German involvement in the UN mission
Haiti is currently facing a serious crisis, with tumult in parliament, fuel shortages, road blocks and serious gang crime. The state and its institutions are extremely fragile and require international support. The German government has decided to become involved in the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti, and will second up to five police officers.
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The capacities of Haiti's national police force are to be strengthened - especially with regard to criminal gangs.
Photo: imago images/Agencia EFE
On Wednesday the Cabinet decided that Germany will continue its engagement in Haiti. It was part of the previous MINUJUSTH mission and before that the MINUSTAH mission. Up to five police officers will now be assigned as part of the follow-on mission BINUH.
The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (known by its French acronym BINUH) is a special political mission established by the United Nations Security Council in 2019. The mandate is initially for 12 months and involves around 110 people, including up to 30 police officers.
Expanding achievements
The transition from the peace-keeping mission MINUJUSTH to the special political mission BINUH reflects the progress made in stabilising Haiti over a period of 15 years. The ratio of police officers to the population has, for instance, doubled. The number of municipalities with a full-time member of the Haitian national police force has been tripled, and the annual rate of murders has been halved.
Strengthening the government – fostering human rights
In the transition phase that the country is currently going through, it is important for the international community to continue to advise and support the government in strengthening political stability and good governance. This includes strategic advisory services for Haiti’s security authorities. The German government will now be part of this, with the seconded police officers. The focus is to be on strengthening the capacities of the Haitian national policy force, in particular with a view to addressing criminal gangs and sexual and gender-based violence. So that public safety and order can be upheld, training courses will be held on human rights and handling large crowds of people.
Bilateral and multilateral support from Germany
To strengthen the country, Germany is not only involved in UN missions, but is also engaged in bilateral development cooperation. Since the devastating earthquake in 2010, the Federal Republic of Germany has provided around 71 million euros in transitional aid for Haiti. To guarantee Haiti’s water supply, Germany is also providing support totalling 28 million euros to rebuild the country’s most important hydro-power plant. And Germany is also involved on a significant scale in the development cooperation measures of other multilateral organisations. Germany provides around 20 per cent of the funding for the 11th European Development Fund (2014 to 2020). Of this funding, a total of 420 million euros is earmarked for Haiti.