Haiti, 2014

Since the

Charter of the United Nations was adopted in San

Francisco, the international community has made it a

true act of faith in setting up a new international order

based on the ideals and values that elevate human dignity

and encourage sustainable development and solidarity

among peoples. It is an honour for me to speak before

the General Assembly, convened for nearly 70 years,

to address key issues of justice, universal peace and

security.

I take this opportunity to send Mr. Sam Kutesa

my warmest congratulations on his election as the

President of the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth

session. His proven experience on international issues

and the United Nations system is a guarantee of the

success of the work that will be taken up at this session.

He can be assured of the full cooperation of the Haitian

delegation.

I commend the remarkable work of Secretary-

General Ban Ki-moon. I pay special tribute to him

for his courage and commitment to the cause of peace

worldwide. As humanitarian crises and conflicts

between States threaten the stability and security of

peoples of the world, the Secretary-General’s leadership

has repeatedly demonstrated that there is always a

way to resolve our differences through dialogue,

understanding and mutual respect.

That is why I encourage the United Nations to

continue to support the good relations between the

parties on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and the

peaceful and constructive approaches to establish

lasting peace in East Asia and the East China Sea.

We in the Caribbean have chosen to take the path

of dialogue with our neighbour to the east for the good

of our two peoples and in order to preserve peace in

the region. We believe in the power of dialogue. We

are convinced that it is always necessary to engage

in negotiation and productive discussions. We readily

agreed to come to the negotiating table with our friends

from the Dominican Republic to set out the real problens

of mutual interest for the benefit of our two peoples

and to resolve half-century-old misunderstandings. We

welcome the fact that a number of agreements have

been reached on issues that were not always easy to

resolve. We hope to be able to continue on that path

towards a better understanding between two States that

share the same island.

Despite a challenging route, 70 years later it is clear

that this common project that is the United Nations has

lost nothing of its topicality and relevance. At a time when

hotbeds of international tension persist, the enlightened

Powers of our planet must unite to preserve peace,

democracy, stability, human rights and development.

In that context, in line with the new realities of this

century, Haiti argues strongly for concrete progress in

the negotiations for United Nations reform, particularly

with regard to the enlargement of the Security Council

to include new permanent members.

The example of inclusion must begin where the

right to participation is a fundamental right expressed

through the Charter of the United Nations. Our voice

counts. Our leadership, being responsible, must be

expressed through concrete and tangible actions when

peace, the health of our environment and the health of

our people are threatened. In that connection, I wish to

pay tribute to our Cuban brothers, among other peoples

of the world, who have supported African countries

affected by Ebola.

As much as we have a moral responsibility to raise

our voice against injustice whatever its origin, against

fanaticism, to reject repression and violence in all its

forms and to fight discrimination and prejudices that

hinder solidarity among peoples, we also have an

obligation to recognize and encourage efforts to unite

people.

The legitimacy and credibility of the United

Nations depends upon its ability to act quickly and

respond effectively in recognizing the added value of

each Member State. More than ever, problems must

be addressed pragmatically. That is an urgent matter

in these times of political tensions on a global scale

and of the spread of some diseases that are just as

devastating. Moreover, the international community

is greatly challenged by the resurgence of a brutal and

fanatical international terrorism in a new form. The

United Nations is and remains today our best defence

against those challenges through respect for the dignity

of peoples and through the participation and inclusion

of everyone.

Allow me to present the situation in my country,

the Republic of Haiti.

The Haitian people are at a decisive turning point

in their long march in search of stability, democracy

and progress, towards the consolidation of democratic

institutions established 27 years ago with the adoption

of the 1987 Constitution. After more than two decades

punctuated by disasters of all kinds, Haiti has made

undeniable progress over the past three years in

terms of consolidating democracy and the rule of law,

strengthening its institutions and protecting human

rights, reducing poverty and laying the foundations

for sustained growth and long-lasting development.

