UN chief reveals his plan for peace in Haiti to Caribbean leaders

• Months after the United States and other nations called for a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti, the head of the global agency said he’ll present a hybrid proposal to the U.N. Security Council. Secretary General Antonio Guterres revealed during a gathering of Caribbean leaders this week that the plan may not be a traditional U.N. peacekeeping mission.
• Guterres suggested some of the funding may come from a Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, currently backed but not run by the U.N.
• Guterres is pushing for the proposed mission to be part security and part peacekeeping.

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Months after the United States and other nations called for a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti, the head of the global agency says he’ll present a hybrid proposal to the U.N. Security Council.

Who did Guterres say this to?

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres revealed during a gathering of Caribbean leaders during the week of Feb. 16, that the plan may not be a traditional U.N. peacekeeping mission.

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Guterres suggested that some of the funding may come from a Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, currently backed but not run by the U.N.

The underfunded and outmanned MSS force has struggled to quell violence as gangs now reportedly control around 90% of the country’s capital of Port-Au-Prince.

What does Guterres want?

Guterres is pushing for his mission to be part security and part peace. He suggested that the U.N. would take care of the “structural and logistical” expenses while U.N. security forces would be paid through the trust fund already in existence for the MSS force.

Guterres promised that if the Security Council decides to move forward with his plan, gangs can finally be defeated and “the conditions for democracy to thrive” will prevail in Haiti.

It’s unclear if Guterres proposal would fill gaps already seen within the current MSS operations.

How have other countries responded?

After providing more than $600 million for the Kenya-led MSS operation, the Biden administration last year pushed for the mission to be transformed into a U.N. peacekeeping effort.

Despite the United States contributions, funding the current security mission has been difficult, as funding is voluntary. Proponents of a U.N. peacekeeping mission note that a peacekeeping mission would be guaranteed money.

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Suggestions of U.N. peacekeepers in Haiti, however, have met hard opposition from Moscow and Beijing, and it’s unclear if the Trump administration is open to the idea.

Guterres’ proposal will have to be submitted by Friday, Feb. 28.