Haiti: Briefing and Consultations
This afternoon (22 October), the Security Council will hold an open briefing on Haiti. Special Representative and Head of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) Carlos Ruiz Massieu is expected to brief on recent developments in the country and the Secretary-General’s latest report on BINUH, which was issued on 14 October and covers developments since 27 June. Closed consultations are scheduled to follow the open briefing.
Today will be Ruiz Massieu’s first briefing to the Council in this role. Among other issues, he is likely to provide an update on Haiti’s political situation. While the deadline for the transfer of authority from the transitional institutions to elected officials lapses on 7 February 2026, a date for the elections has yet to be announced. The Haitian transitional authorities have also recently scrapped plans for a constitutional referendum.
Noting the uncertainty regarding the next steps towards ending the transitional phase, the Secretary-General’s report stresses that “[c]ritical decisions” must be taken by the Haitian authorities, as the country “cannot afford a political vacuum”. The report calls for inter-Haitian dialogue, stressing that this is crucial to address concerns over the path to elections and to forge “a renewed consensus to take further steps towards the restoration of democratic institutions”. Today, Ruiz Massieu and several Council members are likely to stress that inclusive dialogue and improved security conditions are key elements in creating the conditions for safely and successfully holding elections.
Armed violence in Haiti remains rampant, however. The Secretary-General’s report says that ongoing clashes of armed gangs with security forces and vigilante groups have slowed down gang activity in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. It stresses, however, that the gangs have continued their expansion into the capital’s peripheral areas in the West Department, as well as into the Artibonite and Centre Departments. The report describes the continuation of human rights abuses by the gangs, including “targeted killings, injuries, deprivation of liberty, extortion and sexual slavery”. UN humanitarian partners have also continued to highlight the pervasiveness of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), including rape.
At today’s meeting, many Council members are likely to condemn all forms of human rights abuses, including SGBV, perpetrated by the gangs and call for accountability. Many speakers may also address the dire situation of children. A recent UNICEF update highlighted the cumulative effects of violence, malnutrition, lost learning, and lack of essential services on children in Haiti and called on the international community to urgently respond to the crisis at scale.
The Secretary-General’s report also notes that 22 percent of casualties during security force operations against gangs “were residents struck by stray bullets at home or during daily activities”, raising concerns regarding the adoption of precautionary measures during these operations. It adds that some security officers have “continued to summarily execute individuals suspected of gang links”. The report also provides casualty figures related to drone operations in the country, saying that, between 1 March and 20 September, these resulted in at least 547 people killed, of whom 527 were suspected gang members and 20 members of the population, including 11 children.
On 30 September, the Security Council adopted resolution 2793, authorising UN member states to transition the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti into a Gang Suppression Force (GSF) and requesting the Secretary-General to establish a UN Support Office in Haiti (UNSOH). The resolution received 12 votes in favour and three abstentions (China, Pakistan, and Russia).
This afternoon, Council members may seek an update from Ruiz Massieu regarding the operationalisation of the UNSOH and the GSF. Among other issues, he might elaborate on BINUH’s role within the reconfigured framework for combating gangs under resolution 2793. Several Council members may call for support from the international community to the GSF, with some also calling on the force to ensure respect for international law in its deployment and operations. Members such as China and Russia might reiterate the concerns that they expressed during the negotiations on resolution 2793 and in their explanations of vote, including regarding the new mission’s troop composition, chain of command, rules of engagement, total cost, accountability, and success criteria.
Some members may also stress the importance of a holistic and Haitian-led response to the country’s multilayered crisis. The Secretary-General’s report, for instance, stresses that in addition to security operations, there should be complementary responses focused on preventing recruitment into gangs and supporting disengagement. Among other measures, the report encourages Haitian authorities, with the support of BINUH and other partners, to “develop a structured, gender-responsive voluntary defection and reintegration programme for girls and boys in line with child rights standards and to designate a national institution to assume leadership of disarmament, dismantlement and reintegration efforts”.
At today’s briefing, there may also be discussion about the latest quarterly report of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on sources and routes of illicit arms and financial flows in Haiti (S/2025/642), dated 14 October. The UNODC report says that criminal groups control up to 90 percent of Port-au-Prince. Among other issues, the report notes that, although the growing presence of private security contractors supporting the Haitian police forces added operational capacity to target the gangs, it has also raised concerns over transparency, respect for human rights, and the privatisation of security functions of the government. In addition, the report provides updates on illegal drug flows and arms trafficking, as well as on enforcement efforts to counter these trends and disrupt illicit financial flows and criminal networks in Haiti and the region.
After difficult negotiations, on 17 October, the Security Council unanimously renewed the 2653 Haiti sanctions regime for another year through resolution 2794. At today’s meeting, several speakers are expected to welcome the renewal of the sanctions regime and note that it constitutes an essential component of the response to the security situation in Haiti. Some members may welcome the fact that resolution 2794 added two individuals—Dimitri Herard and Kempes Sanon—to the 2653 sanctions list. Several Council members may also emphasise the importance of enhancing the enforcement of the arms embargo to stem the flow of arms to Haiti.
Several speakers are also expected to express concern at the dire humanitarian situation in the country. The latest data on the displacement situation, published by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on 14 October, indicates a presence of over 1.4 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Haiti, representing a ten percent increase compared to the previous IOM update. The main reason for the increase is the continued deterioration of the security situation in the Artibonite and Centre Departments, according to the IOM. The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) update on Haiti, which was issued on 10 October, shows that food security has also continued to deteriorate, with the expansion of territorial control by gangs driving over half of the population—nearly 5.7 million people—into high levels of acute food insecurity.
While humanitarian needs continue to grow, the 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti, which requires approximately $908 million, was only 14.5 percent funded as at 21 October. At today’s meeting, some speakers are likely to call on the international community to enhance its support for the humanitarian response in Haiti.
