Haiti: Closed Consultations*
Tomorrow afternoon (28 May), Security Council members will hold closed consultations on Haiti. The meeting was requested by the ten elected members (E10) to receive an update on the situation in the country and to discuss how the Security Council can respond. Special Representative and Head of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) María Isabel Salvador and Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare are the expected briefers*.
Tomorrow’s meeting takes place against the backdrop of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country. Haiti remains gripped by a multifaceted crisis as armed violence continues, with gangs consolidating their hold within and beyond the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince. The violence has fuelled displacement and hunger, with approximately 5.7 million people—over half the population—experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity. In a 21 May update, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric said that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned that “armed violence and growing insecurity continue to expose children to sexual violence and other severe protection risks”. He added that acute underfunding continues to hamper the humanitarian response in Haiti, including support for survivors of gender-based violence The 2025 UN Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti, which aims to assist 3.9 million people, needs approximately $908 million. However, as of 27 May, it is only 7.9 percent funded.
Through tomorrow’s meeting, it seems that the E10 are seeking to prompt active consideration by the Security Council of the Secretary-General’s 24 February letter containing recommendations on options for UN support for Haiti. The Secretary-General issued the letter pursuant to a 29 November 2024 request from the Security Council for his recommendations on the full range of options for UN support for Haiti. The Council made this request after failing to agree on a draft resolution proposed by the US and then-Council member Ecuador—the Council’s co-penholders on Haiti at the time—that would have directed the Secretary-General to initiate plans to transform the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission into a UN peacekeeping operation. The draft resolution was ultimately abandoned following opposition from China and Russia, which cited the difficult history of past UN peacekeeping operations in Haiti, among other reservations. (For more information, see the brief on Haiti in our April 2025 Monthly Forecast.)
In his 24 February letter, the Secretary-General said that transforming the MSS mission into a peacekeeping operation was “not a feasible option” at present. Instead, the Secretary-General recommended, among other things, the establishment of a UN Support Office to provide comprehensive logistic and operational support to the MSS mission, such as accommodation, medical capability, and support for mobility and information technology. Assessed contributions from the UN’s peacekeeping budget would cover this support, while scaled-up voluntary contributions from UN member states would cover forms of support for the MSS mission that the UN cannot provide, such as stipends, military-grade capabilities, and lethal equipment. The letter also proposed that the UN Support Office provide “a limited, non-lethal support package” to the Haitian National Police that would be funded mostly through voluntary contributions. The Secretary-General further proposed establishing a standing group of member states to provide the MSS mission with “strategic direction, oversight and decision-making” and to secure voluntary funding.
Over three months since it was issued, the Security Council has yet to respond to the proposals contained in the Secretary-General’s letter. This appears to be largely due to the lack of clarity regarding the US position on the proposals, and more generally, on its approach to addressing the security situation in Haiti. With the US remaining the principal provider of financial support to the MSS mission and the Council’s co-penholder on Haiti, together with Panama, Council members have thus far been waiting for the US to clarify its position before considering and proposing the next steps for Haiti.
During the 21 April briefing and consultations on Haiti, several members—including Guyana, Greece, Pakistan, the Republic of Korea, Slovenia and the UK—expressed their readiness to discuss the letter or called on the Council to do so. For instance, during the open briefing France took note of the Secretary-General’s recommendations and stated that it was ready to work with the other Council members “to find a solution” to strengthen international support for security in Haiti. Russia said that it was ready to discuss the letter while also stressing that the international community should prioritise “the tool that is already at its disposal”, namely, the MSS mission. In an apparent reference to the US, Russia added that the donor states that initiated the establishment of the MSS mission and “pledged to provide sustainable funding for it have a duty to fulfil their obligations”.
For its part, during the 21 April briefing, the US did not directly address the Secretary-General’s letter. It encouraged international stakeholders and donors to “contribute their fair share”, and added that, while it remained “determined to assist the Haitian people” and acknowledged the countries that contributed to the MSS mission, the US could not “continue to shoulder such a significant financial burden”. China argued that the US has been a major source of interference in Haiti’s political and development affairs, and added that, following the change in administration, the US has abandoned the transition in Haiti while also cutting aid and deporting Haitian immigrants from the US. China further criticised the attempt spearheaded by the US to transform the MSS into a peacekeeping mission in 2024 for trying to “shift the burden” of the cost of the mission onto the UN and its member states.
At tomorrow’s meeting, several Council members—particularly the E10—are likely to call for urgent action on Haiti from the Security Council. These members may point out that discussing the Secretary-General’s proposals would be a good starting point for the Council to evaluate how to respond to the crisis. It seems that several members hope that the US will use the meeting to clarify its position on the security response. Some members are also interested in hearing China’s position on the Secretary-General’s proposals. Additionally, some members are apparently seeking clarification on the financial situation of the MSS mission, particularly with respect to US intentions regarding continued bilateral support for the mission.
The US has recently indicated that the Organization of American States (OAS) could play a greater role in responding to the security crisis in Haiti. Addressing the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on 20 May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he would like to see the OAS “provide a mission” of member countries to “deal with the issue of Haiti”. He suggested that the OAS could “provide a force, or a group of countries that working together could help solve” the Haiti crisis. Rubio added that the US is ready to “play a leading role” in that context, but that it needs “buy-in from partners in the region”.
Speaking at a 22 May OAS symposium on Haiti’s security crisis, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Caribbean Affairs and Haiti Barbara Feinstein said that the OAS has a critical role to play on Haiti, but did not call for an OAS mission to be deployed to the country. She said that “the UN-authorised” MSS mission provides an “immediate opportunity” for the region to reinforce security in Haiti and urged all regional partners to support the mission through the deployment of personnel, in-kind contributions and financial support. Echoing the US position at the 21 April Security Council briefing on Haiti, Feinstein added that, while the US remains determined to assist Haiti, it “cannot continue shouldering such a significant financial burden”.
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**Post-script (30 May): An earlier version of this story indicated that Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix and Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas Miroslav Jenča were the requested briefers. The story was amended to reflect that Special Representative and Head of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) María Isabel Salvador and Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare eventually briefed at the meeting.
