In a September 24, 2026 address to the ministerial meeting of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti, United Nations Secretary-General Special Representative Carlos Ruiz Massieu laid out a cohesive, multi-pronged strategy to convert incremental security gains against gang activity into long-term, sustainable stability for the crisis-battered Caribbean nation.
Massieu opened his remarks by thanking the Advisory Group and Canada, which holds the group’s leadership, for reconvening international stakeholders and maintaining consistent diplomatic and operational engagement with Haiti. He centered his speech on a core question: how the global community and Haitian national institutions can build on current security progress to deliver tangible, lasting improvements to everyday Haitian lives.
With the UN Security Council set to review and renew the mandate of the multinational Gang Suppression Force (GSF) before the end of September 2026, Massieu emphasized that sustained international unity behind the mission remains non-negotiable. While mandate renewal is a critical foundational step, he argued it is only one component of effective security action. The GSF must reach full operational deployment and capacity as rapidly as possible, he said, even as Haitian national authorities work to build up their own domestic security institutions.
Even as offensive security operations push gangs out of controlled territory, Massieu warned that military and police progress alone is not enough to lock in gains. Once an area is cleared of armed groups, state authority and basic public services must be restored immediately: local government presence, civilian policing, functional schools, accessible judicial institutions, and resumed economic activity. Without this rapid follow-through, a power vacuum will emerge, giving gangs room to reassert control, he explained.
To avoid this outcome, Massieu called for coordinated, rapid pre-planning among Haitian national authorities, UN agencies, international development partners, and global financial institutions to mobilize response efforts the moment security gains are achieved. Crucially, he stressed that Haitian national institutions must lead all response efforts, pointing to decades of past international engagement in Haiti that show progress only endures when local institutions can establish legitimacy, deliver services, and build trust with local communities.
Beyond securing and holding cleared territory, Massieu highlighted two underaddressed challenges that threaten long-term stability: gang recruitment and the unregulated flow of illegal weapons that fuel ongoing violence. This gap, he said, makes disarmament, dismantlement, and reintegration (DDR) an essential, non-negotiable component of any stabilization strategy. Work underway with Haitian authorities to develop a national, Haitian-led comprehensive DDR framework is therefore a critical priority.
Contrary to common framing, Massieu argued that DDR does not need to wait for full security restoration. Instead, it should run parallel to active security operations, creating credible exit pathways for gang members who want to leave armed violence, whether individually or as a group, establishing specific protective pathways for children exploited by gangs, and blocking further recruitment of vulnerable youth. This approach does not weaken security operations or grant impunity to gang leaders, he clarified; instead, it makes sustained security pressure more effective by giving members an incentive to exit as pressure on criminal networks grows.
That said, Massieu emphasized that accountability and justice must be integrated into stabilization efforts from the very start. Haitian communities that have suffered widespread gang violence demand a clear separation between disengagement pathways for lower-level members and impunity for leaders responsible for mass atrocities. This means advancing security, DDR, and justice in lockstep: maintaining pressure on armed networks, creating differentiated support for vulnerable participants (especially children), and holding perpetrators of grave crimes accountable. In this context, he noted that progress toward launching specialized judicial units to investigate and prosecute serious gang-related violence is particularly important.
Finally, Massieu tied security and stabilization progress directly to Haiti’s ongoing political transition. The country’s electoral process, already underway, will only be able to proceed broadly and fairly if basic security conditions are established first. Reopening strategic transport routes, restoring state presence, and guaranteeing freedom of movement are not just security goals — they are essential requirements for reopening the space for democratic political life to resume. As Haitian institutions consider necessary adjustments to keep the electoral process on track, Massieu urged stakeholders to maintain momentum, preserve public confidence in the process, and prevent political uncertainty from becoming a new source of instability.
In closing, Massieu reiterated that progress on each priority — security, DDR, justice, and elections — depends on progress in the others. Without credible exit pathways from violence, security gains will remain fragile; without consistent accountability, DDR will be seen as a path to impunity for criminal leaders; without tangible political progress toward democratic governance, none of the gains will endure. This integrated, mutually reinforcing approach sits at the core of the UN and UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) mandate, which works alongside Haitian authorities and international partners to coordinate a cohesive response.
Achieving this goal, however, requires sustained, coordinated international support. The ECOSOC Ad Hoc Advisory Group, Massieu said, has a critical role to play in maintaining global attention on Haiti, mobilizing needed resources, and aligning international support behind Haitian-led priorities. The recently launched Multi-Partner Trust Fund provides a concrete, functional mechanism to bring together international partners and resources around shared national priorities, and Massieu called for full utilization of the fund to deliver coordinated, ongoing support to Haiti. “This is a window of opportunity that we cannot miss,” Massieu said. “It must be seized.”
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