The goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees is on life support, says The Bahamas Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis

Prime Minister Davis Calls on World Leaders to ‘Get Real’ on Addressing Climate Change Issues

“We are entering a new climate era that will drive extreme geopolitical and economic instability.”

By Eric Rose

SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt -- During his National Statement at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) World Leaders Summit, on November 8, 2022, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis highlighted reasons to attend the event, including because his country has to believe that “a safer, better future is possible.”

“I say that we have come, because we believe that action -- real, concerted, action -- can save the planet, and save our human race,” Prime Minister Davis said, at the Summit, being held in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt.  “And I say that we have come, because each nation here, acting in its own, enlightened self-interest, knows, in a most profound way, that we need each other to make this work.”

“I live in the most beautiful country on earth,” he added.  “But right now, even as I speak, Bahamians are mobilizing to prepare for the impact of yet another powerful storm, a Tropical Storm Nicole.

“So I come here with a simple request:  Let's get real.”

Prime Minister Davis pointed out that what was needed most at that conference was to confront “the radical truth.”

“Big, ambitious goals are important - but not if we use aspirations to obscure reality,” he said.  “The goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees is on life support.”

“This is a hard truth for many to admit because even the best-case scenarios will mean almost unimaginable upheaval and tragedy,” he added.

Prime Minister Davis stated that the realities of war, economic headwinds, the hangover from the pandemic, and competition among world powers, cannot be used as justification not to confront these imminent dangers.

“Let's get real: it's only going to get worse,” Prime Minister Davis said.  “We are entering a new climate era that will drive extreme geopolitical and economic instability.”

“Statements without binding commitments or enforcement mechanisms have been used again and again as a way to postpone real action,” he added.  

“Yes, the world's wealthiest carbon polluters should pay for the very extensive loss and damage caused by their emissions.

“But 'getting real' means understanding that it will be self-interest that drives decision- makers.”

Prime Minister Davis noted that he was not there to ask any of those in attendance to love the people of The Bahamas with the same passion as he does, or even to act on behalf of future generations in their own countries.

“I'm asking: what is it worth to you, to prevent millions of climate refugees, from turning into tens of millions, and then hundreds of millions, putting pressure on borders and security and political systems across the world?” he asked.

He added that he was not telling those in attendance to overhaul the World Bank for that “new climate era” because it was the right thing to do.

“I'm telling you to get smart and act quickly to address the systemic risk of climate change,” Prime Minister Davis said.  “Multilateral banks must play a crucial role in scaling up financing options that will provide real solutions.”

“I'm not here to tell the private sector to give up caring about profits,” he added.  “I'm here to say that in a world of profound instability, your profits are very much in danger.  So, we need to work together to transition the world to clean energy.

“Let's get real about what's coming. Let's get real about what we need to do next.”

Prime Minister Davis pointed out that most Bahamians were descended from people who were forcibly removed from their homes, shackled in the bottom of boats, and shipped across the Atlantic.

“We are the children of the survivors of that man-made tragedy,” he stated.  “We inherit their moral imperative.”

“We have a duty to fight for our survival, as they fought so desperately for theirs,” Prime Minister Davis added.  “So, even as we have urged the world to act, we have not waited.”

Prime Minister Davis pointed out that Bahamians knew that they “have what it takes” to provide the kind of leadership and innovation that contributed to meaningful solutions.

He noted that The Bahamas’ mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes were a critical carbon sink.

“While others were talking, we took action, and passed innovative new legislation to deal with Blue Carbon,” Prime Minister Davis pointed out.  “We created a regulatory framework for dealing and trading in carbon credits.  Other countries are already considering adopting our model.

“And just this past Sunday, we agreed in principle with the IMF, to partner together, among other things, to determine how carbon credits can be used productively, as a new asset class,” he added.  “Yes, this is what real, life-changing action looks like.  We in The Bahamas are not sitting still.

“We will not flinch from confronting the hard truth.”

Prime Minister Davis stated that The Bahamas would also continue to offer its leadership, and its drive for innovation and ingenuity.”

“Whoever you are, wherever you are, bring your climate solutions to The Bahamas,” he said.  “Help us convert our front-line vulnerabilities into cutting-edge solutions for all.

