PORT AU Prince, Haiti (CMC) — United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres ended a one-day visit to Haiti on Tuesday expressing confidence that the country’s political transition is making progress and urging the international community to do more to support the Haitian people.

“A dynamic is there. And my call to the international community is therefore simple. Finally, assume your responsibilities,” Guterres said.

Speaking at a news conference after meeting Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, Guterres said the greatest challenge facing Haiti is not only gang violence but also the world’s indifference.

“The biggest wave is indifference, that of a world that has looked elsewhere for too long. Because there is a direct link between the absence of the international community and the absence of security for the Haitian people.

“But the situation can be reversed. Some neighbourhoods in the city centre of Port-au-Prince have been recaptured. The Council of Ministers is meeting again at the National Palace after more than three years. And it is not just a symbol, it is the sign of the progressive return of the state,” Guterres told reporters.

The UN chief, who last visited Haiti in July 2023, also met with men, women and children whose lives have been deeply affected by the violence.

His visit came a day after United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk reported that at least 2,300 people have been killed in Haiti as a result of gang violence since the beginning of the year.

Addressing the opening of the 62nd session of the UN Human Rights Council, Türk said nearly 100 people had also been kidnapped during the same period.

“In Haiti, gang violence has resulted in at least 2,300 deaths, 1,100 injuries and 99 kidnappings since the start of the year. The Gang Suppression Force (GSF) is urgently needed and needs to operate in line with international human rights law,” Turk said.

Late last year, the UN Security Council approved the deployment of the GSF, a multinational police and military force established to combat escalating gang violence in Haiti. With a mandated strength of up to 5,500 personnel, the force replaces the under-resourced Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission.

Guterres said he met with members of the force during his visit and described its deployment as “a real chance to reverse violence and restore the authority of the state”.

“We have no right to waste this chance. This force is not an operation of the United Nations, but it benefits from our full logistical and operational support through our support office in Haiti.”

He also thanked the governments of Haiti and the Dominican Republic for their cooperation in making the operation possible and paid tribute to Haitian security personnel.

“I also want to salute the police, the Haitian police and soldiers who hold the line, day after day, often at the risk of their lives.

“These forces must receive the training, equipment and coordination necessary for their mission in the strict respect of human rights. Because human rights and the fight against impunity are not an obstacle to security, they are the condition and the foundation of the confidence of the population.”

He said that for these achievements to last, it will be necessary to disarm, dismantle and reintegrate the gang members under Haitian leadership.

“A working justice will be needed, and it will be necessary to stop the illicit arms flow that feeds this violence, because these weapons are not made in Haiti. But security alone will not be enough. It must go hand in hand with political progress.”

Guterres said that he held “frank exchanges” with Prime Minister Fils-Aimé, as well as with representatives of the various sectors of Haitian society.

“My message was clear. The Haitian people have learned too much. The opportunity that exists today may not be represented. I count on Haitian leaders to seize it. We must accelerate the political process and restore confidence.

“It is up to Haitians and Haitians alone, that it is up to them to lead the way. And the process must produce results,” Guterres said, adding that stages of inclusive transition and credible elections are the legitimate way to restore the constitutional order and democratic institutions.

The last time Haitians voted someone into power was in 2016.  Since then, armed gangs have seized control of almost the entire capital, Port-au-Prince, as well as large swathes of rural areas of Haiti.

Guterres told reporters that the United States remains fully engaged and that there is a parallel effort between restoring security and creating conditions for truly transparent elections.

“Under the leadership of my special representative, Mr Carlos Ruiz Macio, and through the BINU, we will continue to facilitate dialogue and support Haitian solutions. The transition is moving forward. A dynamic is there. And my call to the international community is therefore simple. Finally, assume your responsibilities.

“First, strengthen security support with a rapid and complete deployment of force by adapting resources to the progress made on the ground. Secondly, support the political transition and the revival of the country, the school, health, [and] employment, to offer young Haitians an alternative to gangs and a future of dignity.

“Thirdly, finance humanitarian aid in a predictable way and to the extent necessary and above all, listen to the Haitian people.”

Guterres said he was leaving Haiti with a message of hope and that “for the first time in years, we see the end of the tunnel, because Haiti does not end its trials”.

“It is an immense and creative youth, an engaged diaspora, a culture that shines far beyond its borders. Haiti has everything to rise again.”

Recalling Haiti’s historic struggle for independence more than two centuries ago, he expressed confidence that the country would once again overcome immense challenges.

“This people will know, I am convinced, to free itself from the grip of gangs and regain its security, its institutions, its future. Our role is not to act in your place.  Our role is to be on your side. And we will be there until the end,” Guterres added.

“So my appeal to the world is simple. Step up. Fund humanitarian response and progressive recovery. Support Haitian institutions and the gang suppression force. The transition is moving. Everyone, the international community and Haiti leaders alike, must do their part to turn this momentum into concrete results. And together, stand with the Haitian people for peace, for security and for dignity,” Guterres said.