We are aware that the road that should lead Haiti to

socioeconomic stability is still long. However, the

obstacles, however daunting they may be, are not

insurmountable.

In terms of security, the situation has improved

to the point where Haiti has become one of the safest

countries in the Caribbean. The Government has made

great efforts to strengthen the professionalism of the

Haitian National Police. I maintain and reaffirm my

stance on the need for a gradual and orderly withdrawal

of United Nations troops from Haitian soil. That

process has in fact already commenced, along with

the strengthening of the operational capacity of the

National Police of Haiti, which will allow it to take

over from the forces of the United Nations Stabilization

Mission in Haiti.

I wish to make a plea for better coordination of

the work of United Nations agencies with national

institutions and for taking into account the real needs

of the country.

With regard to education, 70 per cent of pupils

in the first two years of primary school receive a

free education. For the first time in Haiti, 5 per

cent of the gross domestic product is earmarked for

education. Today, the net school enrolment rate has

increased significantly. We are working hard to reach

the Millennium Development Goals, which are set at

100 per cent in this regard, as the Assembly knows.

In the area of health, we have stepped up efforts to

reduce the incidence of diseases such as AIDS, malaria

and vector-borne diseases. The significant increase in

health centres across the country has improved access

to care and led to a reduction in maternal and infant

mortality. Maternal mortality fell from 350 to 157 per

100,000 live births per 100,000. Through our Ministry

of Health, we were able to build and rehabilitate more

than 200 health facilities. And to strengthen governance

in health, we are committed to the ongoing training of

our health professionals so they can provide better care

and services. With regard to cholera, while assuming

our duty to our fellow citizens, Haiti calls for a decisive

commitment from the United Nations to contribute to

the National Plan for the Eradication of Cholera.

With regard to the economy, major reforms have

been put in place to improve the business environment.

The increased flow of foreign capital and the number of

tourists visiting our country are tangible evidence of the

improving business climate in Haiti. We are resolutely

focused on our goal of making Haiti an investment

destination, not a humanitarian destination.

On the political front, Haiti will conduct free,

honest and transparent elections as soon as possible

for the renewal of democratic and constitutional

institutions. That is a necessary step. Democratic rules

require it, and I will uphold republican principles until

the end. As Head of State, guarantor of the stability of

institutions, I have spared no effort to find consensus

among all parties and institutions involved in the

organization of legislative and municipal elections.

Despite the discrepancies, in the spirit of Jean-Jacques

Dessalines, I am confident that together we will arrive

at such consensus. I look forward to bringing my

fellow citizens together around the table to provide that

harmonious area marked by the purest ideals that the

Haitian people have established for themselves, ideals

that we remain firmly committed to.

I would like to reiterate the support of the Republic

of Haiti to the fight that the United Nations is leading

to eradicate poverty. While waiting for the summit to

be held next year in which Member States will decide

on the post-2015 development agenda, I can already

express the confidence of my Administration in the

sustainable development goals intended to replace the

Millennium Development Goals.

The world currently has enormous resources.

Our challenge is to find effective ways and means to

ensure that they are distributed in an equitable and just

manner. I remain convinced that our commitment to

reduce poverty and inequality throughout the world is

necessary. It is in that spirit that the Republic of Haiti

joins the international community to contribute its part

to meet that challenge. It is suitable, therefore, that we

heighten the effectiveness of the Organization and give

it the necessary and sufficient resources in the exercise

of that mission.

Our goal is for that truly to become the basis of

a system of security and collective solidarity that is

able to ensure the rule of law and to preserve peace and

international security; a system able to prioritize basic

freedoms and human rights; a system able to promote

strong growth that is careful to respect the environment

and development that responds to current needs without

risking the future of generations to come. It is up to us,

on the eve of the seventieth anniversary of the Charter

of the United Nations, to transmit that new spirit, so

indispensable to the promotion and defense of the

universal values of which we are the custodians.