“Because we refuse to lose hope,” he added. “We will not give up.

“We have no other choice.”

Prime Minister Davis noted that the alternative compels Bahamians to present themselves at their borders as refugees.

He added: “The alternative consigns us to a watery grave.  The alternative will erase us from history.  This is why we fight.  We will continue to lift up our heads toward the rising sun.  We will continue to march on.  We will continue to believe that a safer, better future is possible.

“Because all our lives – all our lives – depend on it.”

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Threats to Venezuela's Food Sovereignty

Fuel, Cartels and GMOs: New Challenges in the Venezuelan Countryside

Expensive fuel and inputs, agribusiness cartels and GMO seeds are present threats to Venezuela's food sovereignty according to grassroots collectives.

From the onset of the Bolivarian Process, the Hugo Chávez government implemented policies to democratize food production in Venezuela.

From the 2001 Land Law all the way to the nationalization or creation of companies such as AgroPatria or Pedro Camejo (1), the goal was to ensure the sector was not subjected to the whims of the market and to support small and midsize production, especially from popular power organizations.

In recent years, an economic crisis heavily exacerbated by US sanctions has driven a liberalization of economic policies.  The Venezuelan countryside has been no exception.

One hurdle after another

The tools that once propped up campesino production have disappeared step by step.  The so-called “strategic alliances” have seen companies that supplied seeds and fertilizers (AgroPatria) or tractors (Pedro Camejo) transferred to the private sector.  This new scheme benefits large-scale producers above all.

In cases like sugar, state-owned mills have likewise been handed over to private owners, with devastating consequences for cane growers.

The latest blow has been the government decree that diesel be sold at 50 cents a liter, a price that might be unaffordable for many campesinos.   Amidst severe fuel shortages, diesel had been available either through a rationing plan or via the black market, but little by little the sale at “international” prices has become widespread.  Diesel is crucial for agriculture, fueling tractors to plow the land and trucks to transport harvests.

“Fuel shortages have been tougher for us than the (Covid-19) pandemic,” Ricardo Miranda, from the Pueblo a Pueblo collective, told Tatuy Tv.

Pueblo a Pueblo brings together some 270 campesino families in the center-west part of the country.  Its main goal is to link directly with organized urban communities to distribute food at fair prices, without intermediaries.

Though diesel at 50c/L has been made “official” recently, Miranda said that in states such as Trujillo the alternatives are buying it at US $2 a liter from smugglers or enduring queues that could last for weeks.

“This price has a knock-on effect on all budgets and transportation costs.  This will mean a larger burden for the people and another source of inflation,” the Pueblo a Pueblo member claimed, adding that whatever subsidized fuel remains has been directed to large-scale producers.

Andrés Alayo, spokesman from the Campesino Struggle Platform, also stated that “production costs are sky-high” for campesinos presently.

“Between the dollarized fuel, the very expensive inputs and plowing, etc., producers are in a very delicate situation,” he summed up.

For his part, Miranda stressed that even under difficult conditions, campesino families continue producing and providing a large percentage of the food that is consumed.  In his opinion, the current circumstances have led to an expansion of agroecological practices and alliances between grassroots organizations.  Pueblo a Pueblo currently has a program with the Ministry of Education and urban collectives to supply some 250 school canteens across the country.

Still, hurdles for small and midsize production are just part of the picture.  The flipside is a playing field that is ever more tilted in favor of large landowners and agribusiness.

Cartels and dumping

“The fastest growing sector in Venezuela in recent years has been agroindustry,” Alayo told Tatuy Tv.  The growing influence of large conglomerates begins to be felt.

In recent weeks there have been several protests from corn producers who demand that the government regulate harvest prices.  Though some institutions, including the vice presidency, pledged to address the concerns, there has been no answer thus far.

According to the Campesino Struggle Platform spokesman, there are clear “cartel” dynamics at play. “For agroindustries it is very cheap to import corn, and they use that to set prices that are completely impossible to meet for national production.”  Alayo highlighted that it the state’s prerogative to “intervene” and protect its sovereignty.

The Platform, which played a key role in the 2018 Admirable Campesino March, does not rule out another massive mobilization in defense of campesino rights in the coming weeks.

