Security Council resolution 1840 (2008) [on extension of the mandate of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)]
Symbol: S/RES/1840(2008)
Date: 2008-10-14
Status: adopted
Agenda: S/63 [138] HAITI--POLITICAL CONDITIONS
S/63 [137] UN STABILIZATION MISSION IN HAITI
Subjects: UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti|Haitian National Police|UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti > Organizational structure|UN. Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti|Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers|Charter of the United Nations (1945). Chapter VII|PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS|INTERNAL SECURITY|HAITI|HAITI QUESTION|POLICE|MILITARY PERSONNEL|CAPACITY BUILDING|GOVERNANCE|COORDINATION WITHIN UN SYSTEM|GOOD OFFICES|ELECTIONS|INSTITUTION BUILDING|CRIME PREVENTION|TRAINING PROGRAMMES|TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS|DRUG TRAFFIC|ILLICIT ARMS TRAFFICKING|TECHNICAL COOPERATION|SHIPS|MARITIME BOUNDARIES|LIVING CONDITIONS|STAFF SECURITY|RELIEF PERSONNEL|LAW REFORM|JUDICIAL SYSTEM|PREVENTIVE DETENTION|CORRECTIONAL SYSTEMS|VIOLENCE|ARMS LIMITATION|HUMAN RIGHTS|HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION|CHILDREN IN ARMED CONFLICTS|RIGHTS OF THE CHILD|RAPE|SEX CRIMES|GIRLS|WOMEN'S RIGHTS|TROOP-CONTRIBUTING STATES|POVERTY MITIGATION|DONOR COUNTRIES|AID COORDINATION|SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Votes in favour: 15
Votes against: 0
Abstentions: 0
Voting record:
country: BELGIUM
vote: yes
country: BURKINA FASO
vote: yes
country: CHINA
vote: yes
country: COSTA RICA
vote: yes
country: CROATIA
vote: yes
country: FRANCE
vote: yes
country: INDONESIA
vote: yes
country: ITALY
vote: yes
country: LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA
vote: yes
country: PANAMA
vote: yes
country: RUSSIAN FEDERATION
vote: yes
country: SOUTH AFRICA
vote: yes
country: UNITED KINGDOM
vote: yes
country: UNITED STATES
vote: yes
country: VIET NAM
vote: yes

               United Nations                                                                   S/RES/1840 (2008)
               Security Council                                                 Distr.: General
                                                                                14 October 2008




               Resolution 1840 (2008)
               Adopted by the Security Council at its 5993rd meeting, on
               14 October 2008

                    The Security Council,
                    Reaffirming its previous resolutions on Haiti, in particular its resolutions 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,
                    Reaffirming its support to the Government of Haiti and welcoming the recent
               formation of the Government of the Prime Minister Michèle Pierre-Louis and the
               approval of her Government’s General Policy Declaration by the Parliament as steps
               towards providing governance, stability and democracy in Haiti, and as a new
               opportunity to place the long-term reform process back on track,
                     Encouraging the Government of Haiti and all the other relevant Haitian
               political, social and economic actors to strengthen democratic dialogue and forge
               the widest and most inclusive possible consensus, recognizing that leadership and
               constant political will of the Government of Haiti among the relevant Haitian actors
               is needed to strengthen governance and national capacities to address the highest
               priority issues in its national agenda,
                     Recognizing the devastation that has been suffered by the people of Haiti
               during the current hurricane season and the immediate, medium- and long-term
               damage done to the agricultural and infrastructure sectors as well as its impact on
               Haiti’s stability and security situation,
                     Acknowledging the challenges facing the government to coordinate the
               delivery of humanitarian relief and to start the recovery efforts, as well as the need
               to establish a disaster and risk reduction strategy,
                     Recognizing that the rapid rise in global food and fuel prices continues to pose
               a significant threat to the overall process of stabilization in Haiti and has adversely
               effected the political, security, humanitarian, social, economic and development
               fields; and encouraging the international community to continue to support Haiti in
               this regard,



