分类： world

Addressing the United Nations Security Council on July 20, Dominican Republic Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez delivered an urgent call for the international community to speed up deployment of the long-planned Gang Suppression Force (GSF) to crisis-stricken Haiti, while calling for stricter enforcement of existing sanctions against actors that arm and fund Haitian criminal gangs. The intervention comes as Haiti grapples with a spiraling security collapse that has derailed governance and plans for democratic elections, with gang violence displacing hundreds of thousands and leaving much of the capital Port-au-Prince under criminal control.

Álvarez warned the Council that a simple extension of the mission’s original mandate, first approved in September 2025, would fall far short of delivering the meaningful security progress Haiti desperately needs. He highlighted a critical gap in the force’s deployment: of the 5,550 authorized troops that are meant to make up the international contingent, only just over 1,000 have actually arrived in the country so far. The minister stressed that closing this gap by accelerating the deployment of the remaining personnel is non-negotiable for the mission to succeed.

Outlining the current state of preparation, Álvarez confirmed that the Dominican Republic has already fulfilled its commitments, contributing troops, allocating required resources and putting a functional operational command structure in place. He identified logistical bottlenecks, specifically a shortage of strategic military air transport, as the single biggest barrier holding up deployment, noting that the lack of heavy airlift capacity has delayed the arrival of both additional personnel and critical equipment. To overcome this hurdle, he called on nations that maintain large military transport fleets to step up and collaborate with the mission. “A purely logistical problem should not hinder the international community’s protection of an entire people,” Álvarez told the Council.

Beyond deployment challenges, the foreign minister pushed for far more robust implementation of sanctions outlined in Security Council Resolution 2653, which targets individuals and entities that finance and support Haiti’s armed criminal gangs. He argued that current restrictions must not only target the top leaders of gang organizations, but also extend to the entire criminal ecosystem that enables their operations: arms traffickers that smuggle weapons into Haiti, money launderers that clean illicit profits, and political and material backers that shield gangs from accountability. “We must fully utilize this instrument to identify and punish those who support and enable the operation of these criminal organizations,” he insisted.

At the core of Álvarez’s address was a clear argument that security restoration is an indispensable precondition for any legitimate democratic transition in Haiti. Repeating a core thesis that frames Haiti’s current path, he told Council members: “Elections do not guarantee security. But security will make elections possible.” He also acknowledged progress made by Haiti’s transitional government to rebuild its own security and judicial institutions, pointing to efforts including the induction of new officers into the Haitian National Police, expanded training for security personnel, and the establishment of specialized judicial units designed to prosecute high-level gang-related crimes.

In closing, the Dominican Republic reaffirmed its support for extending the mandate of both the Gang Suppression Force and the UN Integrated Support Office in Haiti, but issued a stark warning about the cost of half-measures. Extending the mandate without following through on the full deployment of promised personnel, he said, would amount to breaking a promise to the Haitian people. “We don’t need a new strategy; we need to fully implement the one we have developed,” he concluded.

In a high-stakes address to the United Nations Security Council on July 20, 2026, held in New York City, Haiti’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Raina Forbin delivered an urgent update on the Caribbean nation’s ongoing stabilization efforts, calling on the global community to stand by Haiti as it consolidates hard-won progress toward restored security and democratic governance.

Speaking at the Council’s 10,198th meeting focused exclusively on Haiti, Forbin outlined the concrete advances the Haitian government has made across three critical pillars: public security, institutional governance, and preparations for the first inclusive national elections in years. Despite the lingering, deep-seated challenges that have plagued the country for years, Forbin stressed that tangible change is taking hold on the ground. “Haiti is now closer than it has been in decades to restoring widespread security and holding free, credible, inclusive, and participatory elections,” she told the assembled council members.

The foreign minister detailed that two-thirds of the core preparatory phases for the electoral process have already been successfully completed. Political party registration is fully finalized, and the process of enrolling eligible voters across the country is already underway. Parallel to electoral preparations, the Haitian government is working to build up the nation’s domestic security capacity: it is running training programs for a new cohort of police officers, expanding active military recruitment, and rolling out sweeping judicial reforms designed to strengthen the rule of law across all levels of government.

A central priority for Haiti moving forward, Forbin emphasized, is the full deployment of the multinational Gang Suppression Force (GSF) and the prompt renewal of the force’s operating mandate, which is set to expire in September 2026. She reiterated that consistent, effective security provision across the entire country is a non-negotiable prerequisite for holding democratic elections that all Haitian citizens can participate in safely and fairly.

Forbin’s appearance before the Security Council forms part of a coordinated diplomatic push by the Haitian government to mobilize long-term, sustained international backing for three core national goals: restoring lasting public security, strengthening fragile national institutions, and returning the country to full constitutional order through legitimate democratic elections.