Miranda expressed a similar opinion: “monopolies put pressure on the government,” which not only fails to support campesinos but leaves the market to be ruled by business sectors.  “It is a perspective that sees food as a commodity that is becoming more and more prevalent,” he concluded.

A further “threat” for rural producers has been the reopening of the Venezuela-Colombia border.  According to Alayo, campesino groups from the Andean region are sounding the alarm bells over a “massive dumping” of Colombian goods, especially vegetables.

“If our campesinos end up bankrupt, Colombian agribusinesses will take over the market and hike prices,” he warned.

For his part, Miranda explained that Colombian produce has informally crossed the border in recent years by just paying covert “taxes” to what was then the government-appointed “protectorate” in Táchira state (2).  Nevertheless, he believes the regularization of border crossings and the levying of import/export customs tariffs on both sides will eventually mitigate the impact of food coming from Venezuela’s neighbor.

Potatoes are a priority foodstuff for Pueblo a Pueblo.  “Colombia has free trade agreements that saw its market flooded by foreign potatoes (e.g. frozen french fries) which then had consequences on this side of the border,” he detailed, stating that Colombian potatoes were much cheaper than Venezuelan counterparts.

Gustavo Petro’s customs policies and the reactivation of Venezuelan production after the pandemic have allowed Pueblo a Pueblo to once again set up its “potatoes for life, not for capital” program.  Campesino organizations store potatoes for months at high altitude before releasing them on the market at fair prices to tackle speculation.

A (genetically) modified scenario

The rise of agribusiness in Venezuela has been quite visible, and it has even been showcased in government broadcasts.  There are large tracts of land that grow two products above all: corn and soy.  But this practice has another facet to be taken into account: the use of genetically modified seeds.

“Campesinos have denounced the presence of GMO seeds in different parts of the country.  This violates the 2015 Seed Law,” Esquisa Omaña told Tatuy Tv.  She is a member of the “Venezuela Free from GMOs” campaign.

The organization has not had access to the alleged seeds but has called on Venezuela’s National Seed Commission (Conasem) to investigate the complaints.  However, according to Omaña, there is currently “no capacity or interest” from institutions to address the situation.

The activist, who is also a researcher at the CiECS center in Córdoba, Argentina, said that a common practice involves bringing in corn labeled for consumption which is then repackaged and sown.  While the use of genetically modified seeds is illegal, importing genetically modified food is not.

“The issue of food sovereignty is key, but even beyond that the consequences of GMOs have been well established,” Omaña affirmed.  “The seeds come with a technological package, with chemicals such as glyphosate that contaminate the air and soils. This is the deadly agribusiness model,” she concluded, referring to studies that show how toxic substances end up in soft tissue.

The “Venezuela Free from GMOs” campaign has argued that packaging legislation, alerting consumers to the presence of GMOs, is a priority.  Similar laws have been enacted in Europe and elsewhere.

At the same time, Omaña brought up the importance of “working on public consciousness” to generate healthier consumption habits.  By shifting more towards legumes (e.g. beans), tubers (e.g. sweet potato) and musaceae (e.g. plantains) that are not associated with agribusiness, people will in turn be less vulnerable to its interests.

The crisis and the US blockade have had devastating consequences for the Venezuelan people, from deteriorated living conditions to mass migration.

In a context where sanctions are firmly in place and there are positive signs of economic recovery, it is just as clear that there is a reconfiguration process going on that surrenders protagonism to the private sector and multinational corporations.

In what concerns food production, agribusinesses have become the main actors, with the government openly calling for foreign investment in the sector and offering all possible advantages.  It is a “pragmatic” vision that imposes capitalist logic, or allows it to impose itself.

On the other side stand campesino families, some of them organized and others not, facing growing difficulties to go on producing.  The lack of state support is worsened by the cartel practices of corporations and the penetration of GMOs.  The threats to Venezuela’s food security and food sovereignty keep growing.

But at the same time, campesino movements have shown time and again that they are ready to struggle and fight, be it to accelerate radical changes or to resist attacks against the achievements of the Bolivarian Revolution.

