Chinese envoy urges Haitians to move forward political transition
Geng Shuang (Front), China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, addresses a UN Security Council meeting on the question concerning Haiti at the UN headquarters in New York, on Oct. 4, 2021. Geng Shuang on Monday urged the Haitians to quickly move forward political transition and called on UN Security Council member states to provide aid to the people affected by the Aug. 14 earthquake. (Cia Pak/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)
A Chinese envoy on Monday urged the Haitians to quickly move forward political transition and called on UN Security Council member states to provide aid to the people affected by the Aug. 14 earthquake.
Addressing the Security Council briefing on Haiti, Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said that the past four months has witnessed continued political volatility in Haiti. "Its security and humanitarian crisis has not improved in the slightest."
"In fact, it has been going from bad to worse. We express our deep sympathy for the tragic plight of the Haitian people. The Haitian government and political leaders must, in the interests of the people and the country, desist from power struggle, discharge their responsibilities in good faith, and take action to put the country on a proper track of development," he noted.
The envoy said that "we call on all parties in Haiti to act in the country's best interest and, in the spirit of mutual understanding and accommodation, show flexibility, move in the same direction, and reach agreement on the relevant arrangements without delay through broad political consultations, so as to ensure the elections can take place as early as possible."
On humanitarian assistance, Geng said that the earthquake and the subsequent tropical storm in Haiti caused heavy casualties and property loss and an additional 650,000 people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
"China calls on the international community to respond actively to the UN humanitarian emergency appeals totaling about 187 million U.S. dollars, and urges the Haitian government to work closely with the UN system to ensure that supplies reach people most in need and to avoid waste and embezzlement," he said.
The envoy also called for efforts to "combat criminal gangs with full force," noting that the gangs in Haiti are "running amok," creating all sorts of egregious chaos in society, and responsible for the displacement of 19,000 people since June alone.
"The Chinese delegation, in the previous Council deliberations, has repeatedly stressed that there is no external solution to the Haitian dossier, and that it is ultimately up to the Haitian people themselves to bring the country out of its plight," he said.
"The international community's long standing assistance model that can be compared to blood transfusion and oxygen supply to Haiti has proven to be neither markedly effective nor sustainable. The UN's presence in Haiti should be improved and adjusted," Geng added.
The envoy stressed that "regardless of what the UN is doing, what matters the most is for all the political parties in Haiti to reflect on the problems that exist, and genuinely shoulder their responsibility to the country and their people."
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