Director-General/Executive Director
Distinguished Members of Parliament,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for inviting me to brief this session on the security and human rights situation in Haiti.
The Resident Coordinator Ms. Richardson has already given an overview of the dire situation in Haiti.
I will focus specifically on the landscape of gang violence and organized crime.
Over the past year, gang violence has plunged Haiti further into insecurity, resulting in over 5,600 recorded killings, as well as widespread sexual violence and curtailed access to basic goods and services.
Recent months since September have seen a sharp escalation in clashes between gangs and law enforcement, and in some cases between the gang alliances themselves, with tragic consequences.
In October, the Gran Grif gang massacred 115 people in Artibonite.
During a single week in mid-November, at least 150 people were killed in clashes and over 40,000 individuals fled their homes in Port-au-Prince
And in December, more than 200 people were executed in Wharf Jérémie.
Approximately 85 per cent of Port-au-Prince is now carved up between gangs. A group known as the Viv Ansanm coalition is seizing key areas outside of the capital as well, and they are fighting to control access points to two of the most affluent neighbourhoods in Haiti as we speak.
I want to briefly elaborate on three important factors underpinning the violence.
Firstly, the illicit trafficking of firearms is fueling the violence and enabling the gangs’ reign of terror.
Despite the arms embargo, weapons and ammunition continue to flow into Haiti through various trafficking routes, including military grade weapons such as the Barret M-82.
One of the main trafficking routes for large quantities of firearms has been via containers going directly from ports in Florida in the United States to the Ports of Port-au-Prince.
But in recent months, we have seen shifts in trafficking routes, with more seizures in Port Everglades rather than Miami at source, and in Cap-Haïtien rather than Port-au-Prince at destination.
And it appears that some of the illicit shipments are also routed through other countries in the Caribbean such as Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas. It is possible that interdiction efforts have caused traffickers to explore other routes.
Firearms and ammunition are also being diverted from public and private stockpiles in Haiti and in the region, making their way into the arsenals of Haiti’s gangs.
Secondly, illicit markets are undermining security and empowering organized crime in Haiti, particularly the drug trade.
Over the past decades, Haiti has become a node in the international grid of drug trafficking, particularly for cocaine coming from Latin America.
UNODC’s recent analysis shows that Haiti’s drug trade is run primarily by a network of individuals that has been active for decades and includes Haitian former military personnel, law enforcement officers, members of parliament, and businessmen.
Other illicit markets are also thriving in Haiti alongside the drug trade.
Wildlife trafficking is a notable example, especially because our recent analysis shows that lucrative eel trafficking may be used to launder drug profits.
And third, corruption and money-laundering continue to undermine prospects for stability in Haiti, while enabling trafficking and organized crime.
Haiti is taking important steps in the fight against corruption.
The recent creation of a new Interinstitutional Anti-Corruption Task Force was one such step. In November, the second corruption conviction in Haiti in 20 years was another positive step. But networks of collusion remain deeply entrenched, and corruption remains rampant.
Excellencies,
Instability and economic hardship continue to drive people to flee Haiti, often putting their lives at great risk.
As air and land travel comes under stricter control, migrant smugglers are sending Haitian nationals on dangerous journeys by sea to the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Turks and Caicos, with the aim of reaching the US and Canada.
The situation in Haiti is also hugely conducive to exploitation and human trafficking, particularly of children.
Gangs are taking advantage of desperation, hunger, and lack of education to recruit children to their ranks, even using social media to lure them.
In 2024, UNICEF estimated that children account for an alarming 30 to 50 per cent of gang members in Haiti.
Their plight violates their most basic rights as children, and it has serious implications for their futures and for the future of Haitian society.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The international community must step up efforts to protect the lives, rights, and dignity of Haitians, and to pave Haiti’s path towards establishing the rule of law.
Haiti’s police force of around 13,000 is already struggling against overwhelming odds, and the deployment of the Multinational Security Support Mission approved by the Security Council is facing significant challenges.
To stem illicit flows into the country, Haitian frontline authorities need stronger operational capacities against trafficking and more robust border control, bolstered by better information-sharing with regional partners.
And to lay the groundwork for a more resilient future, Haiti needs support to build stronger institutions, tackle entrenched networks of corruption, and disrupt money laundering and financial crimes.
UNODC is present on the ground in Haiti, despite the challenges, providing equipment and training to border units and the coast guard, and training and advising anti-corruption authorities. We have a strong partnership with the UN Integrated Office in Haiti.
Nevertheless, the scale of the crisis means that international support needs to be scaled up significantly.
In the current state of global uncertainty, the EU’s role as a leader on human rights and security is more critical than ever.
The horrors in Haiti mean that the world has a moral obligation to the Haitian people, and a practical obligation to stem instability in a volatile region where organized crime is gaining ground.
I hope that the European Parliament will remain seized of the crisis in Haiti, and possibly consider adopting a resolution on the issue.
The upcoming EU-CELAC Summit will also be an opportunity to showcase a strong political commitment to supporting Haiti.
And lastly, I urge members of this Parliament to draw the attention of the European Commission to the urgent need for additional resources to sustain and expand interventions in Haiti and in the region.
Thank you.