Notes

1. In 2010, Chávez nationalized seed and fertilizer supplier AgroIsleña over repeated complaints that it abused its monopolistic market position.  It was renamed AgroPatria.  In recent years, the company was plagued by corruption accusations and was transferred to private corporation AgroLlano 2910 in 2020.  Pedro Camejo was created in 2007 to supply tractors, transportation and technical support to rural producers.  Beginning in 2019, its plants and assets were transferred to regional governments which in turn passed them on to the private sector under “strategic alliances.”

2. Blaming a lack of cooperation and hostility from opposition governors, the Maduro government appointed so-called “protectors” to four states where Chavismo lost gubernatorial races in 2017.

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Cuba celebrates a victory in its struggle against the U.S. blockade with overwhelming support in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) against the U.S. economic embargo

The extraterritorial impact of the blockade harms the sovereignty of the countries of the United Nations, sanctions their businessmen and impedes access to their ports for third party ships that dock in Cuba

By Maby Martinez Rodriguez

Cuba celebrates Thursday a new victory in its struggle against the U.S. blockade, by achieving overwhelming support in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for a resolution approved by 185 votes in favor, two against and two abstentions.

The report presented for the thirtieth time states that only between August 2021 and February 2022 that unilateral policy caused Cuba losses in the order of 3,806.5 million dollars.  The figure is 49% higher than that reported between January and July 2021 and a record in just seven months.

At current prices, the accumulated damages during six decades of the blockade amount to 150,410.8 million dollars, with a great weight on sectors such as health and education, in addition to the damage to the national economy and the quality of life of Cuban families.

In the first 14 months of the Biden Administration alone, the losses caused by the blockade amounted to 6,364 million dollars, which is equivalent to an impact of more than 454 million dollars a month and more than 15 million dollars a day, according to the document.

The extraterritorial impact of the blockade harms the sovereignty of the countries of the United Nations, sanctions their businessmen and impedes access to their ports for third party ships that dock in Cuba.  It also prevents the importation into Cuba of articles produced in any country when they have 10% or more of U.S. components, the foreign minister denounced.

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Amnesty International Says: The Biden administration must grant Haitians access to asylum in US territory

Haitians fleeing their country amidst a humanitarian and human rights crisis should be welcomed and have the right to seek safety in the USA without discrimination
Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International 

In response to unconfirmed reports that the Biden administration is considering holding Haitian asylum seekers in a third country or expanding capacity at an existing facility at the US detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International said:

“Haitians fleeing their country amidst a humanitarian and human rights crisis should be welcomed and have the right to seek safety in the USA without discrimination. They must not be held in a third country or a US navy base infamous for unlawful and indefinite arbitrary detention and torture.”

“Amnesty International has demonstrated that successive US governments have tried to deter Haitian people from claiming asylum in the United States through the application of policies designed to intercept, detain, and remove them, starting in the 1970s and continuing with Title 42.  Their tactics have included unlawful pushbacks at sea, mass detention, torture or other ill-treatment, and expedited removal proceedings with deficiencies in individualized screenings.  In the 1990s, for instance, US authorities shamefully detained Haitian asylum seekers living with HIV in camps in Guantánamo Bay.  Similarly, between September 2021 and May 2022 alone, the USA expelled more than 25,000 Haitians, many under Title 42.  The Biden administration has only reinforced harmful historical tendencies which have stereotyped Haitians as bearers of disease, standing to further stigmatize and discriminate Haitians based on their race and nationality.”

“It is time for the United States to put a stop once and for all to this discriminatory treatment and make sure that Haitian asylum seekers have access to US territory and due process without discrimination to exercise their rights to seek asylum, including individualized assessments of their international protection claims.  The ongoing operations at the Guantánamo Bay naval base are already marred with horrendous human rights violations, and Amnesty International has long called for the detention facility to be shuttered for good.  The United States must refrain from using this site to commit more abuses.”

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British PM Rishi Sunak proves that his apparent cultural difference offers no political distinction or innovation!

THE GOLDEN CHALICE BELONGS TO THE BOLD!

By Professor Gilbert Morris:

Sunak’s supporters will say both that it’s early - give him a chance and he did well, appointing a cabinet and at his first Prime Minister’s question time.

