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With new Government in place, UN urges united effort to rebuild Haiti

MINUSTAH peacekeepers stand guard in Cité Soleil
MINUSTAH peacekeepers stand guard in Cité Soleil

With new Government in place, UN urges united effort to rebuild Haiti

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti has congratulated the country’s new Prime Minister and his cabinet and urged all actors to work together to rebuild a strong and democratic nation.

Garry Conille and his 16 ministers were inaugurated in a ceremony in the capital, Port-au-Prince, yesterday, after receiving the approval of the Haitian Parliament, which had rejected the two earlier candidates nominated by President Michel Martelly.

In a news release issued last night, the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) said it hopes that the Executive, the Parliament and other forces will “continue to work together to strengthen democratic institutions, promote the rule of law and facilitate an environment conducive to social and economic development.”

With the new Government now in place, MINUSTAH calls on all parties to unite to carry out the necessary measures to rebuild a new Haiti, fully respectful of democratic values.

The mission pledged the continued support of the entire UN family to support the Haitian people and Government as they take on the challenges facing the country, which has been torn by instability, afflicted by hurricanes, floods and landslides, and is still struggling to recover from the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed over 200,000 people and displaced 2.3 million more.

Last week the Security Council extended MINUSTAH’s mandate for another year, until October 2012, and called on the international community to work closely with the mission to assist the impoverished nation on education, health, reconstruction and security matters.

Meanwhile, the mission’s human rights section, along with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), is partnering with a local organization known as the Support Centre for Women Victims of Sexual Abuse (CAFVAS) in combating gender-based violence.

The organization last week officially opened its new premises in the Martissant section of Port-au-Prince in an effort to provide medical, psychological and legal assistance to victims of violence, including sexual abuse.