Haiti, 2005

At the

very outset of my remarks, both on my own behalf and

on behalf of the Haitian nation, I would like to express

our sincerest congratulations to you, Sir, on your

unanimous election to the presidency of the General

Assembly at the sixtieth session. Your wealth of

experience in matters of security, human rights and

development augur well for the success of our

discussions.

I would also like to pay tribute to Jean Ping,

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Gabon, whose

moderation, sense of compromise and restraint won

him universal respect and esteem during the previous

session.

May I also express my sincere gratitude to the

Secretary-General for his tireless efforts in the cause of

peace, democracy and development. That triad —

peace, democracy and development — is now the new

name for progress made by peoples and for stability in

the world.

It is in that context that, for more than a year

now, the Organization has deployed the United Nations

Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), which is

helping to improve the security climate in the country.

We requested the Mission because of our firm belief in

international solidarity. We would like to take this

opportunity to thank all those countries that have

displayed their friendship to Haiti by contributing in

one way or another to the deployment of MINUSTAH.

From this rostrum, I would like to express my

sincerest sympathy for the afflicted populations of the

southern part of the United States of America that have

been so tragically affected by the passage of Hurricane

Katrina in August, one of the most devastating

hurricanes ever to strike our continent. We would like

once again to express to the Government and people of

the United States our deepest compassion and our

profound solidarity in these trying times.

Our Organization is now 60 years old. The

celebration of that anniversary will be a splendid

extension of the High-level Plenary Meeting of heads

of State or Government, which was intended as an

initial stocktaking of the implementation of the

commitments undertaken in the Millennium

Declaration.

The Government of Haiti supports the spirit of

the text adopted on 16 September, which broadly

reviews the minimum objectives that the international

community intends to achieve by 2015. Likewise, the

Republic of Haiti supports all steps taken to increase

development assistance through the use of funds of

solidarity at the international level.

The Government of Haiti attaches the greatest

importance to the proposal of the French Republic to

create stable and lasting financing through innovative

mechanisms in order to prevent and cure the major

pandemics of our time. I am pleased to note that many

of the world’s leaders have received that proposal with

the greatest interest.

We also welcome various other initiatives,

including the United Kingdom proposal for an

International Financial Facility, which arranges for

borrowing on the financial markets to increase

assistance to the poorest countries, in particular for the

fight against HIV/AIDS. It deserves our consideration.

However, those efforts may not achieve their

objectives if a comprehensive solution to the debt

problem of the countries of the South is not found. It

would be a positive contribution to international

security to solve the debt problem by cancelling the

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debts of the least developed countries and helping

those countries overcome their financial difficulties by

assisting their development. The Republic of Haiti

unreservedly supports all negotiated, effective,

comprehensive and lasting initiatives of the United

Nations aimed at solving the distressing debt problem

of the peoples of the poor countries.

On the sixtieth anniversary of our Organization,

we should heed the many calls for the reform of the

United Nations. Certainly, significant progress is being

made, in particular the proposal to transform the

Commission on Human Rights into a Human Rights

Council. Chapter XIII of the Charter should be

removed, along with the references to trusteeship

contained in Chapter XII.

With respect to the Security Council, the

Republic of Haiti supports paragraph 153 of the

outcome document, which proposes the early reform of

the Security Council in order to make it more broadly

representative, efficient and transparent and thus to

further enhance the Council’s effectiveness and the

legitimacy degree of implementation of its decisions.

In that regard, I reaffirm the position of Haiti, as

expressed by Prime Minister Gérard Latortue, in favour

of correcting the historical error of not having a

representative of the Latin American and Caribbean

region among the permanent members of the Security

Council.

The Republic of Haiti is at the crossroads. In a

few weeks, general elections will be held throughout

the country to select the nation’s elected

representatives at all levels. The elections are

thoroughly inclusive. All sectors and all political

parties without exception are participating. Admittedly,

the road to completing the process has been difficult,

marked by the outbreak of violence and feverish

moments. Rediscovering freedom is not easy. During

long months, the country has lived in a situation

bordering on chaos, in which armed bands have held

many of the capital’s neighbourhoods hostage and

committed the worst atrocities. Fortunately, they have

been, for the most part, held in check by the combined

efforts of the Haitian National Police and the United

Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

Calm is gradually returning. I am convinced that

the electoral campaign will take place in a peaceful

climate, in spite of the large number of presidential

candidates. At present, the horizon is brightening

perceptibly, despite the desperate acts of ruthless

gangs. Also, a national dialogue has been launched

involving all relevant sectors of the country. The

preparatory committee established for the purpose will

shortly issue its report.

In that context, the Government and the people of

Haiti are grateful to the United Nations and friendly

countries of all continents for their solidarity with Haiti

and for their interest in the successful outcome of the

present elections. Nothing can now stop the march

towards pluralist and democratic elections, to be held

in a climate of security ensured by the Haitian National

Police, with the support of MINUSTAH.

Haiti’s chronic political instability and serious

socio-economic problems have compelled a great

number of our fellow citizens to migrate to

neighbouring shores considered to be more hospitable.

However, tensions are now arising among a certain

fringe sector of the local population of the host

countries. We request the leaders of those countries to

deal with that issue urgently in order to stop radicals

from taking advantage of the situation and committing

abuses against expatriate Haitians. For our part, we are

open to all negotiations aimed at restoring calm and

finding solutions in accordance with international

treaties and rights related to immigration.

At this decisive moment of the transition, we

renew our appeal to the international community to

visit us to observe the holding of the elections. We

want transparent elections in which the candidates

elected will not be challenged. We are grateful to the

United Nations for the support that it is providing to

Haiti during this critical period.

I reiterate the solemn appeal that I made from this

rostrum one year ago to the international community

not to leave Haiti isolated, so that, on 7 February 2006,

I can hand over power to a new, freely elected

President, thereby placing Haiti once and for all in the

community and comity of democratic nations; so that

the Government which emerges from the elections can

get down to the challenging task of economic

reconstruction and social progress — with, of course,

the resolute support and unflagging solidarity of the

international community; so that Haiti can emerge from

underdevelopment and extreme poverty, which provide

fertile ground for all dictatorships; and so that the

country can finally recover its unity and its soul.

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In that spirit of solidarity and authentic

cooperation — which is, after all, the raison d’être of

the United Nations — the Republic of Haiti will work

to achieve, between now and 2015, the Millennium

Development Goals, to which all countries aspire.