But listen to him:

He simply parrots the old strategies and offered nothing newer than his ethnicity; which is itself a labyrinth of nationalities, race and ethnicities!

In his first Question Time he copied the tried and tired formula of taking the question and turning it around to attack the other side…then laughing in self-satisfaction.

Heavyweight do take such lazy, meaningless delights! [sic]

I spent a good deal of my career, trying to show elected governments that they must be bold from the first day!

If you have 5 year election cycles…you must hit pay dirt immediately with something that gives the feel of a new country with new possibilities.

Merely performing routine tasks correctly - as every previous leader has - is not a game changer!

In a 5 year cycle, you have 18 months to get a policy done, if you announce it on the first day!

If you miss that first 18 months, events out of your control - natural disasters, wars, etc. ruins plans…and you’re left making excuses!

Already, his statement on Fiscal Strategy is delayed by 15 days! As Ca Newry would say “Sigh”!

Sunak has banned fracking. That’s good! But why is it not part of a broader strategy?

If he’d banned fracking, removed all transactional taxes for small businesses and instead of sucking up to Biden - who couldn’t remember his name on their first phone call - he should have announced a global coalition of the Commonwealth, Germany, China and the 30 US Congressional group proposing a Russia-Ukraine Peace Pact.

That’s how you come out of the box as a player on day one!

I mentioned these initiatives specifically because they are within his immediate grasp. When you have a change of leader during the life of a parliament, your mandate is already active. And in the case of peace agreement…you don’t just celebrate your India ties, you leverage it because Prime Minister Modi of India would LOVE nothing more than partnering with an Indian led Britain to solve a problem created by Europe!

Moreover India is essential to the conflict in Ukraine as both Russia and the US are trying to keep India on-side; whilst China would welcome every opportunity to work with India to solve their problems. India China and Russia would also have given him Brazil and Indonesia. He’d have gotten African through the Commonwealth. Therefore, such a peace initiative would involve nearly 5 billion people on earth and immediately he would be a global player beyond Britain’s resource capacity!

The point is Britain is reeling from high energy prices: ending the conflict is the surest way to bring down energy prices in the medium to long term!

But alas…he opted for the empty - eager-to-please lackey approach; proving that his apparent cultural difference offers no political distinction or innovation!

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The Cuban Identity In Cuba

Save Cuba From Capitalism

The most revolutionary thing today is to be anti-capitalist

 

By Karima Oliva Bello

October 10 materialized, in the same cry of rebellion, the most revolutionary spirit of the times.  It had its first expression in the call for unity that has mobilized Cubans ever since: unity for a free nation against any form of foreign domination.

At that time, in the very heart of the sense of our budding identity, took shape the hardest of all the contradictions we have had to work out as a people, which has marked the course of our history until today: between the will to be masters of our destiny and the temptation to be in the image and likeness of the empire; first Spain, then the United States, fulfilling the destiny of a colony that they have traced for us.

Today, under a new appearance, the dilemma is the same.  The greatest threat to a country like Cuba is not only the interference policy of the United States and its desire to dominate our economy in the same terms as 60 years ago. Circumstances have changed and the world has been reconfigured since then.  The fundamental risk that we face, together with the other peoples of our region, is the advance of capitalism with giant steps.  It puts at risk our sovereignty and survival.

With the granting of unrestricted freedom to the market, characteristic of the neoliberal model, a new type of colonialism operates, through the mechanisms of coercion exercised by international financial organizations, such as the International Monetary Fund, on national economies, demanding the imposition of structural reforms that facilitate transnational corporations the unlimited exploitation of the natural resources of our territories (here in the South) and of the labor force, in almost slave-like conditions.

The uncontrolled privatization of strategic sectors that provide key services to the population, the reduction of public spending, the precarization of working conditions, the withdrawal of the State from its responsibilities for welfare and social security, the criminalization of anti-capitalist social movements and a long list of abuses, represent now the greatest danger to the sovereignty of the former colonies.

There are those who are dissatisfied with Cuba's present, because they would like the changes to lead, once and for all, to the development of a good capitalism, as if that were possible (especially for the most vulnerable), or they want us to make concessions so that our neighbor forgives us and welcomes us back into its tutelage, as if that were worthy.

