Gang violence in Port-au-Prince, forced nearly 8,500 women and children to flee their homes in just two weeks
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 22 (NNN-Xinhua) — UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed on Wednesday called for urgent international support for Haiti.
“There is an urgent need for international support and solidarity. Now is certainly not the time for the world to turn away from Haiti. It is time to step up and turn the current crisis into an opportunity for Haiti to bounce back stronger,” she told the Security Council in a briefing.
“I urge every country with the capacity to do so to give urgent consideration to the Haitian government’s request for an international specialized armed force to help restore security and alleviate the humanitarian crisis,” she said. “This is absolutely essential if Haiti is to return to institutional stability and get back on the road toward peace and sustainable development.”
She said that insecurity has reached unprecedented levels, and human rights abuses are widespread.
Armed gangs have expanded their violent criminal activities, using killings and gang rape to terrorize and subjugate communities. Gang violence is paralyzing the country and obstructing the freedom of movement of people, goods and humanitarian aid. It has fueled the resurgence of cholera, increased food insecurity to unimaginable levels, displaced 155,000 people and disrupted the education of thousands of children, she said.
Mohammed reiterated UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call for international support to the Haitian National Police.
“There are many other crises around the world. But very few crises, if any, test our commitment and values like the one that we are witnessing in Haiti. It is a test of the common humanity that should be at the heart of international cooperation. It is a test of our solidarity with the people in deep suffering,” Mohammed said.
Haiti will need international support to address the structural causes of this crisis and break the cycles that have constrained its development for so long. Inclusive and sustainable development is essential in its own right. It is also humanity’s ultimate crisis prevention tool, she said.
Mohammed reaffirmed the solidarity and commitment of the United Nations to stand with Haiti and its people and to support the country’s recovery toward sustainable development, democracy, stability and peace. — NNN-XINHUA
