The crisis in Haiti has reached catastrophic levels with allied criminal groups intensifying large-scale, coordinated attacks on the population and key state infrastructure. Criminal groups have rapidly expanded their attacks and areas of control, paralyzing much of the country, and forcing humanitarian aid groups to suspend their activities. Criminal groups’ actions mean many Haitians live with the constant fear of being killed, raped, kidnapped, or forcibly recruited even as they struggle every day to find adequate food, water, and health care to survive. The Haitian National Police is under-equipped, under-staffed, and many of its officers are implicated in serious human rights abuses or who have links to criminal groups. Furthermore, the transitional government has fallen short in taking meaningful steps to restore the rule of law, root out corruption, or plan for the organization of credible elections.
The deployment of the United Nations-authorized and largely United States-funded and Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in June offered hope to many that security would soon be restored. But governments have failed to provide the mission with enough resources to make it fully operational.
To prevent the situation from deteriorating even further and to give the Haitian people a genuine opportunity to rebuild their lives with hope and dignity, the UN Security Council should urgently authorize a full-fledged UN mission with a strong, human rights-based mandate to work with the Haitian National Police and transitional authorities to restore security, the rule of law, and democratic governance in Haiti. All UN member states should work to ensure the mission has the financial, personnel, equipment, and other resources needed to deploy rapidly as part of a comprehensive response to Haiti’s multi-dimensional crisis. This mission would build on the initial efforts made by the MSS, including the development of strong human rights protocols and guidelines, and allow for a more sustainable and coordinated international response. It would also be in line with what Haiti’s transitional government has called for, and what Human Rights Watch has heard from scores of Haitian victims of abuse, human rights activists, humanitarian and health workers, government officials and others desperate to see a more meaningful international response.
To help ensure the mission is successful and to prevent the failures and abuses associated with past international interventions in Haiti, the Security Council should support the following:
- Chapter VII Authorization: As with the MSS, the new consensual UN mission should be authorized under Chapter VII of the UN Charter and include both security and civilian components with a mandate to support the efforts of the transitional government and Haitian National Police to restore basic security and the rule of law, uphold human rights, and to organize credible, free and fair elections.
- Security Force Mandate: The security force should be primarily composed of police officers and mandated to patrol and secure access to the country’s main roads to ensure the transport of food and humanitarian aid and to allow residents to circulate freely. It should secure key locations such as ports, airports, police stations, hospitals and health clinics, schools, and courts of justice to allow services to be provided to the population. The force should protect members of the population against imminent threats of physical violence, within the force’s capabilities and areas of deployment. Additionally, it should provide technical, logistical and intelligence support to the Haitian authorities as they seek to investigate, arrest and appropriately prosecute abusive leaders of criminal groups and those backing these groups, as well as other individuals responsible for serious crimes. These efforts should follow rights-respecting procedures, including special considerations for children, and create conditions to allow members of these groups to safely surrender their weapons.
- Protecting Human Rights: The mission should incorporate dedicated human rights monitors and ensure regular public reporting on rights abuses, including by criminal groups, Haitian security forces, and members of the UN mission. Children’s rights, the prevention of sexual violence, and the protection of populations living in areas under the control of criminal groups should be central.
- Training and Vetting: Ensure that all deployed personnel undergo a vetting process consistent with UN standards to verify their suitability for peacekeeping operations, including the absence of any credible allegations of human rights violations or misconduct. Personnel should also receive specialized pre-deployment and in-mission training aligned with the UN Peacekeeping Operations Framework, emphasizing international human rights law, the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence, and the protection of children. The mission should enforce strict compliance with the UN Human Rights Due Diligence Policy (HRDDP) and refrain from engaging with or supporting any units, commanders or entities—including of the Haitian National Police—credibly implicated in grave human rights violations or collusion with criminal organizations. The mission should also support the implementation of a vetting program for the Haitian National Police, to remove abusive and corrupt officers from the force, as well as appropriate human rights training for Haitian police officers.
- Community Engagement and Accountability: Support the creation of an independent mechanism, with the involvement of Haitian civil society and community-based groups, to monitor and report on the international force’s conduct and performance. This mechanism should include a plan to publicize its existence to the Haitian public; accessible, confidential, and independent complaints procedures for the public; an independent investigation branch with a gender perspective; and procedures to share evidence with other countries’ judicial systems to better ensure accountability in the countries of origin of forces responsible for violations of international norms and UN codes of conduct.
- Disarmament, Demobilization, and Social and Economic Reintegration: The mission should work with the transitional government to implement specialized programs to encourage and support people associated with violent criminal groups who choose to leave the groups, with special attention paid to trauma-informed support for children associated with such groups.
- Providing Reparations for Past Harms and a Commitment Not to Repeat Them: A new mission should be viewed as an opportunity to address past failures, advance reparations for abuses committed during past international interventions, and ensure mechanisms are in place to promote accountability to rebuild public trust. The prioritization of transparency, accountability, and strict conduct standards should be central to the mandate of the new mission. Haitian human rights, civil society, and community-based groups, as well as victims of recent and more historical abuses, should be consulted regularly, and their recommendations should be given full consideration in the steps taken to address past failures as well as the work of the new mission.
- Economic and Social Assistance: Given Haiti’s dire socio-economic conditions, the mission should integrate components that support the health, education, and humanitarian sectors and work alongside the UN Humanitarian Resident Coordinator to better articulate and coordinate the entire humanitarian response. Ensuring these services are accessible could help rebuild trust and address some of the root causes of instability, including by providing jobs, education, and other opportunities for those in communities previously controlled by criminal groups.
- Judicial Reform: The mission should work with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and other UN agencies to reform Haiti’s inhumane and severely overcrowded prison system. With a view to long-term reform of the judicial system, the mission and UN agencies should provide training and technical support to a pool of specialized Haitian judicial investigators, prosecutors and judges focused on ensuring accountability for the most serious crimes committed by members of criminal groups and those supporting them.
- Strengthening Institutional Capacity and Democratic Governance: The mission should focus on strengthening Haiti’s democratic institutions, enabling a sustainable transition of security responsibilities to reduce dependence on international forces, and supporting efforts to organize free, fair and credible elections, taking steps to ensure these are not manipulated by criminal groups and corrupt political, economic or security actors.
- Curbing the Flow of Weapons and Ammunition into Haiti: The mission should work with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), other relevant agencies, Haitian authorities, and other concerned governments in particular the United States, to promptly enforce the UN arms embargo on Haiti by increasing inspections at seaports and airports. Reports of violations of the arms embargo, with a special focus on transfers of small arms, should be reported to the UN Security Council’s Haiti sanctions committee, panel of experts, and other relevant bodies.
For decades, Haitians have been let down by international interventions that were often insufficient or caused more harm than good. This is an opportunity for international actors, under the leadership of the United Nations, to significantly improve the situation. By demonstrating genuine commitment, mobilizing all necessary resources, and adopting the mechanisms needed to avoid past mistakes, protect human rights, and provide reparations to victims, they can support the Haitian people in restoring security, ensuring access to basic services, and addressing the root causes of instability. Haitians cannot wait—millions of lives depend on urgent and decisive international action.