Haiti is at a ‘pivotal moment’, the Prime Minister told the UN, and urged full support for security forces

Speaking to world leaders in New York, Fils-Aimé said criminal violence threatened communities across the country, but stressed that Haiti was not losing out or trying to let others determine its future.

“Haiti will fight back. Haiti stands tall,” he said, calling on the international community “not to rescue it, but to stand side by side with it while it determines its own fate.”

‘No time for half measures’

The Prime Minister said the scale of violence, including massacres, displacement and attacks on women and children, required decisive action.

He paid tribute to the victims as well as Haitian and international security personnel who died in the line of duty, and emphasized that the death toll should not be just a statistic.

Haiti, he said, was strengthening its own security forces, including through a program to train 4,000 police officers. More than 2,000 soldiers have been trained, while more than 1,500 new soldiers have completed training. The government also plans to train an additional 15,000 troops over the next three years.

“Our goal is not only to respond to the current crisis,” he said, but also to build Haiti’s capacity to ensure its security on an ongoing basis.

At the same time, Mr Fils-Aimé expressed concern that the international force intended to support the effort was still not fully operational or as planned with a strength of 5,500 personnel.

He called for renewing the mandate of the “gang suppression force” and its full deployment with the necessary personnel, equipment and resources.

“Mandates alone are not enough,” he warned. “There is a need for strength. Equipment is needed, and we need determination to complete this effort.”

Arms trafficking and impunity

The Prime Minister also urged stronger international action against the illegal arms and ammunition trade, and noted that the weapons fueling violence in Haiti come through transnational criminal networks.

As part of efforts to combat impunity, the Government has established two special justice centers to deal with financial and mass crimes and sexual violence, while reactivating the national commission for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration.

Elections and economic recovery

Fils-Aimé said the restoration of security must go hand in hand with economic recovery and the return of democratic governance through “free, credible, inclusive and honest elections”.

Registration centers are open, political parties and groups have been accredited, and prospective candidates are completing formalities, he said.

The Prime Minister also called for fundamental changes in Haiti’s economic relations with international partners.

“We need to shift from aid to investment, from aid to production, from dependency to partnership,” he said, arguing that investment and job creation, especially for young people and women, are critical for lasting peace.

Despite the enormity of the challenges faced, Fils-Aimé delivered a message of determination.

“The challenge is very big, but our will is much greater,” he said. “Our current generation needs to let this happen [the tree of liberty] bear the fruit of peace.”