United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti - Report of the Secretary-General (S/2024/508) [EN/AR/RU/ZH]

I. Introduction

1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 2692 (2023), by which the Council decided to extend until 15 July 2024 the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), in accordance with resolution 2476 (2019) establishing BINUH. The report includes developments since the previous report (S/2024/310), dated 16 April 2024.

II. Political issues and good governance

Political

2. Criminal gangs continue to target State institutions, with the violence severely impacting governance, all aspects of the daily life of Haitians, and United Nations operations. Amid the serious security challenges, national stakeholders have nevertheless made significant progress in the implementation of the outcome declaration of the meeting held on 11 March 2024 by the Caribbean Community, international partners and Haitian stakeholders, while preparing transitional governance arrangements, including the appointment of a Prime Minister, the formation and official installation of a Cabinet of Ministers, and the approval of the operating methods of the Transitional Presidential Council. The Council has identified as priorities addressing insecurity, supporting the anti-gang operations of the Haitian National Police and strengthening the national security forces. A first meeting of the Council and the new Government was held on 19 June.

3. On 16 April, the members of the Transitional Presidential Council, which had been formally established four days earlier, were officially appointed by order of the Council of Ministers. The voting members are a former Governor of the Central Bank of Haiti, Fritz Alphonse Jean (representing the Montana Group); a former diplomat, Smith Augustin (representing Engagés pour le développement/Résistance démocratique/Compromis historique); a barrister, Emmanuel Vertilaire (representing Pitit Desalin); a former President of the Senate, Edgard Leblanc fils (representing the Collectif des partis politiques du 30 janvier 2023); a former senator, Louis Gérald Gilles (representing the signatories of the agreement of 21 December 2022), a businessperson, Laurent Saint-Cyr, and a former minister, Leslie Voltaire (representing Fanmi Lavalas). The non-voting members are a pastor, Frinel Joseph (representing civil society organizations), and a public administration manager, Régine Abraham (representing the interfaith community), the only woman on the Transitional Presidential Council. The Council of Ministers also indicated in the order that the Transitional Presidential Council, which would be presided over by one of its members, chosen by consensus or alternatively by a majority of the members, is to hand over power to a democratically elected president by 7 February 2026.

4. In line with the 11 March outcome declaration, the Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, formally resigned in a letter to the Council of Ministers on 24 April. In an order issued on the same day, the Council appointed the Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, Michel Patrick Boisvert, interim Prime Minister until the process of selecting a new Prime Minister was completed.

5. On 25 April, the Transitional Presidential Council was inaugurated in Port-au-Prince. On 30 April, four stakeholder groups (Engagés pour le développement/Résistance démocratique/Compromis historique, the signatories of the agreement of 21 December 2022, Pitit Desalin and the Collectif des partis politiques du 30 janvier 2023) announced the formation of the Bloc majoritaire indissoluble, a majority group within the Transitional Presidential Council. The group selected Mr. Leblanc as coordinator and designated a former Minister of Youth and Sport (2006–2011), Fritz Bélizaire, as their candidate for the position of Prime Minister.

6. In diverging reactions, on 3 May, the stakeholder group representing civil society in the Transitional Presidential Council acknowledged the decision to appoint Mr. Leblanc as coordinator and designate Mr. Bélizaire as nominee for the position of Prime Minister, while also advocating unity among Council members. The Montana Group and Fanmi Lavalas portrayed the official formation of a majority bloc within the Council as a divisive act aimed at eroding the consensus-building approach enshrined in the Accord politique pour une transition pacifique et ordonnée (Political agreement for a peaceful and orderly transition), signed on 3 April, and called for transparency in selecting the Prime Minister. A number of civil society groups and political platforms not represented on the Council reiterated their alternative proposal for the designation of a judge from the Court of Cassation to lead the transition until elections are held.

7. On 7 May, the Transitional Presidential Council adopted a resolution requiring a qualified majority of five of the seven voting members for significant Council decisions, in lieu of consensus. That rule governed the subsequent selection of the Prime Minister and Cabinet of Ministers, and will be used to appoint members of the provisional electoral council, directors general and senior officials. The Transitional Presidential Council agreed that the presidency would rotate every five months among four of its members, from 7 May 2024 until 7 February 2026, when an elected President is expected to be sworn in.

8. The Transitional Presidential Council initiated a search for candidates for the position of Prime Minister and received over 100 applications between 13 and 17 May. All candidates had to provide a certificate of good conduct, a tax declaration and a wealth declaration certificate within 30 days, as well as a statement of support by political parties or civil society organizations adhering to the Political agreement of 3 April. On 28 May, following hearings of the five shortlisted candidates, all men, the Council selected Garry Conille as Prime Minister. The six voting members present all voted in favour. While some political groups expressed concern over what they termed a lack of transparency in the selection process, other stakeholders from across the spectrum welcomed the appointment of Mr. Conille as an impartial and competent figure qualified to lead the country to elections. A number of women’s organizations, including the Alliance des Organisations de la Société Civile pour la Paix et l’Autonomisation des Femmes Haïtiennes (Alliance of Civil Society Organizations for Peace and the Empowerment of Haitian Women) (AOSCPAFH), the Fédération des Organisations de Femmes pour l’Égalité des Droits Humains (Federation of Women’s Organizations for Equal Human Rights) (FEDOFEDH) and the Comité de Suivi du Dialogue Inter-Femme (Committee for the Monitoring of Women’s Dialogue) denounced the continuing exclusion of women from the political process and called for the implementation of the constitutional minimum of a 30 per cent quota for women in public service, including within the new Cabinet, the directorates general of the public administration, and the diplomatic service.

9. In a video message issued on 30 May, Mr. Conille stated his commitment to working with the Transitional Presidential Council to swiftly form a new Government and complete the establishment of the transitional arrangements set out in the Political agreement of 3 April, including the appointment of a new provisional electoral council. While calling for national cohesion and unity, he encouraged women and experienced young professionals to participate in the political process and support the work of the transitional authorities. On 11 June, the Cabinet of 14 ministers, including 4 women, was appointed through an order published in the Official Gazette.

10. On 16 May, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti and Head of BINUH discussed Security Council resolution 2699 (2023) with the Transitional Presidential Council. In that resolution, the Security Council had authorized the deployment of the Multinational Security Support mission and advocated increased participation of women and youth in the political process. BINUH, in cooperation with the Volontariat pour le Développement d’Haiti (Volunteering Service for the Development of Haiti), facilitated a series of consultations between Haitian civil society organizations on ways to strengthen the work of the non-voting members of the Transitional Presidential Council on issues related to political inclusion, national dialogue and elections.

11. On 14 June, Mr. Conille and the Special Representative discussed the country’s situation and the continued provision of United Nations support to the transitional authorities. Mr. Conille highlighted the importance of aligning United Nations support with the priorities defined by the Government to ensure national ownership.