IPS-English POLITICS: U.N. Jolted by Attacks on Peacekeepers in Haiti
 
Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:28:27 -0700

 
Thalif Deen

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 10  (IPS)  - The United Nations may be heading
for trouble in Haiti, where a demonstration against rising food prices
turned into an attack against U.N. peacekeepers and the local offices
of the world body.

Hedi Annabi, head of the U.N. Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH),
hurriedly left New York Wednesday heading to the politically-troubled
Caribbean nation, where more than 7,000 U.N. troops have been deployed
since June 2004.

Annabi was in New York to address the Security Council Tuesday where
he warned of a ”political dimension” to the current unrest in Haiti.

”The growing public discontent had the clear potential to undermine
(U.N.) efforts at stabilisation,” he told delegates.

Last week, four people were killed in demonstrations against rising
living costs. The demonstrators, in the town of Les Cayes in southern
Haiti, attacked and burned shops and fired at U.N. peacekeepers.

The three largest contingents in MINUSTAH are from Brazil (1,213
troops), Uruguay (1,146) and Nepal (1,110). 

While expressing ”concern” over the violence in Haiti, Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon ”deplored” the attacks against MINUSTAH personnel and
facilities, as well as against the government of Haiti and private
property.

He also expressed his ”sympathy for the suffering that the Haitian
people are enduring as a result of rising food and fuel prices.”

A high-level conference of international donors is scheduled to take
place in the capital of Port-au-Prince on Apr. 25.

Annabi has urged donor countries and the private sector to work with
the Haitian authorities to find creative ways to generate what he
called a ”stability dividend”, which would provide immediate and tangible
improvements in socio-economic conditions.

This, he said, should include urgent humanitarian assistance followed
by long-term agricultural aid to increase crop yields. 

In a 19-page report to the Security Council, Ban said it remains
urgent to address the immediate hardships experienced by the Haitian
population, 76 percent of whom still live on less than two dollars
a day.

”Weak purchasing power remains a constant preoccupation in connection
with basic daily items and imported goods, which represent some 60
percent of available products on the market,” the report said.

Furthermore, the recent increase in the price of such staples as
flour, rice and cooking oil has led to additional suffering, while
access to basic social services (health care, education and potable
water) remains extremely limited.

”The continued persistence of extreme poverty in rural areas is a
major factor in the rapid growth of the urban population,” the report
added.

Currently, Haiti is ranked 146 of 177 states in the human development
index released annually by the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP).
Haiti is also categorised as one of the 50 least developed countries,
(LDCs), the poorest of the world's poor.

The U.N. report also points out that the government of Haiti has
continued its efforts to reach out to political groups and to strengthen
state institutions.

”However, the political situation remains fragile given the continued
political divisions and weak state institutions, as well as the absence
of any significant improvement in the difficult living conditions
of much of the population,” it says.

Addressing the Security Council Tuesday, Annabi said while there
had been some progress on institutional reform over the past six months,
much more remains to be done to reach benchmarks. He said that while
some 8,450 police officers were now in service, this fell far short
of the 14,000 required for basic policing duties.

Annabi lauded three critical laws on the judiciary and the penal
system that had been passed, but pointed out that ”continued and coordinated
efforts would be essential to turn these blueprints into reality.”


He said the Haitian prison system was ”unacceptable from security
and human rights perspectives.”

Annabi also told reporters that tensions between political actors
and between the branches of government had occasionally threatened
to escalate and to undermine public confidence.

This, he said, was dramatically illustrated by the recent shooting
incident in Parliament, during a debate related to investigations
into alleged spending irregularities. 



*****
+ DEVELOPMENT: Food Shortages an Emergency - FAO Chief (http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41932)
+ HAITI: Once-Vibrant Farming Sector in Dire Straits (http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41454)
+ Haiti: Which Way Forward? (http://www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/haiti/index.asp)


(END/IPS/WD/CA/IP/HD/DV/HA/IF/IA/TD/KS/08)


 
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