MANHATTAN, New York – WITH the United Nations’ 81st General Assembly General Debate wrapping up earlier this week, Grenada joined CARICOM countries calling for the timely renewal and full deployment of the Gang Suppression Force in Haiti.
The call comes amid escalating violence in Haiti, with armed gangs expanding their control into areas that were once considered safe. The violence has displaced thousands of people and has had a particularly devastating impact on women and girls, including through reported cases of sexual violence.
During Monday’s (Sept. 28) final day of the General Debate, Grenada’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ingrid Jackson, called for transformation, emphasizing that resilience alone is no longer enough.
She said the international community’s task cannot simply be to survive one crisis after another, but rather to address the conditions that leave people vulnerable.
“We must renew our global system, strengthen our multilateral partnerships, and summon the collective will necessary to build a world worthy of the next generation.,"she explained. "And that transformation must begin with people,” she explained.
Jackson called for the timely renewal of the mandate of the Gang Suppression Force and its “full and rapid deployment in close partnership with the Haitian National Police and the provision of the personnel, financing equipment and logistical support necessary for it to fulfill its mandate effectively with appropriate human rights safeguards”.
Describing Haiti as a “failed state”, the Grenada Permanent Representative said these security efforts are “essential to creating the conditions for credible, free, fair and inclusive Haitian led elections”.
Since the escalation of violence, CARICOM and other international stakeholders have been pushing for the restoration of security and the holding of free and fair elections in Haiti.
Jackson also emphasized the importance of strengthening national institutions and restoring constitutional governance.
To this end, she said Haiti represents a promise “yet to be fulfilled”.
“It is a promise to the Haitian people that the international community must honour, not with pity, but with purpose, not temporarily but sustainably,” she stated. “And even as we respond to the security crisis, humanitarian assistance must remain at the centre of our efforts.”
The day after her presentation, on Tuesday (Sept. 29), the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2829 (2026), renewing the mandate of the Gang Suppression Force and extending the mandate of the UN Support Office in Haiti (UNSOH).
During a press briefing on Wednesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ Spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, said the Secretary-General welcomed the decision and called on Member States to build on the momentum by working without respite to ensure the timely deployment of the remaining personnel.
He said this would allow the Force to fully undertake its mandate in support of security efforts in Haiti.
“The Secretary-General takes this opportunity to recall that security support is imperative to creating the space for progress, including towards the restoration of democratic institutions through the holding of peaceful and inclusive elections, and must also be accompanied by sustained efforts to address the broader challenges facing Haiti, including the political, institutional, human rights, humanitarian and development dimensions of the crisis,” Dujarric said.
Dujarric also warned that communities across Haiti remain at risk during the Atlantic hurricane season, which continues through the end of November.
He revealed that nearly 1.5 million people are displaced across the country, with the majority living outside Port-au-Prince.
Many, he said, are “staying in overcrowded collective shelters, with host families or in informal sites; all of this leave them exposed to flooding, landslides and severe weather”.
Dujarric said humanitarian partners are working with national and local authorities on early warning systems, contingency planning and the pre-positioning of essential supplies ahead of potential storms.
However, he said insecurity and funding shortfalls continue to hamper those efforts.
“This year’s humanitarian appeal for Haiti seeks $880 million to support about four million people and is less than half funded. We ask for more money and more flexible money to help fund these operations,” he said.
During a briefing on Tuesday (Sept. 29), Dujarric also addressed the recent violence in Haiti’s Artibonite department.
He said the Secretary-General condemned a reported gang attack on Monday in Gros-Morne, one of the communes in the department, which reportedly left at least 11 people dead.
“This horrific attack is another reminder of the heavy toll that gang violence continues to take on Haitians living in areas under the control or just under the influence of armed gangs. It also underscores the urgency of strengthening security efforts in Haiti, including through the full deployment of the Gang Suppression Force, which is there in Haiti in support of the Haitian National Police, as well as we need to improve the broader efforts to address the drivers of violence and instability that we have seen in Haiti.
According Dujarric, the Human Rights Office reported that more than 3,000 were killed in Haiti between January and June of this year.
