Guterres praises CARICOM for ‘unwavering support’ towards Haiti

UNITED NATIONS (CMC):

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres on Wednesday thanked Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries for their “unwavering support” to the United Nations Mission in Haiti, as the French-speaking CARICOM country deals with the outcomes of the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on July 7.

“I welcome CARICOM’s willingness to play a role in facilitating this national dialogue. We will continue to count on your strong support as we strive to help Haiti,” Guterres said as he addressed the 11th CARICOM-UN General Meeting.

“As we look to all the challenges ahead, our partnership can only make us more effective in assisting the people of the Caribbean build a more peaceful, just and sustainable future,” the UN secretary gneral said.

CARICOM has already pledged to play a role in the stabilisation of Haiti following the political uncertainty that has emerged after Moise’s assassination when gunmen invaded his home on the outskirts of the capital Port-au-Prince during the early hours of July 7. His wife Martine had been injured during the incident and returned to Haiti over the weekend from the United States, where she had been receiving medical treatment.

In his address, CARICOM Secretary General Irwin LaRocque said that Haiti has been going through an extremely difficult period, exacerbated by the “horrific assassination” of Moise, and that “CARICOM reiterates its offer of good offices to help resolve the institutional and political crises that beset the country at this time.

“We are ready and willing to work with the UN system in that regard,” he added.

On Tuesday, 71-year-old neurosurgeon Dr Ariel Henry was sworn in as Haiti’s seventh prime minister since 2017, promising to build a political consensus to address the problems Haiti faces.