- Haitians want to be able to live, not just survive,” according to the UN’s most senior humanitarian official in the Caribbean Island nation.
USA / HAITI – Haiti continues to endure a multifaceted and deep-rooted crisis. Around 1.6 million people in the country are not getting enough to eat while the capital, Port-au-Prince, is in the grip of armed gang violence that has claimed thousands of lives since January this year and displaced more than 700,000 people.
To combat this violence, the UN Security Council authorised a non-UN multinational security support mission. The first troops were deployed earlier this year under the leadership of Kenya.
UN News’s Cristina Silveiro interviewed the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for the country, Ulrika Richardson, during her last visit at the UN headquarters in New York.
The text below has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Ulrika Richardson: The situation in Haiti is very critical, especially in the capital. You could even say that there are two realities in the country.
Gangs continue to exert their influence and control over many districts of the capital. This means that for the population, life is almost impossible, with the risk of being killed by stray bullets, but also of being attacked and raped.
Many neighbourhoods are completely under the control of gangs who impose brutal violence. And they don’t stop themselves from gang-raping women and children. They recruit children into their ranks, and that is extremely worrying.
There are many displaced people; it is estimated that there are over 700,000 internally displaced people in the country.
On the other hand, the reality is a little different in the rest of the country where life goes on, even though there are many displaced people fleeing to the south and even to the north.
UN News: Faced with this situation, what are the Haitians demanding?
Ulrika Richardson: Haitian people want what you and I want: they want to be able to live, not just survive.
Young people say that they have dreams and that they want the opportunity to fulfil them, just like everyone else in the world.
Parents want their children to go to school. It’s a sign of hope for them. The planned reopening of classes in October took place in very difficult conditions, and not all the children were able to return to school.
So, this means that Haitians want to live in dignity. They want to be able to leave their homes without risking their lives. They want to be able to live, have a job and go to work.
UN News: Faced with this situation of violence, the Security Council has mandated a multinational security support mission to strengthen the Haitian national police. Part of this mission was deployed this year. Is its presence having a palpable impact?
Ulrika Richardson: What we can see is that the violence is still there.
That means we really need much stronger support. It means that further investment is needed in this non-UN multinational mission. We are calling on all Member States to contribute to the mission to ensure that it has the resources it needs to support the Haitian National Police on the ground, who are already doing an excellent job in very difficult conditions.
UN News: You mentioned the fact that gangs recruit young people. This complicates the response to gangs. How can we ensure that there are no more violations and violence against these young people when we provide a response?
Ulrika Richardson: We need a response that is very much tailored to young people, but also to children. So, we obviously need a differentiated response and also an integrated approach.
We are currently working with UNICEF, several agencies in the UN country team in Haiti, BINUH and other partners to identify the best mechanisms for taking care of children and young people, including those who have been recruited into gangs, so that they can have the opportunity to have a better future. This may involve formal or non-formal schooling, but that remains to be defined.
We want to give them the chance to dream of a better tomorrow, by carrying out noble activities with dignity.
UN News: How does this very violent context affect your humanitarian work? Are you able to provide support to the population? Have you had to find creative responses?
Ulrika Richardson: For us, for me and for many of us who work in Haiti, an enormously endearing country, it’s very frustrating to see the situation as it is now.
The country has potential. It’s a country with a noble history. It was one of the most avant-garde countries in terms of human rights and freedom, principles that are very close to what our values are today. So, it’s frustrating to see all this violence.
But even in a context like this, we manage to reach the population in the capital and in the rest of the country, which requires a different approach. Yes, we are working with the population, including the most vulnerable. We’re working with humanitarian actors who are really trying, and succeeding, to reach the population.
I think we’ve succeeded not only because our colleagues are highly motivated, but also because of our strong Haitian partners. And that’s what keeps us motivated.
UN News: So, it’s one Haitian process at a time… You mentioned ending the violence as a priority. What are your current and immediate priorities?
Ulrika Richardson: The situation is truly multifaceted, multidimensional and multisectoral.
Everything is interlinked, although security remains paramount in this context of extreme violence. And that is why we are calling for a stronger commitment to the multinational security support mission. This is also the call of the Haitian people, the call of the Transitional Presidential Council and the call of the government.
At the same time, we need to work in parallel in many areas. This means that while addressing the issue of security, we must also work on other issues such as prevention, the fight against corruption and impunity, and everything to do with the implementation and establishment of the rule of law.
UN News: Social cohesion too? Society has to be able to reconcile itself somewhere…
Ulrika Richardson: I think it’s time to return to normality, although I don’t really like using the word ‘normal’. But everything that is school, health, social protection, work, housing, street sanitation, a healthy environment and justice does not exist today for many Haitians.
We’re very frustrated to see that it’s taking so long to materialise. And that’s where the motivation comes from, but also the commitment to call on all the Member States to provide the sustained assistance that Haiti needs.
I would like to see that all of us at the United Nations continue to build on this commitment.
UN News: You mentioned motivation. You often have to meet people and talk to them. What struck you most about these exchanges?
Ulrika Richardson: I met a young man of 18 or 19 years old in a neighbourhood that is very gang-ridden. And I chatted to him and his friends. I asked him what to do. He looked at me and said: ‘But look around you.
What do you see?
I saw mountains, rubbish, destroyed houses, impassable streets, people visibly marked by hardship, violence and poverty. Then he told me that he wanted the state to return; he wanted order; he wanted to have a somewhat normal life once again.
He told me: what’s missing is the presence of the state, which the gangs are doing everything to prevent.
UN News: What gives you the courage to go ahead and carry out your mission? Ulrika Richardson: I think it’s the fact of feeling committed to a cause.
Ulrika Richardson: For me, the cause, the values of the UN is to, even if it’s limited, to be able to help Haiti regain its place in the concert of nations. This country was an inspiration for freedom, sovereignty and everything to do with human rights. So, for me, it’s motivating and inspiring.