Those of us who do not want to see a history of rebellion turned into submission and abysmal social differences are not satisfied with Cuba's present either.  The only difference is that we understand that, in order to sustain the freedom bequeathed to us by our heroes and to achieve a progress that does not leave out any Cuban, the path must continue to be anti-imperialist.  The only way to be consistent with the legacy of the founding fathers is to try to save it from capitalism, to the last consequences.

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The UN demands an immediate cessation of violence, criminal activities, and human rights abuses which undermine the peace, stability and security of Haiti and the region

Security Council Establishes Sanctions Regime on Haiti, Unanimously Adopting Resolution 2653 (2022)

 

Highlighting the crisis facing Haiti

In support of Haiti in its fight to establish peaceful coexistence and democratic governance

The Security Council today established a sanctions regime on Haiti, imposing a targeted arms embargo, travel ban and asset freeze upon individuals and entities designated for such measures, who are responsible for or complicit in actions that threaten the peace, security or stability of the country.

Unanimously adopting resolution 2653 (2022), (to be issued as document S/RES/2653), the Council decided to establish a Committee of the Security Council consisting of all the members of the 15-member organ, to undertake, among other tasks, the monitoring of the implementations of travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo measures imposed upon individuals and entities designated by the Committee; to seek and review information regarding them; and to designate individuals and entities to be subject to the aforementioned measures.

It also requested the Secretary-General to create for an initial period of 13 months, in consultation with the Committee, a group of four experts (“Panel of Experts”) to assist it in carrying out its mandate, and to make the necessary financial and security arrangements to support the work of the Panel.

Further, the Council affirmed that it would keep the situation in Haiti under continuous review and that it shall be prepared to review the appropriateness of the measures contained in the resolution, including the strengthening, modification, suspension or lifting of the measures.  It went on to request, in this regard, the Secretary-General, in close coordination with the Panel of Experts, to conduct, no later than 15 September 2023, an assessment of progress achieved.

By other terms, the Council demanded an immediate cessation of violence, criminal activities, and human rights abuses which undermine the peace, stability and security of Haiti and the region, including kidnappings, sexual and gender-based violence, trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants, and homicides, extrajudicial killings and recruitment of children by armed groups and criminal networks.  It also urged all political actors to constructively engage in meaningful negotiations to overcome the current political stalemate to allow the holding of inclusive, free and fair legislative and presidential elections, as soon as the local security situation permits.

Speaking after the vote, Linda Thomas-Greenfield (United States) said that the adopted text that her country and Mexico put before the Council, constitutes an important step forward to help Haiti’s people.  The text is robust and incorporated the views of all Council members despite the accelerated time frame.  The adopted resolution is an initial answer to the calls for help from the Haitian people, she continued, noting that it targets the criminal actors, gangs and their financiers who are causing suffering and expanding poverty in the country.  It sanctioned one of their most notorious gang leaders, whose actions directly contribute to the humanitarian crisis and cause so much pain and suffering, she said, adding:  “It sends a clear message to the bad actors holding Haiti hostage:  we won’t stand idly by as you wreak havoc.”

She went on to note that the adopted text fulfils two objectives:  it targets bad actors and allows humanitarian aid to reach the civilian population.  It is therefore a “great foundation for future action” to be taken against criminal actors and financiers, she said, adding:  “There is much more work to do.”  Pointing to another immediate challenge, to restore security and alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Haiti, she said that her country and Mexico are working on another text, which pertains to “a non-United Nations international assistance mission”, which will enable the flow of desperately needed humanitarian aid.  “We must keep doing everything we can to help the Haitian nation in their time of need,” she stressed.

Juan Ramon de la Fuente Ramirez (Mexico) said the Council’s unanimous adoption of the resolution reflects its unity on a complex situation.  Highlighting the crisis facing Haiti, he said the Council has given a clear signal that violence must stop and cannot go unpunished.  It is important to establish an embargo on any arms transfer to non-State actors who, in addition to terrorizing the civilian population, are destabilizing the country.  Trafficking in arms is a scourge for many countries and must be fought firmly, he added.  The resolution sends a clear signal that “the Security Council will not remain with its arms crossed” and will act not only against those creating violence in the streets but against those who support, finance and encourage them.  The United States and Mexico, with the text, are trying to support Haiti in its fight to establish peaceful coexistence and democratic governance, he said, calling on Council members to continue to work on subsequent steps needed to achieve that goal.

