Security Council resolution 2243 (2015) [on extension of the mandate of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) until 15 Oct. 2016]
Symbol: S/RES/2243 (2015)
Date: 2015-10-14
Status: adopted
Agenda: S/70 [137] UN STABILIZATION MISSION IN HAITI
S/70 [138] HAITI--POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Subjects: UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti|Haitian National Police|Charter of the United Nations (1945). Chapter VII|PEACEBUILDING|POST-CONFLICT RECONSTRUCTION|MILITARY REFORM|CAPACITY BUILDING|POLICE|INTERNAL SECURITY|HAITI|HAITI QUESTION|HUMAN RIGHTS IN ARMED CONFLICTS
Votes in favour: 15
Votes against: 0
Abstentions: 0
Voting record:
country: ANGOLA
vote: yes
country: CHAD
vote: yes
country: CHILE
vote: yes
country: CHINA
vote: yes
country: FRANCE
vote: yes
country: JORDAN
vote: yes
country: LITHUANIA
vote: yes
country: MALAYSIA
vote: yes
country: NEW ZEALAND
vote: yes
country: NIGERIA
vote: yes
country: RUSSIAN FEDERATION
vote: yes
country: SPAIN
vote: yes
country: UNITED KINGDOM
vote: yes
country: UNITED STATES
vote: yes
country: VENEZUELA (BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC OF)
vote: yes

               United Nations                                                                   S/RES/2243 (2015)
               Security Council                                                 Distr.: General
                                                                                14 October 2015




               Resolution 2243 (2015)
               Adopted by the Security Council at its 7534th meeting, on
               14 October 2015

                    The Security Council,
                    Reaffirming its previous resolutions on Haiti, in particular its resolutions 2180
               (2014), 2119 (2013), 2070 (2012), 2012 (2011), 1944 (2010), 1927 (2010), 1908
               (2010), 1892 (2009), 1840 (2008), 1780 (2007), 1743 (2007), 1702 (2006), 1658
               (2006), 1608 (2005), 1576 (2004) and 1542 (2004),
                      Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence,
               territorial integrity and unity of Haiti,
                     Recognizing that, over the past year, Haiti has taken important steps towards
               stabilization, that paved the way for the completion of the legislative elections and
               for the presidential, municipal and local elections to take place in 2015,
                    Welcoming the organization of the first round of the legislative elections on
               9 August 2015 in a relatively peaceful environment, and acknowledging the steps
               taken by the Haitian institutions to take corrective measures to address irregularities
               and improve the upcoming rounds of elections,
                     Noting the importance of the Government of Haiti, the Electoral Council and
               political parties to ensure that the upcoming rounds of elections are conducted in a
               free, fair, peaceful and democratic manner and in accordance with the electoral law,
                    Recognizing that the overall security situation remained generally stable with
               some improvement since the adoption of its resolution 2180 (2014),
                     Recognizing the importance of condition-based security-related decisions about
               the future of MINUSTAH and noting that there were incidents of sporadic violence
               during the first round of elections while there was no increase in levels of insecurity
               or violence in the Departments from which the military component withdrew,
                     Recognizing the important role of MINUSTAH in ensuring stability and
               security in Haiti, and commending MINUSTAH for continuing to assist the
               Government of Haiti to ensure a secure and stable environment, and expressing
               gratitude to the personnel of MINUSTAH and to their countries and paying tribute
               to those injured or killed in the line of duty; commending also the wide range of
               reconstruction efforts in Haiti and the successful work achieved by MINUSTAH’s
               military engineering units,

