Editors’ note: This is the latest in Just Security’s weekly series keeping readers up to date on developments at the United Nations at the intersection of national security, human rights, and the rule of law.
Worsening Violence in Haiti
Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry agreed on Tuesday to resign amid the country’s increasing violence. His resignation will take place once a transitional government has been formed. On Monday, U.N. International Organization for Migration’s Haiti chief Philippe Branchat said that Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince “is a city under siege,” with a recent increase in gang violence having displaced more than 362,000 people. The World Food Programme’s Haiti director, Jean-Martin Bauer, warned in a briefing that famine was impending and called Haiti “one of the world’s most severe food crises.”
On Wednesday, the U.N. Integrated Office in Haiti announced that the U.N. would establish an airbridge between Haiti and the Dominican Republic to address “the growing logistical challenge to travel in and out of Haiti.” Non-essential U.N. personnel are set to leave Haiti due to the volatile security situation.
On Monday, the U.N. Security Council reiterated its “condemnation of the increasing violence, criminal activities, mass displacement of civilians, and human rights abuses that undermine the peace, stability, and security of Haiti and the region.” The Security Council further emphasized the need for the international community to provide humanitarian assistance and support the Haitian National Police. The Council was briefed by Kenya “on the ongoing planning efforts on the deployment of the Multinational Security Support mission to Haiti.” While Kenya had agreed to send police officers to Haiti to address the violence, that agreement had been established with Henry. With the Prime Minister having agreed to step down once a transitional government is established, the plan to send Kenyan police officers is now on hold.
Note: Readers may be interested in our Haiti coverage.
UNSC Calls for Cessation of Hostilities in Sudan
Last Friday, the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 2724, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Sudan for the month of Ramadan. The resolution further “expressed grave concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation.” Russia abstained from the vote. The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has resulted in the loss of thousands of lives since it began in April 2023.
Note: Readers may be interested in our Sudan coverage.
Release of the Human Development Index Report
On Wednesday, the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) launched the 2023-2024 Human Development Report. Human Development Reports are issued most years and analyze human development through a variety of lenses. This year’s report focused on cooperation in a polarized world.
The 2023-2024 report indicates that, while wealthy countries have experienced “record-high levels of human development,” half of the “poorest countries remain below their pre-crisis level of progress.” Despite this trend for the poorest countries, the Human Development Index is at a record high after steep declines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner emphasized “that the two-decade trend of steadily reducing inequalities between wealthy and poor nations is now in reverse.” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said the report demonstrates “our best hope for the future” and noted it “calls for the urgent expansion of our systems of international cooperation.”