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                    Recognizing the inter-connected nature of the challenges in Haiti, reaffirming
               that sustainable progress on security, the rule of law and institutional reform,
               national reconciliation and development are mutually reinforcing, and welcoming
               the continuing efforts of the Government of Haiti and the international community
               to address these challenges,
                    Recognizing that respect for human rights, due process, addressing the issue of
               criminality and putting an end to impunity are essential to ensuring the rule of law
               and security in Haiti,
                     Commending the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)
               for continuing to assist the Government of Haiti to ensure a secure and stable
               environment and deploring again the violence which took place on April 2008, the
               Security Council reiterates its deep regret about the loss of life and the attacks
               against MINUSTAH facilities and United Nations personnel and commends the
               measures taken by MINUSTAH, expressing gratitude to the troops and police
               personnel of MINUSTAH and to their countries and paying tribute to those injured
               or killed in the line of duty,
                    Acknowledging some improvements in recent months in the security situation
               but noting that the security situation remains fragile,
                    Emphasizing the importance of cooperation between Haiti and neighbouring
               and regional states in effectively managing and securing both Haiti’s land and
               maritime territorial borders, and in line with the shared interest to secure these
               borders,
                    Underscoring that international illicit trafficking of persons, drugs and arms
               continues to affect the stability of Haiti,
                     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 the Organization of the American States (OAS) and the Caribbean
               Community (CARICOM), taking note of the Joint Communiqué of the Consultative
               Group 2x9 on Haiti of 29 August 2008 (S/2008/640),
                     Stressing the importance of establishing credible, competent and transparent
               governance, and encouraging the Government of Haiti to further strengthen state
               institutions,
                     Welcoming the initial recommendations of the Consultative Commission on
               Prolonged Pretrial Detention, and expressing its strong support for further efforts on
               this issue as well as in addressing in an effective and timely manner the issue of
               prison overcrowding,
                     Calling on the Government of Haiti, in coordination with the international
               community, to continue to advance security sector reform, in particular as called for
               in the Haitian National Police (HNP) Reform Plan adopted by the Government of
               Haiti on 8 August 2006 as well as reinforcing the efforts to reform the critical
               judiciary and correctional systems,
                     Welcoming the initial steps taken towards strengthening the judicial system in
               accordance with the national justice reform plan, including judicial institution
               modernization and improvement in the access to justice, which are crucial aspects of
               Haiti’s reconstruction and stabilization,



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                 Welcoming the adoption of the new electoral law and looking for its early
           implementation in view of the forthcoming elections and also welcoming the support
           of the OAS to update the Haitian voter registry and calling on the Haitian
           authorities, with the continued support of donors and partners of Haiti and regional
           organizations as well as MINUSTAH and the United Nations system, to establish
           permanent and effective electoral institutions, and to hold elections consistent with
           Haiti’s constitutional and legal requirements,
                 Underlining the need for the quick implementation of highly effective and
           visible labour intensive projects that help create jobs and deliver basic social
           services,
                 Acknowledging the efforts undertaken by Haitian authorities and the
           contributions of the international community and the United Nations system,
           supported by MINUSTAH, to respond to the humanitarian and other needs of
           disaster-affected people, and stressing the importance for future actions in this
           regard to be fully coordinated among donors and partners of Haiti, with the
           Government of Haiti as well as within the United Nations system,
                 Recognizing the importance of long-term commitment of international donors
           and partners of Haiti, encouraging them to continue strengthening their levels of
           assistance,
                  Stressing the need to reinforce the capacities of the Government of Haiti and
           its institutions, in particular in the coordination of international cooperation,
                Welcoming the Secretary-General’s report S/2008/586 of 27 August 2008,
                 Determining that the situation in Haiti continues to constitute a threat to
           international peace and security in the region, despite the progress achieved thus far,
                 Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, as described in
           section 1 of operative paragraph 7 of resolution 1542 (2004),
                 1.   Decides to extend the mandate of MINUSTAH as contained in its
           resolutions 1542 (2004), 1608 (2005), 1702 (2006), 1743 (2007), and 1780 (2007)
           until 15 October 2009, with the intention of further renewal;
                 2.    Expresses its satisfaction with the reconfiguration of the Mission carried
           out in accordance with resolution 1780 (2007), and endorses the recommendation
           made by the Secretary-General in paragraph 20 of his report S/2008/586 to maintain
           the current Mission configuration until the planned substantial increase of the
           Haitian National Police capacity allows for a reassessment of the situation, taking
           into account the need to adjust MINUSTAH’s composition and realign its activities
           to reflect the changing circumstances and priorities on the ground, including the
           need to further strengthen the training of the Haitian National Police;
                 3.    Decides, therefore, that MINUSTAH will continue to consist of a
           military component of up to 7,060 troops of all ranks and of a police component of a
           total of 2,091 police;
                4.   Recognizes the ownership and primary responsibility of the Government
           and the people of Haiti over all aspects of the country’s stabilization, recognizes the
           role of MINUSTAH in supporting the Government’s efforts in this regard, and
           encourages the Government of Haiti to continue to take full advantage of