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                     Underlining the need to further strengthen Haitian judicial and correctional
               systems, in order to support a more integrated and cohesive Haitian security sector,
               and noting the commitment by the Government of Haiti to strengthen the rule of
               law, and to make further progress in security sector reform, and encouraging Haitian
               authorities to continue to pursue efforts in that regard,
                     Recognizing also the interconnected nature of the challenges in Haiti,
               reaffirming that sustainable progress on security, the rule of law and institutional
               reform, national reconciliation and development, including the combat against
               unemployment and poverty, are mutually reinforcing, and welcoming the continuing
               efforts of the Government of Haiti and the international community to address these
               challenges, in line with the government’s priorities,
                     Reiterating the critical role of the Haitian National Police (HNP) to Haiti’s
               security and stability; welcoming the ongoing strengthening, professionalization and
               reform of the HNP; noting the partial progress made in the implementation of the
               five-year 2012-2016 Haitian National Police Development Plan and reiterating the
               importance of maintaining support for it, especially in the area of recruitment and
               retention,
                     Underscoring the importance of adequately funding the Haitian National
               Police to enhance its logistic, administrative and operational capacities, and
               encouraging the Government of Haiti to take advantage of the support being
               provided by the international community to guarantee the provision of adequate
               security for the Haitian people and calling on all international partners to strengthen
               their coordination in this regard,
                    Recognizing the steps taken by the Superior Council of the Judiciary, including
               important appointments in 2015 that contributed to the strengthening of its capacity
               and the adoption of its internal rules of procedure in June 2014, to carry out its
               mandate and promote the strengthening of judicial independence, and expressing the
               need to further address human rights concerns that still remain in the corrections
               system, such as prolonged pretrial detentions, prison overcrowding and inhumane
               conditions,
                     Noting with concern that the humanitarian situation in Haiti has deteriorated
               significantly since the Secretary-General report on MINUSTAH released in March
               2015 while also noting reduced funding has limited the ability of the United Nations
               system and its partners to provide an adequate response to the multiple challenges,
                    Noting with concern that food insecurity, as a result of drought and the
               consequent decrease in the harvest during the period from March to June, could
               impact the humanitarian situation and stability,
                     Acknowledging that while important progress has been made, Haiti continues
               to face significant humanitarian challenges, with approximately 60,801 internally
               displaced persons, whose living conditions in the remaining sites, which are
               characterized by malnutrition, uneven access to water and sanitation, affecting
               especially women and children, must be further addressed, underscoring that
               funding to provide basic services and relocation subsidies for the remaining IDPs is
               no longer available,
                    Welcoming the ongoing efforts by the Government of Haiti to control and
               eliminate the cholera epidemic, the progress made in reducing the incidence of



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           cholera in Haiti, and urging the United Nations country team in coordination with
           other actors to continue to support the Government of Haiti in addressing the
           structural weaknesses, in particular in the water and sanitation systems, and
           underscoring the importance of strengthening the Haitian national health institutions,
           and recognizing United Nations efforts to combat cholera, including through the
           Secretary-General’s initiative to support the National Plan for the Elimination of
           Cholera; stressing the importance of adequate and sustainable support with particular
           attention to rapid and targeted medical responses to outbreaks designed to reduce the
           threat, recalling the visit that the Secretary-General undertook in July 2014 to Haiti,
           and taking note that he, among other things, launched jointly with the former Prime
           Minister the “Total Sanitation Campaign” as a key initiative against cholera, and the
           creation of the High-Level Committee for the Elimination of Cholera,
                Welcoming the first meeting of the High Level Committee on Cholera since the
           change of Government in January 2015, co-chaired by the Prime Minister Evans
           Paul and the Special Representative of the Secretary General Sandra Honoré, and
           noting that the increase in cholera cases reported at the end of 2014 and in the first
           four months of 2015 began showing signs of reversal in May, although the situat ion
           remains of concern in the West, Centre, Artibonite and North departments which
           account for more than 80 percent of the total number of cases between March and
           August 2015,
                 Emphasizing that progress in the reconstruction of Haiti, as well as in Haiti’s
           social and economic development, including through effective, coordinated,
           commendable international development assistance and increased Haitian
           institutional capacity to benefit from this assistance, are crucial to achieving lasting
           and sustainable stability, and reiterating the need for security to be accompanied by
           social and economic development, including efforts in risk reduction and
           preparedness that address the country’s extreme vulnerability to natural disasters,
           efforts in which the Government of Haiti plays a leading role,
                 Welcoming the continued development of the Government of Haiti’s Framework
           for the Coordination of External Aid (CAED) as its preferred donor coordination
           mechanism and venue for supporting the Government of Haiti’s developme nt
           priorities and welcoming also the increased joint programming of the United Nations
           country team in Haiti in alignment and coordination with the Government -endorsed
           Integrated Strategic Framework, and welcoming also the commitment to foster
           greater alignment of international assistance with national priorities, increase
           transparency and strengthen mutual accountability, as well as the need for stronger
           coordination,
                Welcoming the review and the revision of the integrated strategic framework
           between the United Nations country team and MINUSTAH, which culminated in the
           signature of the revised framework on 28 May 2015, that serves to reinforce
           cooperation among the different elements of the United Nations presence in Haiti,
           and has allowed MINUSTAH and the United Nations country team to identify
           specific areas for enhanced collaboration, subject to the availability of additional
           financial resources,
                 Urging donors to complete their pledges in order, inter alia, to help promote
           access to services and jobs for the most vulnerable, and underlining the Government
           of Haiti’s responsibility to provide clear guidance to donors on its priorities and to
           facilitate delivery of assistance to those most in need,


