Haiti

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) today welcomed the publication of election results for the Caribbean country’s Senate although poor turn out meant that none of the candidates picked up sufficient votes to win a seat outright. The average participation rate for the first round of balloting last week was just over 11 per cent across Haiti, but MINUSTAH noted that numbers varied widely from one department to another.

Haiti's long-delayed senate elections have been marred by extremely poor voter turnout. … Most cited poverty, disenchantment with the current government and resentment over the banning of a popular party as reasons for not voting, she said. The polls, delayed since 2007 and held under the watch of 9,000 UN peacekeepers on Sunday, were seen as an important step in the country's return to democracy.

Hailing pledges worth nearly $325 million for Haiti's reconstruction and development made at a donor conference in Washington last week, the top United Nations envoy to the impoverished country today expressed hope the funds will be quickly disbursed. … The Special Representative, who also heads the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), stressed that improving the economic and social situation was essential to consolidating stability in the country.

Michele Duvivier Pierre-Louis, the prime minister of Haiti, has urged the global community to do more for the impoverished Caribbean island at a donor conference in Washington DC. Pierre-Louis told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that while at least $77m had been pledged Haiti still needed more from donors.

The top United Nations envoy to Haiti exhorted the international community to boost its support, even in the midst of a global recession, for the impoverished Caribbean nation, which is at a “turning point.” Addressing the Security Council today, Hédi Annabi, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative, stressed that “sustained international engagement is critical to enable Haiti to take advantage of a unique moment of opportunity.”

The arrival of a massive shipment of election equipment in Haiti has brought the process of legislative polls to a new phase, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) announced today. Voting booths and associated material for nearly 11,000 voting locations, divided into 12,000 kits, will be distributed throughout the country by the mission, for the election of a third of the Senate, slated to be held on 19 April.

Haiti is making strides in security sector and judicial reform but continues to grapple with widespread poverty and vulnerability to disasters, the leader of a United Nations Security Council mission to the impoverished Caribbean nation said today.

As the United Nations Security Council completed its four-day mission to Haiti this weekend, it stressed that national dialogue and international support were critical to meet coming challenges in security, stability, recovery and development.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who wrapped up a visit to Haiti today, urged the people of the impoverished nation to seize the current momentum to lift it out of its downward spiral and place it firmly on a path to economic security. “2008 was a difficult year for Haiti, from the violent reactions to the increase in food prices to the devastation caused by the successive hurricanes,” Mr. Ban told reporters in the capital, Port-au-Prince, yesterday.

To keep Haiti on course and avoid further unrest, its government needs to build a broad national consensus, reaching out to parliament and civil society. “Haiti 2009: Stability at Risk“, the latest update briefing from the International Crisis Group, examines a fragile political, social and economic situation. A series of crises in 2008 have pushed more Haitians into poverty and increased the potential for serious trouble this year.