Haiti, 1996

Almost two years have passed since the establishment of

constitutional order and the rule of law in Haiti. The spectre

of an illegal government and the acts of violence it

perpetrated has vanished. The Haitian people, with the

support of the international community, have succeeded in

demonstrating in a country that the rule of law is more

important than effectiveness where political shake-ups are

common. Today, democracy and tolerance are part of the

Haitian scene, breathing new life into the struggle to

preserve freedom.

However, for this success to be complete, it must lead

the way to security, knowledge, expertise and hope and to

the well-being of seven million Haitians, who are still

waiting for the realization of the dreams inspired by the

return to democracy. Thus, the thorny question of socio-

economic recovery — the true prerequisite for the

consolidation of democratic gains — is more pressing than

ever.

The United Nations has since 1991 been a focal

point for the Haitian people, because the Organization did

everything in its power to give full force to the rule of

law in my country. That is why I attach great importance

to the outcome of the fifty-first session, which should

confirm the commitments we made last year, at the

commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the

Organization, to peace, international security and

development. I am certain, Mr. President, that your

leadership, your experience and your personal qualities

will ensure the success of our work.

I should like to take this opportunity to pay a well-

deserved tribute to His Excellency Mr. Diogo Freitas do

Amaral for the work that he accomplished as President of

the fiftieth session.

I also wish to pay sincere tribute to the Secretary-

General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, whose tireless efforts

are breathing fresh life into the Organization. The

Government of Haiti acknowledges his active role in

resolving the Haitian crisis. His latest report on the

situation in our country reveals the perceptiveness of his

analysis and his profound understanding of Haitian

affairs.

Since the international community, through the

United Nations, has invested in Haitian renewal, we have

a duty to report to the Assembly on the progress made by

the Haitian Government and the difficulties it is facing,

and on its commitment to national development and to

international peace and security.

The general elections held on 17 December 1995 led

to the installation on 7 February 1996 of a new Government

and to the renewal of Parliament. The new Government

team is striving to ensure respect for public freedoms and

human rights, in spite of the various constraints it is facing.

It is encouraging free expression of opinion and the

establishment of organized bodies to improve the

functioning of civil society.

However, in its efforts to establish a democratic

society and the rule of law, the Haitian Government must

labour under two constraints: the economic problems that

worsened after the coup d’état and the shortcomings of the

judicial system, which have given rise to frustration among

the population. Those factors have combined to create a

state of affairs favourable to those forces that are against

change, which have not yet abandoned their plans to

destabilize the Government.

With respect to the reform of the justice system, the

Government is mindful of the urgent need to end the

incompetence and corruption of most magistrates. To that

end, on 3 October of this year it submitted to Parliament a

bill outlining the substance of the reforms to be undertaken

to correct the discredited justice system and make it more

credible and accessible.

An independent judiciary will be a crucial element in

the reform. The Government is taking every step to ensure

the elimination of any hindrance to judicial impartiality and

integrity. Similarly, it is doing its utmost to provide the

system with the means it needs to function properly.

For some time now Haiti has been experiencing an

acute economic crisis. National productivity is declining.

Infrastructures are seriously dilapidated. Real gross

domestic product fell an average of 5.11 per cent from

1991 to 1995. The country’s balance of trade is in chronic

deficit, amounting to $440 million, or 22 per cent of gross

domestic product for fiscal year 1994-1995. Exports have

dropped to less than $100 million.

At the macroeconomic level, the Government is

currently pursuing an economic policy that takes into

account the need to curb inflation, balance the budget,

reform financing, combat corruption, impose austerity on

public administration and ensure equilibrium among the

macroeconomic variables.

That programme, which is supported by the

international financial institutions with which we have

worked out clear-cut modalities for negotiation and

cooperation, will enable us better to meet an economic

and social future that will be more promising and that

will better favour the integration of the Haitian economy

into the world scene.

A production-oriented policy should emphasize

increased agricultural and industrial output. However, we

must take into account that Haiti’s agriculture is in crisis

because it is unable to meet its two main goals: food

security and increased export earnings for the country.

Thus, the Government is striving to establish

technological and social conditions that can relaunch

national agricultural production.

In the same spirit the Government is giving special

attention to relaunching industrial production. A strategy

has been developed to restore a climate favourable to

business, which is a necessary condition for promoting

investment, which is the driving force of industrial

development. There can be no question that such an

objective can be achieved only through close cooperation

between the country’s various sectors. We believe, inter

alia, that a dynamic private sector open to foreign

investment is a necessity for economic growth.

The present Government recognizes that future

development can be achieved only if we protect our

natural resources. Thus, it intends to take steps to curb

deforestation and soil degradation. Safeguarding our

environment is one of our priorities.

Equally aware of the role played by the tourist

industry in the world economy, the Government has

devised a set of directives covering the principal elements

of national tourist policy. It is encouraging to note that

activities in that sector are beginning to pick up.

On the social level, the Haitian Government believes

that there is a vital need to combat poverty, illiteracy and

deficiencies in health care. The struggle against poverty

entails a demonstration of strong political resolve to

distribute the country’s scanty resources on a fairer basis

and to take steps to combat unemployment and encourage

private investment.

