ARTICLE - UN SECURITY COUNCIL MANDATE

UN SECURITY COUNCIL BEGINS PROCESS OF RENEWING MINUSTAH MANDATE
(Defend Haiti) - By Samuel Maxime

NEW YORK - The Security Council of the United Nations (UN) launched on Tuesday in New York, the process of renewal for a period of twelve months, the mandate of the Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

The UN is expected to renew the mandate of its peacekeepers in Haiti, a motion that is supported by President Michel Martelly.

The proposal to reduce the number of peacekeepers will be discussed as well. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed a desire to reduce the number of soldiers in Haiti to the pre-earthquake numbers of 9,500. A reduction is also being supported by South American countries who have recently become critical of the mission.

President Michel Martelly did not hide his dissatisfaction with reducing the number of peacekeepers in Haiti, recently saying in a visit to the UN in September, "I would not even think of reducing the number of peacekeepers in Haiti."

The peacekeeping presence has shown signs of overusing its welcome in the past year. The introduction of cholera, reports of abuse, rape and trafficking has stained the image of the mission.

Security Council Focuses on Reform

The UN Security Council on Wednesday debated the need to reform the security sector in African countries emerging from conflict to ensure stability, reduce poverty and promote sustainable development.

“In Liberia, for example, unresolved security sector governance and management issues in the mid-1990s contributed to the re-emergence of conflict and a dramatic 80 per cent downturn in its economy,” Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous told the 15-member body of the West African country that slipped back into bloody civil war after a 1995 peace deal.

In Haiti, President Michel Martelly has introduced a plan to create a national peacekeeping, defense and nation building guard of Haitian men and women.