Director-General/Executive Director
Madam President,
Distinguished members of the Council,
Excellencies,
I am honoured to address the Security Council for the first time as Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and to present UNODC’s eleventh report on the situation in Haiti, which covers the period between January to July 2026.
In preparation for this briefing, I travelled to Haiti last week. While I have visited Haiti in my previous capacity during the MSS deployment, my desire this time was to engage with the people and situation on the ground ahead of this session.
During my visit, I met with the Prime Minister, senior Government officials, including the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Minister of Finance and Economy, and Director General of the Haitian National Police. I also held a briefing with Ambassadors in Haiti and met with colleagues from the UN family, including the DSRSG and Resident Coordinator, and the Special Representative of the Gang Suppression Force and Head UNSOH – all of whom are committed to restoring peace and security.
I also travelled to and engaged with critical actors in the Dominican Republic, including Minister Roberto Alvarez, who shared perspectives on the bilateral and regional dimension of the situation.
What I witnessed on the ground gave a human face to the report being presented to you today.
I saw and heard about the daily cost that organized crime imposes on ordinary people – displacement of populations, roads and schools lying empty, businesses forced to close early, and state institutions struggling to deliver safety and essential services.
Yet I also heard of and witnessed the extraordinary resilience of the Haitian people.
Communities refusing to surrender to fear or violence.
Public servants working to keep institutions functioning against extraordinary odds.
And police officers reporting for duty with limited resources and at enormous personal risk against well-armed and resourced gangs.
That determination deserves more than our recognition; it calls for support and sustained action.
Excellencies,
The report before the Council today documents an important shift.
Haiti’s armed gangs are no longer simply seeking to capture territory.
They are seeking to capture the systems of governance and the economic lifelines on which communities and institutions depend.
They are competing for control over transport corridors, fuel supplies, food distribution networks, and illicit markets.
Every checkpoint they control symbolizes their authority.
Their criminal portfolios have in turn diversified, drawing from multiple illicit revenue streams and creating a criminal ecosystem that is more adaptable, more resilient and sophisticated to dismantle.
Organized crime is reshaping – and in some cases replacing – the authority of the State, essentially holding government and populations hostage.
Meanwhile, gangs continue expanding their influence beyond the capital into Artibonite, the Centre Department and southern transport routes.
Communities previously less affected now face violence and kidnappings, with young people coerced into crime by merciless gangs.
And in the absence of official public security, some gangs now present themselves as so-called “community protectors”, further blurring the line between criminal violence, vigilante justice and legitimate authority, thus eroding public trust.
That is why Haiti’s crisis should not be understood as a security crisis alone.
It is increasingly a governance crisis driven by organized crime, with consequences for the upcoming elections, the humanitarian response, and long-term prosperity and development.
Nor is this crisis confined to Haiti’s borders.
Illicit firearms, including military-grade weapons, continue to flow into Haiti from abroad.
Cocaine and other drug trafficking networks increasingly use Haiti as a storage and logistics hub for onward transport along Caribbean routes.
Migrant smuggling routes connect Haiti with the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the United States of America, and South America.
These are interconnected criminal markets that require a coordinated regional response.
Distinguished Members of the Council,
Despite the challenging security situation, there are opportunities.
The Gang Suppression Force has begun deployment. Both the Special Representative, Mr. Christofides, who is with us today, and the Force Commander are working towards achieving the mandate of the GSF.
It is however clear that effective security operations must be reinforced by functioning criminal justice systems that restore and uphold the rule of law.
Gang members must be arrested, prosecuted, and detained; criminal networks dismantled; and police systems adequately resourced. Young children forced into violence need to be separated from the gangs, and weapons removed from the society.
Without this, security gains will be but temporary.
UNODC stands ready to support this effort by providing technical assistance to strengthen the interface between the GSF and the Haitian authorities, ensuring that anti-gang operations translate into lasting just outcomes and sustainable security.
Work is also ongoing in strengthening institutions.
Together with the UN Human Rights Office, UNODC helped establish the specialized judicial poles to investigate complex financial crimes, corruption, money laundering, arms trafficking and other serious offences such as sexual violence.
This is an important investment in the rule of law and will require sustained resources and support to ensure cases can start progressing.
Haiti also completed its first National Risk Assessment on money laundering and terrorist financing, providing a foundation for stronger financial investigations and efforts to disrupt illicit financial flows.
While these developments will not transform the situation overnight, they are essential building blocks for long-term peace, security and the rule of law.
Excellencies,
To help Haiti and put it on the path to peace, we must respond to the urgent needs on the ground, while building institutions capable of sustaining long-term stability and the rule of law.
The first, most immediate priority, must be to help authorities restore security and regain control of territory and key supply routes so that people, commerce and humanitarian aid can move safely.
Second, we must dismantle the criminal economies fuelling the violence.
Every gang disbanded today will be replaced tomorrow if the illicit markets sustaining them remain intact.
That means strengthening financial investigations, cutting off illicit revenue streams, and confronting corruption.
Third, we must strengthen border and customs controls as well as regional efforts to stem the flow of guns, drugs, and equipment coming into Haiti; and to prevent further spill-over into neighbouring countries.
Strengthening border management, especially in Southern Haiti and in the maritime domain, is critical to disrupting trafficking networks and reinforcing collective regional security.
In this regard, UNODC is developing an Integrated Regional Programme for the Caribbean, with Haiti at the centre, to facilitate operational cooperation, intelligence sharing, joint maritime patrols, and capacity building for security forces.
And fourth, to build lasting, sustainable peace, we must rebuild trust between citizens and the State.
A central component of this consists of investment in credible, functioning criminal justice systems, providing economic opportunities, and restoring confidence that public authorities – not criminal groups – can provide security and essential services.
UNODC is uniquely positioned to support these efforts, in view of our mandate and professional outlay.
We work across the entire criminal justice chain, linking security with governance and the rule of law.
We are committed to continue working alongside the national authorities, the United Nations system and regional partners in this regard.
I would also like to recognize the strong partnership between UNODC and the UN family in Haiti. Our teams are well fused and delivering better impact on the ground.
Ladies and gentlemen,
My visit to Haiti left me with a lasting impression.
The people I met were not asking for miracles.
They were asking for what many of us take for granted: the freedom to travel without fear, to earn a living, to send children to school, and to believe that the rule of law – rather than the rule of violence – will shape their lives.
It is our collective responsibility to help build that future for the people of Haiti and the wider region.
The Haitian people have not given up on this ambition; we must not give up on it either.
I thank you for your attention.
