The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
HRC54: UN-appointed independent human rights expert, William O’Neill on Haiti 10 October 2023
/
3:06
/
MOV
/
219 MB
Teleprompter
Monsieur William O'Neill, good afternoon and thank you, Mr Vice President, Deputy **** Commissioner for Human Rights and members of the Council.
I'm grateful for the opportunity to be with you today, at least via Zoom, and look forward to our discussion and your questions.
I've been working in and on Haiti for many years, starting in the early 1990s as part of the first UN international civilian human rights monitoring mission in Haiti.
And I was in Haiti shortly after the earthquake and the devastation of the capital that occurred in 2010.
My first official visit as a designated expert on the human rights situation Haiti was in late June.
And I have to convey to you that during that visit I saw Haiti that was in worse shape than I had ever seen it before.
The situation is dire, but not hopeless.
The gangs who control most of the capital have had a devastating impact on the countryside as well, obstructing roads and preventing vital shipments of food, medicine and other humanitarian supplies from reaching rural areas.
Consequently, the entire country is suffering beneath the visible issues of gang violence.
However, we must explore the underlying causes.
Why is there violence and why do these gangs exist?
That is what I tried to address in this report and will continue to try to do in my work in the near future.
My preliminary and conclusion is that there are two principles for the violence.
One is rampant corruption throughout state institutions and the private sector in Haiti, and 2nd impunity, a failure to hold people accountable for their crimes and for neglecting to perform their duties as officials and government representatives.
The current incentive structure is all wrong.
People get away with illicit and illegal activities and rarely get punished, while those who strive to act ethically and to uphold their duties are not rewarded and in fact are often penalised and threatened.
This has to change and I believe it can be changed.
I have met officials even now who are striving to do the right thing, the right way, risking their lives and doing so.
We must collaborate with them to change this dynamic in Haiti so that the rule of law prevails, addressing the root causes of the gang violence and preventing the recurrence of this dire situation.
The Haitian people deserve so much better and our job is to help them to achieve the better future that they so richly deserve.
I welcome your questions and comments and thank you for your attention.