DM Monitoring
UNITED NATIONS: A Chinese envoy called on the Haitian government to improve governance and engage in intra-Haitian dialogue for a political solution among its different domestic parties.
In the past several months, Haiti has been mired in a prolonged political impasse and continued constitutional crisis with a deteriorating security situation that put its people in danger, said Geng Shuang, China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.
The situation with women is a matter of particular concern. The economic reality is grim, and COVID-19 further aggravates the already difficult livelihood of the Haitians, he told the Security Council in a video speech.
To diffuse the crises and achieve stability and development, Hati ultimately has to rely on its own efforts, and the Haitian authorities bear the primary responsibility, he said.
The Chinese envoy suggested the Haitian authorities and various domestic factions put people’s interests first, set aside their differences, commit themselves to inclusive dialogue and extensive consultation in order to reach a political solution.
Next year, Haiti will hold a presidential election, he noted, calling for carrying out electoral preparations in compliance with Haiti’s constitution and law and on the basis of broad consensus from various parties to ensure the legitimacy and credibility of the election.
Haiti, the first country in Latin America to achieve independence, was once under foreign occupation and control for decades. Its national resources were plundered for far too long. Its people were plunged into misery and suffering. China sympathizes with the Haitian people about this unfortunate historical experience and has always called on the international community to scale up its assistance to Haiti, he said.
The mandate of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) expires on Oct. 15. As a special political mission, BINUH, established a year ago, has made some efforts in promoting dialogue between the Haitian government and the opposition. However, there has been little progress, he noted.
There is no external solution to the problems in Haiti. Unless all parties in Haiti truly demonstrate their political will, it would be impossible to break the deadlock, said Geng.
