UNITED NATIONS, April 3 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations is preparing for a transition of its mission in Haiti to a non-peacekeeping presence given the return of stability in the Caribbean country, said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the UN undersecretary-general for peacekeeping operations, on Tuesday.
"A broadly consulted and owned, benchmark-based exit remains the right approach to preserving the stabilization and peacebuilding gains achieved over a decade in Haiti," Lacroix told the Security Council. "We are determined to ensure ... that Minujusth be the last peacekeeping operation deployed in Haiti."
Minujusth (the UN Mission for Justice Support in Haiti) is already a smaller police mission than its predecessor, the UN Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (Minustah), which was composed of military personnel. Minujusth replaced Minustah on Oct. 16, 2017.
Briefing the Security Council, Lacroix said the new mission is fully operational and is actively implementing its mandate of assisting the Haitian government to strengthen rule of law institutions, further developing the national police and advancing human rights.
Lacroix cautioned that alongside opportunities, there remain challenges and risks, especially in the context of a transition of the UN peacekeeping mission.
Haiti has come a long way to achieve the relative political and security stability it is now enjoying. But persistent economic uncertainties, which can result in social exclusion, particularly of youth and the most vulnerable, may undermine this progress, he warned.
The work of the Legislature has recently slowed down, characterized by disagreements over procedural issues. The anticipated holding of elections in the last quarter of 2019 to possibly renew the Legislature could lead to a more polarized political landscape, creating an environment less conducive to addressing systemic challenges to the rule of law, he warned.
The Security Council is due to renew the mandate of Minujusth, which expires on April 15, 2018.
