Haiti

The UN Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) needs a gradual reconfiguration of its operations prior to a withdrawal, to avoid a security vacuum and give Haiti the chance for sustainable development. “Towards a Post-MINUSTAH Haiti: Making an Effective Transition”, the latest report by the International Crisis Group, assesses the impact of the UN presence in Haiti and analyses the options for MINUSTAH’s eventual departure, as the October 2012 end of its mandate approaches.

Haitian President Michel Joseph Martelly published an amended version of the constitution on Tuesday that created new institutions and granted voting rights to Haitians with dual citizenship.

Mariano Fernández Amunátegui, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), praised Haitian leaders, including President Michel Martelly, and the heads of the Senate and the Lower House of Parliament for the dialogue between the executive and legislative branches that culminated in Mr. Lamothe’s confirmation yesterday.

UN and Haitian government officials are scrambling to find a peaceful way to disarm a rogue group of former soldiers demanding the immediate return of the Haitian armed forces, 17 years after the country's notoriously brutal army was disbanded.

The report covers major developments from the issuance of the report of 25 August 2011 (S/2011/540) until 28 February 2012.

A U.N. Security Council delegation arrived in Haiti on Monday for a four-day visit to Haiti to assess security needs before a decision over reducing the 10,500-member peacekeeping force.

Haiti has made some progress in restoring the rule of law, the United Nations independent expert on the human rights situation in the Caribbean country said today, citing as examples the appointment of the president of the highest appellate court and the upcoming establishment of the supreme council of the judiciary.

Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille promised that 2012 would be a year of reconstruction and economic recovery in Haiti with a growth rate of eight percent. He made the pledge only days before Haitians mark the second anniversary of the earthquake that killed more than 200,000 of their people.

Chilean Defense Minister Andres Allamand announced Tuesday that his country will gradually withdraw its United Nations (UN) military contingent from Haiti starting in 2012. … About 500 Chilean military and police officers have been dispatched to Haiti since 2004, when the UN decided to intervene in the Caribbean country after a nationwide armed conflict that caused the fall of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Nigel Fisher, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti told reporters in New York that there have been significant advances on education, health, job creation, and infrastructure, among other sectors, through effective reconstruction projects.