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               international support to enhance its capacity, which is indispensable for the
               sustainable success of MINUSTAH;
                    5.    Expresses its full support for the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, notably in his efforts related to improving stability and governance in close
               cooperation with the Government of Haiti, and reaffirms his authority in the
               coordination and conduct of all activities of United Nations agencies, funds, and
               programmes in Haiti;
                     6.    Reaffirms its call upon MINUSTAH to support the political process under
               way in Haiti, including through the good offices of the Special Representative of the
               Secretary-General, and, in cooperation with the Government of Haiti, to promote an
               all-inclusive political dialogue and national reconciliation, and to provide logistical
               and security assistance for the upcoming electoral process, in particular the elections
               which were scheduled to take place in November 2007, to fill the Senate seats that
               were left vacant with the end of the mandate of one third of the Senators on 8 May
               2008;
                     7.    Recognizes the importance of resolving political differences through
               dialogue and encourages the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to
               facilitate this dialogue between the Government of Haiti and all relevant political
               actors in order to ensure that the democratically elected political institutions can
               continue carrying forward the reform work laid out in the National Strategy for
               Growth and Poverty Reduction Paper (DSNCRP);
                     8.   Welcomes the continuing contribution of MINUSTAH to the Government
               of Haiti’s efforts to build institutional capacity at all levels and calls upon
               MINUSTAH, consistent with its mandate, to expand such support to strengthen selfsustaining state institutions, especially outside Port-au-Prince, including through the
               provision of specialized expertise to key ministries and institutions;
                    9.    Requests that MINUSTAH continue its support of the HNP as deemed
               necessary to ensure security in Haiti, and encourages MINUSTAH and the
               Government of Haiti to continue to undertake coordinated deterrent actions to
               decrease the level of crime and violence;
                     10. Recognizes the need for improving and enhancing the efforts in the
               implementation of the HNP Reform Plan and requests MINUSTAH, consistent with
               its mandate, to remain engaged in assisting the Government of Haiti to reform and
               restructure the HNP notably by supporting the monitoring, mentoring, training and
               vetting of police personnel and strengthening of institutional and operational
               capacities, while working to recruit sufficient individual police officers to serve as
               instructors and mentors of the HNP, consistent with its overall strategy to
               progressively transfer geographic and functional responsibility for conventional law
               and order duties to its Haitian counterparts in accordance with the HNP Reform
               Plan;
                    11. Invites Member States, including neighbouring and regional States, in
               coordination with MINUSTAH, to engage with the Government of Haiti to address
               cross-border illicit trafficking of persons, drugs, arms and other illegal activities,
               and to contribute to strengthening HNP capacity in these areas;
                     12. Requests MINUSTAH to provide technical expertise in support of the
               efforts of the Government to pursue an integrated border management approach,