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                     Emphasizing the role of regional organizations in the ongoing process of
               stabilization and reconstruction of Haiti and calling on MINUSTAH to continue to
               work closely with international financial institutions, regional and subregional
               organizations, and other stakeholders, in particular the Organization of the
               American States (OAS), Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), and the
               Caribbean Community (CARICOM),
                     Welcoming the continued efforts of the HNP to patrol and enhance its presence
               and engagement directly with the population; recognizing MINUSTAH’s contin ued
               community policing efforts, in close coordination with camp committees, in sites for
               internally displaced persons, and welcoming their engagement with the population,
                    Expressing serious concern that sexual and gender-based violence, especially
               against women and children, remains a substantial problem, particularly in
               marginalized districts of Port-au-Prince, remaining internally displaced persons sites
               and remote areas of the country,
                     Recognizing that strengthening national human rights institutions as well as
               respect for human rights, including of children, and due process and combating
               criminality, sexual and gender-based violence, and putting an end to impunity and
               ensuring accountability are essential to ensuring the rule of law and security in
               Haiti, including access to justice,
                     Reaffirming the authority of the Special Representative of the Secretary -
               General in the coordination and conduct of all activities of United Nations agencies,
               funds and programmes in Haiti, and reaffirming also its support to the Special
               Representative of the Secretary-General’s role in ensuring optimal coordination and
               collaboration between MINUSTAH and the United Nations country team in
               connection with the aspects of their respective mandates that are correlated
               particularly as part of MINUSTAH’s condition-based consolidation plan,
                    Taking note of the Secretary-General’s report S/2015/667 of 31 August 2015,
                    Mindful of its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international
               peace and security under the Charter of the United Nations,
                     Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, as described in
               section 1 of operative paragraph 7 of resolution 1542 (2 004),
                     1.   Decides to extend the mandate of MINUSTAH, in line with the
               Secretary-General’s report, as contained in its resolutions 1542 (2004), 1608 (2005),
               1702 (2006), 1743 (2007), 1780 (2007), 1840 (2008), 1892 (2009), 1908 (2010),
               1927 (2010), 1944 (2010), 2012 (2011) 2070 (2012), 2119 (2013) and 2180 (2014),
               until 15 October 2016;
                     2.   Decides that MINUSTAH’s overall force levels will consist of up to
               2,370 troops and of a police component composed of up to 2,601 personnel, the
               force levels recommended by the Secretary-General;
                    3.    Affirms its intention, based on the Security Council’s review by
               15 October 2016 of Haiti’s overall capacity to ensure security and stability and on
               the security conditions on the ground, to consider the possible withdrawal of
               MINUSTAH and transition to a future United Nations presence beginning no sooner
               than 15 October 2016, to continue to assist the Government of Haiti to consolidate
               peace, including support to the Haitian National Police;



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                 4.   Requests the Secretary-General to conduct a Strategic Assessment Mission
           to Haiti and, on this basis, to present to the Council recommendations on the future
           presence and role of the UN in Haiti, preferably by 90 days after the inauguration of
           the new President, and ideally after the formation of a new government ;
                 5.    Affirms that adjustments to the force configuration should be based on
           the situation on the ground, compatible with the capacity of MINUSTAH and the
           Haitian National Police to maintain security in the context of the on -going electoral
           and political processes, and should take into account the results of the Secretary
           General’s strategic assessment, the importance of maintaining a secure and stable
           environment and the impact of social and political realities on Haiti’s stabi lity and
           security, the increasing development of Haitian State capabilities, in particular the
           ongoing strengthening of the Haitian National Police, and the national authorities’
           increasing exercise of the Haitian State’s responsibility for the maintenance of
           stability and security in the country;
                 6.    Calls upon MINUSTAH to maintain capacity, including appropriate air
           assets, to deploy troops rapidly throughout the country;
                7.    Affirms its commitment to act at any time to adapt MINUSTAH’s mandate
           and force levels, if compelled by a change of conditions in Haiti, if necessary to
           preserve the progress Haiti has made towards durable security and stability;
                 8.    Takes note of the implementation of the conditions-based consolidation
           plan of MINUSTAH, which focused the Mission’s activities on a core set of
           mandated tasks as agreed with the Government of Haiti and notes that given its
           reduced capacity and with a view to ensuring continuous progress as the Mission
           transitions towards the post-consolidation period, MINUSTAH has prioritized the
           mandated activities and will continue to focus its resources on priority areas, while
           progressively disengaging from others in coordination with the Haitian Government
           and international partners;
                 9.    Recognizes the ownership and primary responsibility of the Government
           and the people of Haiti over all aspects of the country’s stabilization; encourages
           MINUSTAH to continue its efforts to provide logistical and technical expertise,
           within available means and consistent with its mandate, and coordinating as
           appropriate with the United Nations country team and others active in stabilization
           efforts, to assist as requested by the Government of Haiti, to continue to implement
           decentralization efforts and build the capacity of its institut ions at the national and
           local levels, with a view to enhance further the Government of Haiti’s ability to
           extend State authority throughout Haiti and promote good governance and rule of
           law at all levels;
                10. Welcomes the holding of the first round of legislative elections that took
           place on 9 August 2015;
                 11. Strongly urges Haiti’s political actors to work cooperatively and without
           further delays to ensure the holding of free, fair, inclusive, and transparent
           presidential, legislative, partial senatorial, municipal, and local elections, including
           those which are long overdue, in accordance with the Constitution of Haiti in order
           to restore the functioning of the National Assembly and other elected bodies and
           also urges Haiti’s political actors to encourage the citizens to a higher level of
           involvement in the upcoming electoral rounds;



