Security Alone Won’t Break Haiti’s Cycle of Crisis, Says Deputy Secretary-General, Underlining Importance of Political Dialogue, Economic Hope

Following are Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed's remarks on the occasion of the high-level meeting on Haiti, in New York today:

Let me start by thanking the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) for bringing us together today.

Haiti is at the eye of a storm. Armed gangs have torn apart communities. Families are forced from their homes. Hunger and fear are commonplace while women and girls face unspeakable sexual violence.

Those who prey on their own people, who rape, kill and terrorize, must know that they will face justice.

This picture of despair may be the reality today, but we are all here to make sure it is not reality tomorrow.

Time and again, whether through earthquakes or political upheaval, Haitians have shown their resilience. That is why today it is our responsibility to match their courage with action, and the Haitian people must feel the full weight of international solidarity.

We have seen national leaders begin to chart a path forward.

CARICOM and the Organization of American States are fully engaged, and we welcome their efforts. We acknowledge and appreciate the support of Canada.

Despite the goodwill, the Multinational Security Support mission on the ground still lacks the necessary funding, logistics and personnel it needs to truly deliver.

Meanwhile, in recent months, gang violence has claimed more than two thousand lives, including dozens of children.

Six million Haitians need urgent assistance. Over 100,000 people have fled their homes since June alone. These numbers that demand an international surge of support - not just a trickle.

The impact of not acting now will stretch far beyond Haiti. Instability will spill across borders and throughout the Caribbean and beyond. What happens in Port-au-Prince will not stay in Port-au-Prince.

Security cannot wait for the people of Haiti. Schools, hospitals and markets cannot reopen until people feel safe on their streets. Humanitarian workers cannot deliver at scale while they are targeted by extortion and kidnapping.

Without filling the gaps in the mission, without predictable financing, the people of Haiti, and among them future generations of Haitians, will remain trapped in fear day in day out.

And yet we know: security alone will not break Haiti's cycle of crisis. Stability will only come when security is matched by political progress and economic hope. That means dialogue, deep dialogue. Credible elections. Public institutions that Haitians can trust.

It means rebuilding confidence between leaders and citizens and ensuring that women and young people, who make up the majority of the population, are part of shaping Haiti's future.

It also means investment. Haiti's economy has been hollowed out by instability. Families cannot feed their children as markets collapse and livelihoods vanish.

That is why we need bold financing: blending donor support with private investments, mobilizing resources at scale, and placing them in Haitian hands and Haitian communities.

The United Nations is committed to supporting this path. From urgent humanitarian relief to strengthening governance; from empowering women and youth to mobilizing financing for jobs and livelihoods; from accountability for violence to a credible political horizon - we will stand with Haiti.

The UN, however, cannot do this alone, and we need a coordinated international push. Fragmented projects will not deliver stability. If we want Haitians to feel the impact, if we want to shift the course of this crisis, every actor, every dollar, every intervention must pull in the same direction.

Let's not fall into the trap of describing despair while failing to change it. The facts are grave, but the responsibility is ours.

The people of Haiti have endured the unimaginable. Let us support them to reclaim stability, rebuild their country, and realize the future of peace and prosperity they so deeply deserve.