Geng Shuang (China), noting that while his country had always called for caution against using threats of sanctions irrespective of the circumstances, stressed that considering the urgency of the current situation in Haiti, Beijing has been the first within the Council to propose targeted sanctions on criminal gangs.  Expressing hope that the adopted resolution will send a clear signal to criminal gangs in Haiti, he urged them to stop harming the Haitian people and stop chipping away at the country’s economic, social and security foundation.  He further called on the political parties in the country to immediately stop their collusion with criminal actors and reach a consensus on the nation’s political structure as well as a transitional arrangement without delay.  Underscoring that the country is at the brink of a collapse and is in dire need of international help, he also showed hope that in the next stage of the discussion on this issue, the Council will uphold the spirit of consultation and unity, while adhering to the principle of reaching a result-oriented and a practical solution.

Mona Juul (Norway), noting her country’s vote for the resolution, underscored that the Haiti’s people deserve the international community’s full attention, assistance and dedication.  In response, the Council today is establishing its first sanctions regime since 2017 — an important steppingstone for reducing the abilities of criminal actors and gangs to continue their violence and illegal activities which paralyse Haiti.  She highlighted the important inclusion of the robust humanitarian carve-out in the sanctions regime, as well as the Council’s recognition of the need for fair and clear procedures and its intent to authorize the Ombudsperson to remedy that issue.  Observing due process is instrumental to maintain the efficiency and legitimacy of any sanctions regime, she stressed, noting that Norway has advocated for stronger safeguards of due process for years.  It is significant that the Council has now made clear its intent to authorize the Ombudsperson to ensure due process beyond the 1267 regime, she added, stressing that the organ must keep up its intentions and continue its engagement in due process.

Dmitry Polyanskiy (Russian Federation) said that, while his delegation supported the resolution, reaching agreement on the text “was not easy”.  However, he noted that its sponsors “changed their initial, not-very-constructive approach”, and addressed Council members’ concerns regarding the resolution’s excessive haste and artificially short deadlines.  The consensus achieved shows that, “even in today’s circumstances”, the Council can achieve good results if a responsible approach is taken, he said.  Despite that, he said that his country is not convinced that international restrictive measures are the appropriate response to the raft of problems in Haiti.  Long-term solutions must be found in the political process, socioeconomic development and national institutions, strengthened without external dictates.  He also pointed out that illegal arms flows and organized crime in the Caribbean are not just focused on Port-au-Prince.  Restrictive measures should not lead to Haiti’s isolation or prevent it from making progress on the political track, he stressed, adding that such measures are not a punitive instrument; rather, they are a way for the Council to respond to threats.  Further, their propriety must be regularly analysed, and they must be mitigated or lifted as necessary.

Fergal Mythen (Ireland) welcomed the adoption, adding that the destructive gangs who are making life a hell for the people of Haiti must no longer go unchecked.  Today, for the first time in five years, the Security Council has adopted a new sanctions regime, he noted, welcoming the inclusion of sexual and gender-based violence as a stand-alone designation criterion.  Also noting the specific reference to the Ombudsperson in preambular paragraph 20, he looked forward to concrete progress on extending the mandate of the Office of the Ombudsperson to Haiti and all other sanctions regimes.  It is vital to ensure that the Organization’s sanctions respect international due process standards, he stressed, calling on the Council to address that concern.

Martin Kimani (Kenya) said his country voted in favour of the resolution after making an effort, alongside Ghana and Gabon, to ensure it incorporates a review mechanism and targets those who compromise Haiti’s peace.  Thanking the penholders and others for welcoming his views, he pointed out that the text constitutes the most tangible measures taken by the Council recently.  “It is the first step towards building a lasting solution to the Haitian crisis, and [his country] stands with the Haitian people against gangs and their sponsors,” he said.

