Haiti
Haiti
Current and Past Recommendations to the UN Security Council (Monthly Action Points)
As the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH) continues to draw down, and in advance of parliamentary elections in late 2019, the Council should inquire about progress achieving the WPS benchmarks laid out by the Secretary-General (S/2018/795). In its consideration of the forthcoming report on MINUJUSTH and in any briefings, senior UN officials should include information on efforts to ensure women’s full and meaningful participation in all aspects of the parliamentary elections, including as candidates, voters, and as part of formal electoral mechanisms. The Council should inquire about progress on addressing under-reporting of SGBV, strengthening rule of law institutions and addressing human rights abuses. Abuses to specifically consider include due process for women in overcrowded prisons, prolonged pretrial detention, and the April 2017 criminal code reform that addresses some gaps in protection for victims of SGBV. The Council should also call on MINUJUSTH to build the capacity of local organizations and urge the Government to ensure gender-sensitive services for survivors of SGBV and sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) by UN peacekeepers, and to establish transparent, survivor-centered, readily accessible mechanisms to hear claims for remedies. The Council should express concern regarding the UN Victims’ Rights Advocate’s (VRA) non-responsive, non-cooperative and opaque approach to facilitating child support claims filed by Haitian mothers impregnated by UN peacekeepers. The VRA’s office should obey the 2004 Status of Forces Agreement, Haitian legislation and court orders, as well as UN policies (A/RES/62/214) on facilitation of child support claims arising out of SEA and the provision of material assistance to victims and their children. The Council should express concern regarding the progress of the UN’s New Approach to Cholera (A/71/620), as addressed by the Secretary-General in recent reports (S/2018/795, S/2018/1059), particularly with respect to Track 2’s promise of material assistance to those most directly affected by the disease. The Council should inquire into what attempts have been made to ensure responses are gender-sensitive and urge MINUJUSTH to work with the Government to fulfill its obligations to provide access to legal remedies and the right to fair hearings for victims of corruption and human rights abuses by state agents.