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                     12. Welcomes the Special Representative of the Secretary-General’s efforts to
               support the political process under way in Haiti; reaffirms its call upon MINUSTAH
               to continue to support this process; calls upon MINUSTAH to deliver and
               coordinate, as appropriate, international electoral assistance to the Government of
               Haiti in cooperation with international stakeholders including the OAS, UNASUR,
               and CARICOM as appropriate;
                     13. Reaffirms that Haiti is at an important juncture in the consolidation of
               stability and democracy, and the engagement of its political leaders and stakeholders
               in dialogue and compromise is vital to securing the gains made in recent years, in
               order to set Haiti firmly on a path towards lasting stability and economic development
               and to enable Haitians to assume even greater responsibility in that regard;
                    14. Recalls its resolutions 1325 (2000) and 2122 (2013) and encourages the
               Government of Haiti, with the support of relevant stakeholders, to promote
               increased women’s political participation in Haiti, in accordance with the
               Constitution of Haiti;
                     15. Reaffirms that, in the framework of the improvement of the rule of law in
               Haiti, strengthening the capacity of the Haitian National Police is paramount for the
               Government of Haiti to take timely and full responsibility for the country’s security
               needs, which is central to Haiti’s overall stability and future development;
                     16. Reiterates that the Haitian National Police’s capacity-building remains a
               most critical task for MINUSTAH; requests MINUSTAH to co ntinue its efforts to
               strengthen the institutional and operational capacities of the Haitian National Police,
               in particular by renewed efforts to mentor and train police and corrections
               personnel, including at intermediate rank levels; calls on MINUSTAH to align skills
               of UNPOL personnel to support these objectives and provide skilled trainers and
               technical advisers;
                     17. Underlines the need to ensure effective support from the Government of
               Haiti and its international and regional partners for the 2012-2016 HNP Development
               Plan, in order to achieve the goals of a minimum of 15,000 fully operational serving
               police officers by 2016, adequate logistic and administrative capacity, accountability
               and respect for human rights and rule of law, a robust vetting pro cess, enhanced
               recruitment procedures and training, strengthened land and maritime border control,
               and improved deterrence of transnational organized crime;
                     18. Stresses the need for close coordination among MINUSTAH, donors, and
               the Government of Haiti to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of HNP
               capacity-building efforts; requests also MINUSTAH to facilitate this coordination
               and to continue to provide technical guidance to donor -funded projects as requested
               for the rehabilitation and construction of police and corrections facilities as well as
               for other projects aiming to support HNP’s institutional capacity as appropriate;
                     19. Encourages MINUSTAH, in cooperation with the appropriate
               international actors, to continue to assist the Government in effectively tackling gang
               violence, organized crime, illegal arms trafficking, drug trafficking and trafficking of
               persons especially children, as well as ensuring proper border management;
                    20. Encourages the Haitian authorities to continue to implement justice
               reform by taking the necessary steps, including through ongoing support to the
               Superior Council of the Judiciary, to ensure the independence and effectiveness of