During the same session, Carlos G. Ruiz Massieu, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Haiti, offered a positive assessment of recent developments, welcoming the advances made in the country’s political transition. He specifically highlighted the adoption of a revised electoral decree, a breakthrough agreement on national electoral budget allocations, and the official launch of voter registration as key milestones that mark significant forward movement. These developments, Massieu said, inject critical new momentum into Haiti’s transition process, and he urged Haitian leaders to move quickly to adopt a clear, credible timeline for the upcoming elections.

Members of the Security Council echoed Massieu’s positive assessment while urging Haiti to maintain the momentum of recent progress. Multiple council representatives commended the Haitian government’s gains in improving public security and advancing electoral preparations. They also aligned with Forbin’s call for the full deployment of the anti-gang security force and the upcoming renewal of its mandate, while emphasizing the importance of the international community following through on all existing commitments of support to Haiti.

In a July 20 address to the United Nations Security Council’s 10198th meeting focused on escalating instability in Haiti, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz laid out a clear case for urgent, coordinated international action against the transnational criminal networks that have thrown the Caribbean nation into chaos.

Waltz emphasized that Haiti’s geographic proximity, just hundreds of kilometers off the coast of Florida, makes its security crisis a matter of core strategic interest not only to the U.S. but to the entire global community. He explained that armed gangs operating out of Haiti have expanded their influence far beyond the country’s borders, trafficking illegal weapons and narcotics, and spreading instability across the Caribbean, into West Africa, Europe, and even the continental United States. Within Haiti, he added, these criminal groups fund their operations through widespread extortion of vulnerable civilians and a staggering surge in ransom kidnappings, which force already impoverished families to sell their few remaining belongings to secure the release of abducted loved ones.

Against this backdrop, Waltz highlighted the work of the international Gang Suppression Force (GSF), noting that the multinational force’s top operational priority is to retake control of Haitian streets and reopen critical trade and communication routes connecting major ports to inland communities. The U.S. ambassador offered strong praise for the leadership and capability of the GSF’s personnel, which draw contributors from across the globe. From the force’s Mongolian commander down through every level of command, Waltz said, GSF troops and officers are highly trained, well-led, and supported by a carefully crafted operational plan designed by experienced, committed civilian and military planners across UN and regional bodies. During his visit to the region, Waltz noted, he observed incoming contingents from El Salvador, Jamaica, Chad and many other nations, including 300 recently deployed Sri Lankan soldiers who arrived while he was on the ground.

All deployed GSF soldiers and police officers are well-trained, adequately armed, and operating under a clear offensive mandate granted by the Security Council to target the powerful “Barbecue” gang and other major criminal networks. Waltz extended deep U.S. gratitude to all troop- and police-contributing countries, as well as the GSF’s Standing Partners Group, noting that the entire mission would be impossible without their collective determination and sacrifice. He singled out the Dominican Republic for particular praise, noting that the neighboring nation correctly views Haiti’s instability as an existential security threat and has gone above and beyond to facilitate the GSF’s deployment and operational presence in the country.

Looking back at the force’s first 10 months of operations, Waltz argued that the GSF has demonstrated the UN’s ability to deliver meaningful results when it focuses on core, collective security objectives – and he stressed that this progress is only the beginning. Per the framework laid out by Special Representative Christofides, he said, GSF progress will be regularly assessed against clear, predefined benchmarks aligned with the Security Council’s original mandate, a transparent process that the U.S. fully supports. This model, Waltz argued, is how the UN was designed to operate: uniting nations to contain spreading chaos and share the responsibility for resolving global security threats.

As the Security Council prepares to renew the Joint Response Group (JRG) mandate in September, Waltz confirmed that the U.S. is working alongside co-drafter Panama to advance the process. He issued an urgent appeal to all member states with available air transport capacity to support the accelerated deployment of incoming GSF contingents from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Ivory Coast. Air transport, he noted, cuts deployment timelines dramatically compared to far slower sea shipping, so assistance from countries with commercial or military airlift capacity would drastically speed up the delivery of personnel and equipment to support vulnerable Haitian communities. The importance of this support cannot be overstated, he added.

Beyond security efforts, Waltz welcomed progress toward restoring democratic governance in Haiti, commending Haitian authorities for following through on their commitments to the Haitian people. He specifically praised the Provisional Electoral Council for taking concrete fiscal and operational steps to organize the country’s first national elections in a decade.

“Haitians deserve streets free from gang control, institutions free from intimidation, and a government chosen by the Haitian people,” Waltz said. He emphasized that a collapse of Haitian statehood would never be contained to Haiti’s borders: gang violence, drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and irregular migration are all transnational problems that recognize no national boundaries. A more stable, secure Haiti advances the interests of the entire Caribbean region and every country working to eliminate criminal influence in the area. Closing his remarks, Waltz reaffirmed unwavering U.S. solidarity with Haiti and the Haitian people, committing to continued collective work with the GSF, international partners, and Haitian stakeholders to restore security, share the burden of intervention, and help Haitians regain full control of their sovereign nation.