In an address on Wednesday to Caribbean leaders meeting in Barbados, UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced a potential plan to support an “effective force” in Haiti as armed gangs continue to terrorize the population. Mr. Guterres was speaking during the opening of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government Meeting in the capital Bridgetown, where he called for unity to achieve progress in peace and security, climate and sustainable development. “A unified Caribbean is an unstoppable force,” he said. “I urge you to keep using that power to push the world to deliver on its promises.”
The Secretary-General noted that the region’s “exquisite beauty is famed the world over, but there is trouble in paradise.” He told leaders that “wave after wave of crisis is pounding your people and your islands – with no time to catch your breath before the next disaster strikes.” Caribbean countries are experiencing uncertainty fuelled by geopolitical tensions, along with the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, soaring debt and interest rates, and a surge in the cost of living.
These are all happening “amidst a deadly swell of climate disasters – ripping development gains to shreds, and blowing holes through your national budgets,” and as countries “remain locked-out of many international institutions – one of the many legacies of colonialism today.” The UN chief insisted that “the cure for these ills is global,” and the world needs to deliver on hard-won global commitments to address the immense challenges the international community is facing. He listed three key areas “where, together, we must drive progress.”
Mr. Guterres called for unity for peace and security, “particularly to address the appalling situation in Haiti – where gangs are inflicting intolerable suffering on a desperate and frightened people.” He said CARICOM and its Eminent Persons Group have provided invaluable support in this regard. “We must keep working for a political process – owned and led by the Haitians – that restores democratic institutions through elections,” he said.
Source: The UN
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