Timeline

 On 10 December 2010, following the incidents that occurred after the announcement of the results of the first round of the presidential election and during which several people were killed, the Security Council met in emergency consultations and listened to a report by Alain Le Roy, Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations. Following this meeting the Council expressed in a press statement its deep concern at the incidents of violence.

The Council also underscored its concern regarding the allegations of electoral fraud and called upon all Haitian political actors to remain calm and resolve any electoral disputes through established legal mechanisms in order to ensure the completion of the electoral process. The Security Council also stressed the importance that the recommendations made by the OAS/CARICOM joint electoral observation Mission be taken into account.

 On 20 January 2011, the Security Council met for a debate on Haiti, a year after the earthquake, in the context of uncertainties about the outcome of the first round of the presidential election and the outbreak of cholera (3700 dead so far) (See the statement of France).

 On 6 April 2011, the Security Council held a public debate on Haiti in the presence of the President of Haiti René Préval, of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, of the Secretary General’s Special Envoy to Haiti Bill Clinton and of Juan Manuel Santos, President of Columbia, who presided the meeting. The debate took place the day after the announcement of the preliminary results of the second round of the presidential election giving Michel Martelly a clear win. Following the debate, a Presidential Statement was adopted.

In his speech, the Permanent Representative of France stressed the importance of political stability in the reconstruction process and recalled that France contribution to Haiti is over 300 million euros.

 On 16 September 2011, the Security Council held a public debate during which Mr. Mariano Fernandez, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Haiti presented to the Council the conclusions of his latest report on MINUSTAH. He notably pointed the necessary reduction of personnel as well as a strategic reconfiguration in order to strengthen civil institutions and public services. In his speech, Mr. Martin Briens, Deputy Permanent Representative of France supported the proposed downsizing of the UN mission. He said : "the humanitarian context is not the same and the elections are behind us. We can now reduce the number of military and civilian personnel deployed without jeopardizing either the ability of the Mission to fulfill its mission nor stability of the country."

 On 14 October 2011, the Security Council unanimously approved resolution 2012, renewing the mandate of MINUSTAH for one year. Given the progress of rule of law in Haiti, the improvements of the security situation in the country and the the necesssary empowerment of Haitian authorities, resolution 2012 includes a substantial reduction of the personel dedicated to public order, maintaining the number of UN military engineers.

 From 14 February 2012 to 16 February 2012, the Security Council visited Haiti to assess the situation on the ground, particularly regarding the rule of law, the establishment of institutions and the fight against corruption. It reiterated its commitment and that of the international community to stand with the Haitian people, and to support the government in this phase of recovery.

 On 8 March 2012, the Security Council met to hear Mr. Mariano Fernandez, Special Representative of Secretary-General in Haiti, on the situation in the country. The resignation of Prime Minister Gary Conille had disrupted the political situation. MINUSTAH was working with the Haitian authorities to avoid a government crisis, notwithstanding the numerous lingering issues (the local and legislative elections, the vote on the budget, and the promulgation of the constitutional amendments). Mr. Fernandez highlighted the process of strengthening the national police, despite the emergence of illegal military forces in the country.

The French representative recognized the progress made since the earthquake, recalling that the security situation remained fragile, although it seemed to be stabilizing. He called for a gradual reduction of the overall strength of MINUSTAH as well as its reconfiguration towards the training of the national police and the strengthening of the rule of law.

 On 3 October 2012, Mr Mariano Fernandez, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Haiti briefed the Security Council on the situation in the country.

He highlighted the progress made at the political and institutional level, such as the appointment of a new prime minister last May, the publication of the constitutional amendments and the creation of a Supreme Council for independent justice. The Haitian authorities had to form a Permanent Electoral Council as soon as possible for local and parliamentary elections to be hold. At the security level, the priority of MINUSTAH was to strengthen the training of the Haitian police so that it would be able in the future to ensure the safety of the entire territory, thus allowing the transformation of Minustah into a political mission.

In his statement, the representative of France noted the progress made and supported the recommendations of the Secretary-General to downsize MINUSTAH. He also announced that France would provide 326 million euros to support the relief effort in the reconstruction and the fight against cholera.

 On 12 October 2012, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2070 extending for one year the mandate of MINUSTAH in Haiti while reducing from 10,500 to 8,800 its uniformed staff, given the improvement of the security situation and the progress in the fields of institutions and reconstruction in the country.

 On 20 March 2013, the Security Council met to hear Mr Nigel Fisher, Deputy Special Representative, Ad Interim, for Haiti and chief of MINUSTAH.

The representative of France stressed that the presence of MINUSTAH had guaranteed 10 years political stability, which the upcoming local and parliamentary elections was the brand. The progressive departure of MINUSTAH would now be considered, which would also lead the international community to reflect on the form that his presence in support of the country’s institutions could take.