – the only legitimate path to restoring constitutional order and democratic institutions.

The United Nations remains fully committed.

Under the leadership of my Special Representative, Mr. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, and through BINUH, we will continue to facilitate dialogue and support Haitian solutions.

The transition is moving forward. 

There is momentum.

My appeal to the international community is therefore simple: fulfil your responsibilities, at last.

First: strengthen security support – through the rapid and full deployment of the Force – by adjusting resources in line with progress made on the ground.

Second: support the country’s political transition and recovery – education, healthcare and employment – to offer young Haitians an alternative to gangs and a future of dignity.

Third: finance humanitarian aid in a way that is predictable and in line with needs.

And, above all: listen to the Haitian people.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am leaving Haiti with a message of hope. 

For the first time in years, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Because Haiti is more than its trials.

It is an immense and creative youth.

An engaged diaspora. 

A culture that shines far beyond its borders.

Haiti has everything it needs to recover.

More than two centuries ago, in Vertières, a people achieved what the world thought impossible: they broke their chains and freed themselves.

I am convinced that this same people will be able to free themselves from the grip of the gangs and reclaim their security, their institutions and their future.

Our role is not to act in your place. 

Our place is by your side. 

And we will be there – until the end.

Thank you. 

Before we move on to the questions, let me say a few words in English. 

I am here with a message of hope.

For the first time in many years, there’s finally some light at the end of the tunnel.

Haiti has a chance to turn a corner – but only if the international community assumes its responsibilities.

Let’s be clear: gangs have been terrorizing Haiti. Institutions have been weakened.

But the biggest disgrace is indifference – the indifference of a world that has looked away.

There’s a direct connection between the absence of the international community – and the absence of security for the Haitian people.

So my appeal to the world is simple:

Step up. 

Fund the humanitarian response and progressive recovery.

Support the Haitian institutions and the Gang Suppression Force.

The transition is moving.

Everyone – the international community and Haiti’s leaders alike – must do their part to turn this momentum into concrete results.

And together, stand with the Haitian people – for peace, for security, for dignity.

Thank you.