Security Council extends peacekeeping mandate in Haiti

MINUSTAH will continue to address ‘development priorities, electoral reform, and lasting stability’
By Alexander Hull
 

NEW YORK- October 14, 2011- The UN Security Council voted unanimously today to extend the mandate of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) until October 15th, 2012 “with the intention of further renewal,” according to the text of the resolution.

The mandate’s troop level will drop from an August 31st, 2011 total of 8,718 to 7,340, while police presence will also drop, from 3,524 to 3,241.

“Future adjustments to its force configuration should be based on the overall security situation on the ground, taking into account the impact of social and political realities on Haiti’s stability and security, the increasing development of Haitian state capabilities, including the ongoing strengthening of the Haitian National Police,” the statement reads, in part.

MINUSTAH was originally authorized in February of 2004, after former President Bertrand Aristide departed for exile in the aftermath of a violent armed conflict, which spread to many cities across the impoverished country.

Following the catastrophic earthquake of January 2010, the Security Council voted to increase MINUSTAH's presence by adding troops, police, and humanitarian workers “to support the immediate recovery, reconstruction and stability efforts in the country,” according to MINUSTAH’s website.

The resolution also hailed the first peaceful transfer of power between one democratically elected president and another from the opposition, as well as the appointment of a Prime Minister and a Supreme Court President.

Haiti continues to face significant challenges, with more than 600,000 internally displaced persons still dependent on assistance for survival, a cholera epidemic that broke out in October 2010, and extreme vulnerability to natural disasters.

The resolution looks forward to “effective dialogue” in key areas such as Haiti’s “security, budget, recovery, development priorities, and electoral reform, including the participation of women in the electoral process and constitutional reform.”