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           with emphasis on state capacity-building, and underlines the need for coordinated
           international support for Government efforts in this area;
                 13. Welcomes the imminent deployment of MINUSTAH’s sixteen maritime
           patrol boats in support of the Haitian National Police’s Coast Guard responsibilities
           in protecting and patrolling the maritime borders of Haiti;
                14. Recognizes the need for MINUSTAH to continue its efforts to patrol
           along maritime and land border areas in support of border security activities by the
           HNP, and encourages MINUSTAH to continue discussions with the Government of
           Haiti and Member States to assess the threats along Haiti’s land and maritime
           borders;
                 15. 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 activities aimed at effectively improving
           the living conditions of the concerned populations and requests MINUSTAH to
           continue to implement quick-impact projects;
                16. Condemns any attack against personnel or facilities from MINUSTAH
           and demands that no acts of intimidation or violence be directed against the United
           Nations and associated personnel or facilities or other actors engaged in
           humanitarian, development or peacekeeping work;
                17. Welcomes the steps taken towards the reform of rule of law institutions,
           requests MINUSTAH to continue to provide necessary support in this regard, and
           encourages the Haitian authorities to take full advantage of that support, notably in
           modernizing key legislation and in the implementation of the justice reform plan,
           the establishment of the Superior Council of the Judiciary, the reorganization and
           standardization of court registration processes and the management of cases, and the
           need to address the issue of prolonged pretrial detentions;
                 18. Encourages also the implementation of the strategic plan of the National
           Prison Administration, and supports the strengthening of the Mission’s capacity, as
           referred to in paragraph 42 of the Secretary-General’s report (S/2008/586), in
           particular to address prison overcrowding, and requests MINUSTAH to remain
           engaged in supporting the mentoring and training of corrections personnel and
           strengthening of institutional and operational capacities;
                19. Requests MINUSTAH to continue to pursue its community violence
           reduction approach, including through support to the National Commission on
           Disarmament, Dismantlement and Reintegration and concentrating its efforts on
           labour-intensive projects, 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 promotion of a national community policing doctrine;
                20. Reaffirms MINUSTAH’s human rights mandate and calls on the Haitian
           authorities to continue their efforts to promote and protect human rights, and calls
           on MINUSTAH to continue to provide human rights training to the HNP and other
           relevant institutions, including the correctional services;
                21. Strongly condemns the grave violations against children affected by
           armed violence, as well as widespread rape and other sexual abuse of girls, and
           requests MINUSTAH to continue to promote and protect the rights of women and



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               children as set out in Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000), 1612 (2005), and
               1820 (2008);
                    22. 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 keep the
               Council informed, and urges troop-contributing countries to ensure that acts
               involving their personnel are properly investigated and punished;
                     23. Calls upon MINUSTAH and the United Nations country team to further
               enhance their coordination and, in concert with the Government of Haiti and
               international partners, help ensure greater efficiency in the implementation of the
               National Strategy for Growth and Poverty Reduction Paper (DSNCRP) in order to
               achieve progress in the area of socio-economic development, which was recognized
               essential for the stability in Haiti in the Consolidation Plan of the Secretary-General,
               and address urgent development problems, in particular those caused by recent
               hurricanes;
                     24. Recognizes the need for a high-level donor conference to lend its support
               to the DSNCRP, and in this regard calls upon the international community, in
               particular donor countries and partners of Haiti and multilateral institutions, in
               cooperation with the Haitian authorities, to devise and implement under the
               leadership of the Haitian authorities, an efficient aid coordination system, based on
               mutual responsibility, which would focus on short-term immediate needs, as well as
               medium- and long-term reconstruction requirements, and also encourages donors
               and partners of Haiti to accelerate the disbursement of their pledges as a
               contribution to development and stability in Haiti;
                    25. Welcomes progress made by MINUSTAH in communications and public
               outreach strategy, and requests it to continue these activities;
                     26. Welcomes the work done by the Secretary-General to develop five
               benchmarks and indicators to measure progress being made towards the
               consolidation of stability in Haiti and requests the Secretary-General to continue
               updating the Consolidation Plan on the basis of the outline provided, in consultation
               with the Government of Haiti, taking into account the DSNCRP, as appropriate, and
               to inform the Council accordingly in his reports;
                     27. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Council on the
               implementation of MINUSTAH’s mandate semi-annually and not later than 45 days
               prior to its expiration;
                    28. Requests also the Secretary-General to include in his reports a
               comprehensive assessment of threats to security in Haiti, taking into account a
               review of the activities and composition of MINUSTAH, its coordination with the
               United Nations country team and other development actors and the need for poverty
               eradication and sustainable development in Haiti, and to propose, as appropriate,
               options to reshape the composition of MINUSTAH;
                    29.   Decides to remain seized of the matter.




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