He went on to welcome the benchmarks for review which will permit the progressive adjustment of measures as the situation on the ground improves.  The implementation of sanctions will rely on the support and coordination of the international community, in particular, regional States.  He expressed confidence that despite divergent views, Haiti’s political leaders will find the will to build consensus and chart a viable way forward.

Lana Nusseibeh (United Arab Emirates), said her country’s vote in favour of the resolution, as establishing a sanctions regime on armed gangs in Haiti through the resolution is an important step to address the violence and terror imposed by armed gangs on the people of Haiti.  The resolution incorporates her country’s proposal for a humanitarian carve-out to minimize the impact of sanction measures on humanitarian assistance to Haiti, she pointed out, noting that the organ’s constructive approach to that critical issue and unanimous adoption of the resolution is a much-needed sign of the possibility of Council unity.  She also welcomed the inclusion in the resolution of her country’s proposal to give increased recognition to the important role regional countries and organizations, including the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), to support Haiti in its path to peace and stability.  Her delegation looks forward to future discussions to establish clear, well-defined and achievable benchmarks for the eventual lifting of sanctions when the time is right, she said, calling urgently on all stakeholders in the country to work towards an inter-Haitian political settlement.

Ronaldo Costa Filho (Brazil), pointing out that sanctions may lead to unintended consequences, welcomed that a humanitarian carve-out was added in the resolution, allowing humanitarian actors to assist civilians in need.  While recognizing the specificity of each sanctions regime, he expressed hope that the carve-out will be replicated to other situations in a horizontal manner.  Highlighting the ongoing need to ensure minimum standards of due process in line with international human rights law, he expressed regret that the Council missed the opportunity to address this challenge.  Noting that the reference to the Office of the Ombudsperson was incorporated as its preambular paragraph, he hoped to further advance due process both in this regime as well as in others.  Underscoring that setting up a new sanctions regime in the Council after five years is a huge responsibility, he emphasized that his country would have welcomed a more transparent and interactive process of negotiations to fully address all outstanding issues.

Carolyn Oppong-Ntiri (Ghana) welcomed efforts by Mexico and the United States to accommodate various delegations’ input and, ultimately, forge consensus on this resolution.  Gangs continue to perpetrate kidnappings and sexual violence on, and destroy the lives and livelihoods of, ordinary Haitians, and she expressed hope that the resolution will both address these challenges and signal to criminal actors perpetrating heinous crimes in Haiti that they will be held accountable.  The Council owes Haitians a response to the humanitarian and security crises in their country, but this resolution is only one step.  She therefore welcomed the text’s benchmarks that will enable the Council to assess the effectiveness and propriety of the measures therein.  Such measures also aim to ensure that no adverse humanitarian consequences result from their imposition, which is important given the history of previous, similar measures.  She called on neighbouring countries and others in the region to support the Council in implementing the resolution.

Nathalie Broadhurst Estival (France), expressing concern over the situation on ground, welcomed the unanimous adoption of the text that sanctions the inadmissible violent acts of gangs in Haiti.  She welcomed the constructive spirit in which discussions were held, and hoped such a spirit will continue onto the process of taking the next steps in mobilization for the country’s peace and security.

Michel Xavier Biang (Gabon), Council President for October, speaking in his national capacity, said that his country voted in favour of the resolution because the text aims to neutralize the gangs that are sowing terror in the country; dry up their financing; protect the civilian population, particularly women and children; and provide the conditions for a response to cholera.  He hoped that the text is immediately implemented in letter and spirit, underscoring the Council’s strong message of solidarity with Haiti’s people and its respect for the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

For his part, Antonio Rodrigue (Haiti), in welcoming the unanimous adoption of the resolution, stated that the new restrictive measures, including travel bans and asset freezes, will contribute to bringing an end to the violent and deadly activities of the armed groups in his country.  “It demonstrates the desire of the international community to play its role in settling this serious multidimensional crisis and to show the people that Haiti is not alone and its cries for help have been heard,” he added.  Pointing out that sanctions alone cannot eradicate the high level of violence ravaging his country, he reiterated that the national police does not have the capacity commensurate with the threat posed by the armed groups, further requesting for robust support in the form of a specialized force.  Highlighting that his country is in “a race against time”, he noted that it continues to plunge further into violence and insecurity each day.

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