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U.S. Representative to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield is visiting Haiti this Monday.
During her visit, the U.S. diplomat will make important announcements related to the arrival of new contingents of the multinational force, the U.S. contribution to the organization of elections in Haiti, and U.S. efforts to respond to security and humanitarian emergencies, among others, according to State Department officials.
This will be an opportunity for Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield to meet with the Haitian Prime Minister and representatives of the Presidential Transition College, according to U.S. State Department officials in a telephone call with press representatives.
The visit has three main objectives:
1. To demonstrate U.S. commitment and support for the multinational security support mission, BINUH, and for the continued operations of the United Nations country team. The ambassador’s visit underscores the United States’ commitment to improving the security situation in Haiti. The mission aims to strengthen the Haitian National Police (HNP) and ensure the success of security operations throughout the country.
2. To encourage Haiti’s interim government and transitional presidential council to continue to make progress towards democratic transitions, including the organization of free and fair elections. The United States underscores the importance of Haiti’s progress toward a stable, democratic society through legitimate and transparent electoral processes, according to State Department officials.
3. To promote actions that alleviate the humanitarian crisis, addressing human rights violations and food insecurity exacerbated by gang violence. The Ambassador will focus on the urgent need to alleviate the suffering of the Haitian people by supporting initiatives that improve their living conditions and protect their rights.
Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield is also expected to inform the Haitian government of the timetable for the imminent arrival of new contingents of police officers from the multinational force. According to State Department officials, who did not want to give too many details for security reasons, these police officers will come from Caribbean countries.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield is the first high-ranking American official to visit Haiti since the start of the Biden administration. This visit will mark an important moment in relations between the United States and Haiti, and demonstrates the administration’s willingness to tackle the urgent problems facing the country. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield’s trip is part of her focus on the security and humanitarian crisis in Haiti, an effort that has been at the heart of her role at the U.S. Mission to the UN, the State Department said.
Previous commitments
Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield’s commitment to Haiti includes her recent participation in the CARICOM Heads of Government Summit in Guyana, where she headed the U.S. delegation. At CARICOM, she advanced the political processes in Haiti and rallied support for the urgent deployment of the MSS mission, several State Department officials recalled, noting that the U.S. has already provided some $300 million to support the MSS mission and the Haitian police’s efforts to improve security conditions in the country.
During her stay in Haiti, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield will visit several U.S.-funded projects.
In addition to members of the transitional government, Linda Thomas-Greenfield will also meet UN representatives working on the ground in various agencies, as well as representatives of civil society, particularly those working in the field of human rights defense, US State Department officials told journalists in a telephone interview, including Emmanuel Paul of CaribbeanTelevisionNetwork.
The United States was the main driving force behind the United Nations resolution that led to the deployment of the multinational security mission in Haiti. They were supported by Ecuador, which had co-sponsored resolution 2699.
Over 400 Kenyan police officers have already been deployed to Haiti as part of the MSS, which is expected to number 2,500.
Despite the presence of over 400 Kenyan police officers in Haiti, the armed bandits remain unperturbed. They continue to wreak havoc on the Haitian population.
The American ambassador’s visit comes at a time when the situation could not be more worrying. More than three months after the installation of the transitional presidential college, the government is still struggling to send out clear signals as to its willingness and ability to address the population’s major problems.
It is also in this context that the transitional government is preparing to announce this week the names of the personalities who will make up the next provisional electoral council with a view to holding general elections in Haiti at the end of next year.
The visit of the high-ranking American diplomat will also be an opportunity to urge the transitional government to take the necessary steps to organize the elections within the timeframe set out in the agreement between the main parties represented on the transitional presidential college.