A new representative has taken the helm of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH).
On July 2, 2025, UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointment of Mexican diplomat Carlos G. Ruiz Massieu as the new Special Representative in Haiti and Head of BINUH. He replaces Ecuadorian diplomat Maria Isabel Salvador, whose mandate ended in June amid a worsening security crisis.
A seasoned diplomat, Ruiz Massieu brings over 30 years of experience in diplomacy, mediation, and conflict resolution. Prior to his appointment in Haiti, he had led the UN Verification Mission in Colombia since 2019, playing a key role in implementing the peace agreement with former FARC guerrillas.
His career within the UN system also includes serving as Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) of the UN General Assembly from 2013 to 2018, in addition to holding various strategic diplomatic positions within the Mexican government and its permanent mission to the UN.
His appointment comes as BINUH remains central to international efforts to support Haiti, a country facing unprecedented challenges on the security, humanitarian, and institutional fronts.
Maria Isabel Salvador’s tenure, which ended on June 30, 2025, took place in a rapidly deteriorating security environment. According to the latest UN data, more than 5,600 people were killed in Haiti in 2024, most of them victims of armed groups operating with impunity.
Since late last year, violence has surged, with over 2,600 homicides recorded in just three months. This is compounded by a major humanitarian crisis, with 1.3 million people internally displaced — particularly in communes such as Mirebalais, Saut-d’Eau, Petite-Rivière de l’Artibonite, and other areas now inaccessible to the public administration.
In the face of this security vacuum and the collapse of state presence across much of the country, the arrival of Carlos G. Ruiz Massieu is seen as a renewed attempt to reinvigorate UN support for the Haitian people and transitional institutions.
The new head of BINUH faces a particularly delicate mission. He will need to strengthen international coordination around Haiti’s crisis, support political transition efforts, and promote sustainable solutions to gang violence and the humanitarian emergency.
The international community — especially the UN Security Council — is closely watching this new chapter, as the deployment of a long-awaited multinational security support mission remains uncertain.
Carlos G. Ruiz Massieu will now be tasked with balancing diplomacy, firmness, and dialogue in hopes of helping stabilize a country mired in chronic instability for years.