The persistence of a high rate of illiteracy is a major

handicap when it comes to improving economic results

and raising social standards. Over the next four years the

Government intends to achieve a significant increase in

the number of children attending school. Here, we should

note that particular attention is being put on improving

health conditions in the country, and in that regard a

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programme of action has been developed that will be

implemented by mobilizing all available resources and with

the support of certain bilateral and multilateral partners.

The task before us is enormous, but we are confident

that we can meet the challenge, thanks to the determination

of the Haitian people and the continuing support of the

international community, which has been unstinting in its

efforts to help resolve problems that threaten international

peace and security.

On the subject of international peace and security, the

international community has once again this year been torn

between fear and hope as it has confronted developments in

situations in various parts of the world. Long-standing

conflicts have shown encouraging positive signs, while new

outbreaks of violence have exacerbated world tensions.

Thus, the Haitian Government welcomes the positive

developments in the situation in the former Yugoslavia,

marked by the holding of general elections in Bosnia and

Herzegovina. It is truly heartening to see that the peace

process has once and for all, we hope, replaced the spiral

of warfare and hatred, with its concomitant systematic

violations of human rights.

The initiatives taken by the Organization, in particular

the creation of the United Nations Protection Force and the

International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons

Responsible for Serious Violations of International

Humanitarian Law, have greatly contributed to creating a

climate favourable to peace and ethnic reconciliation in that

country.

With regard to the Middle East, my Government

wishes to express its satisfaction at the resumption of

dialogue there. It encourages the two parties to continue

their efforts to achieve lasting peace in the region, in

keeping with the relevant United Nations resolutions.

On our own continent we welcome the prospects of

peace that have appeared in Guatemala, after 35 years of

armed conflict. The Haitian Government commends the

United Nations on the leading role it has played in that

peace process.

Our Organization should not only intervene in regional

and inter-State situations that pose a threat to international

peace and security but also contribute to help eradicate such

dangerous evils as international terrorism and illicit drug

trafficking or to assist in finding solutions to certain

problems that threaten mankind’s survival, such as the

nuclear-arms race. In that regard, my Government

followed with interest the negotiations held within the

framework of the Geneva Conference on Disarmament

and decided to become a sponsor of the draft resolution

submitted to the General Assembly, in the conviction that

the Treaty was already a step towards nuclear

disarmament. That is why, two weeks ago, on behalf of

my country’s Government, I signed the text of the

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, whose adoption

by 156 States Members of the Organization eloquently

attests to the profound desire of all nations to build a

safer world for future generations.

Terrorism and illicit drug trafficking also represent

grave threats to international peace and security.

Coordinated action involving all members of the

international community will be increasingly necessary in

order to eradicate these scourges. As far as terrorism is

concerned, the Haitian Government has always vigorously

condemned indiscriminate acts of violence against

innocent individuals and believes that the international

conventions adopted on this question provide a legal

framework for the prosecution of the perpetrators of such

crimes. However, along with laws and criminal

punishment, we must also try to find a solution to the

problems at their source.

Mindful of the gravity of the situation, the member

countries of the Organization of American States

convened a specialized conference on terrorism that met

in Lima, Peru, from 23 to 26 April 1996. The Republic of

Haiti signed the Declaration adopted on that occasion

with a view to preventing, combating and eliminating

terrorism within the overall framework of the applicability

of international law, respect for the sovereignty of States,

the principle of non-intervention and strict compliance by

States with their rights and duties. The Haitian

Government also subscribes to the new actions

recommended by the Ministerial Conference held in Paris

on 30 July 1996.

In the area of international drug control, I would like

to note that the Republic of Haiti is aware of the effort

being made by the international community to tackle the

phenomenon of drug abuse and drug trafficking. It is

increasingly necessary for us to define, by means of

appropriate conventions, an integrated framework for the

relentless struggle that we need to wage against drugs in

all phases: production, consumption, abuse, money-

laundering and money-recycling, extradition and

international prosecution of traffickers and confiscation of

goods.

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Last year the commemoration of the fiftieth

anniversary of the Organization allowed us not only to take

stock of its record and of the activities it has undertaken

but also to reopen the question of the reform of the United

Nations necessary to tackle the challenges of the

approaching twenty-first century.

As far as the expansion of the Security Council is

concerned, the Haitian Government would like a consensus

to be reached on a new configuration of that important

body that would favour active participation for all States in

the activities of maintaining international peace and

security.

At the same time, we need to find ways and means to

revitalize the Economic and Social Council. While

recognizing the positive actions of the Economic and Social

Council in various aspects of development over half a

century, the Haitian Government believes that it is possible

to improve its operation in order to make it a more

effective instrument to promote sustainable development.

We stand at a turning point in history where we are

faced with grave dangers as well as many signs of hope. In

Haiti we are striving to restore hope to our people in order

to make a complete break with a past of suffering and

deprivation. It is also the responsibility of all States to

make the reform of our Organization a reality so that it can

usher in a better world for future generations.