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           the judicial institutions, and to continue to address the issue of prolonged pretrial
           detentions and prison conditions and overcrowding, with special regard to women
           and children held in detention;
                21. Calls on all donors and partners, including international and
           non-governmental organizations as well as the UN country team, to better
           coordinate their efforts and work closely with the Haitian Government through its
           Framework for the Coordination of External Aid (CAED), which is intended to help
           the Government ensure increased transparency, national ownership and coordination
           of foreign assistance and to strengthen the Government’s capacity to manage
           external assistance;
                 22. Welcomes the revised integrated strategic framework between the United
           Nations country team and the Mission that serves to reinforce cooperation among
           the different elements of the United Nations presence in Haiti;
                 23. Requests the United Nations country team, and calls upon all actors, to
           complement security and development operations undertaken by the Government of
           Haiti with the support of MINUSTAH with longer term impact activities aimed at
           effectively improving the living conditions of the concerned populations, in particular
           women and children;
                 24. Requests MINUSTAH, working in coordination with the United Nations
           country team, to continue to implement quick-impact projects that contribute in
           building a secure and stable environment and enhance national ownership and the
           trust of the Haitian population towards MINUSTAH, particularly in the priority
           areas identified by the Mission’s leadership and consistent with the Government of
           Haiti’s priorities as appropriate;
                 25. Strongly condemns the grave violations against children affected
           particularly by criminal gang violence, as well as widespread rape and other sexual
           abuse of women and girls, and calls upon the Government of Haiti, with the support
           of MINUSTAH and the United Nations country team, to continue to promote and
           protect the rights of women and children as set out in Security Council resolutions
           1325 (2000), 1612 (2005), 1820 (2008), 1882 (2009), 1888 (200 9), 1889 (2009),
           2106 (2013) and 2122 (2013), and encourages all actors in the Haitian Government,
           the international community and civil society to renew their efforts to eliminate
           sexual and gender-based violence in Haiti; as well as to improve response to rape
           complaints and access to justice for the victims of rape and other sexual crimes;
           encourages national authorities to promote national legislation in this regard;
                 26. Requests MINUSTAH to continue to pursue its community violence
           reduction approach, in close collaboration with the Haitian Government, with a
           particular focus on at-risk youth, women, the displaced and those living in violence -
           affected neighbourhoods and to ensure that this activity is coordinated with, and
           supports the work of, the United Nations country team to build local capacity in this
           area by taking into account Haitian priorities;
                 27. Encourages MINUSTAH to continue assisting the Government of Haiti
           in providing adequate protection to the civilian population, with particular att ention
           to the needs of internally displaced persons and other vulnerable groups, especially
           women and children, including through joint community policing in the camps, in
           line with Security Council resolution 1894 (2009);



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                     28. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to take the necessary
               measures to ensure full compliance of all MINUSTAH personnel with the United
               Nations zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, and to continue to
               keep the Council informed, and urges troop- and police-contributing countries to
               redouble efforts in preventing cases of misconduct and to ensure that acts involving
               their personnel are properly investigated and punished;
                     29. Reaffirms MINUSTAH’s human rights mandate as an essential component
               of the Mission and recognizes that respect for human rights is an essential element for
               Haiti’s stability, in particular attention to individual accountability for grave
               violations under past governments, urges the Government to ensure with the support
               of the international community, as appropriate, the respect and protection of human
               rights by the Haitian National Police and the judiciary, and calls on MINUSTAH to
               provide monitoring and support in this regard;
                     30. Encourages MINUSTAH, within its mandate, to continue to use existing
               means and capabilities, including its engineers, with a view to enhancing stability in
               Haiti while fostering greater Haitian ownership in the context of its condition -based
               consolidation plan;
                     31. Requests MINUSTAH to continue to support the Haitian authorities in
               their efforts to control the flow of small arms, the development of a weapons
               registry, the revision of current laws on importation and possession of arms, reform
               of the weapons permit system and the development and implementation of a
               national community policing doctrine;
                     32. Underscores the importance that planning documents for MINUSTAH’s
               military and police components, such as the concept of operations and rules of
               engagement, be regularly updated, as appropriate, and be in line with the provisions
               of all its relevant resolutions, and requests the Secretary -General to fully report in a
               timely manner on them to the Security Council and troop - and police-contributing
               countries;
                     33. Requests the Secretary-General to keep it regularly informed, and to report
               to the Council on the implementation of MINUSTAH’s mandate, semi -annually and
               not later than forty-five days prior to its expiration;
                     34. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to include in his reports a
               comprehensive assessment of the situation in Haiti, highlighting the security
               conditions on the ground with a specific focus on the capacity of the Haitian
               National Police, and to continue to present a progress report of the consolidation
               plan as an annex to his next report;
                    35.   Decides to remain seized of the matter.




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