UN officials urge continued support for Haiti as country prepares for 'historic' elections

Haiti's impending elections will be an “historic milestone” for the Caribbean country as it continues on its journey toward economic and political recovery, according to two senior United Nations officials.

“It has not been easy to arrive at this moment. The Haitian people have been waiting three years for these elections,” Under-Secretary-General for UN Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous and UN Development Programme (UNDP) Director for Latin America and the Caribbean Jessica Faieta declared in an op-ed published today in the Miami Herald. “Haiti has made significant strides to restore confidence in the political process and to hold elections on time.”

The opinion piece was released ahead of a meeting tomorrow, 16 July, at United Nations Headquarters, where UN officials, the Prime Minister of Haiti, Government representatives and international partners will reaffirm common commitment to the democratic consolidation of the country and solidarity with its people's aspirations and hopes for progress.

The elections – set to kick-off on 9 August – are wide-ranging in their scale and complexity. Some 6 million Haitians will vote for 1,280 representatives for local administrations, 140 mayors, 139 Parliamentarians and for the President. The several rounds of electoral processes could last until the end of the year and will aim to restore the country's Parliament, which has been absent since January.

The officials noted that the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and other UN partners have invested significant effort over recent years to strengthen national electoral capabilities. Indeed, thus far, the joint effort by the national authorities and international donors has generated enough resources to finance only the first round of polls.

Moreover, despite the great efforts so far achieved, Mr. Ladsous and Ms. Faieta both warned that much more has yet to be done for Haiti to complete the major elections and press ahead with its socioeconomic recovery, especially with a number of challenges still facing the country.

Haiti, for instance, continues to reel from the devastating 2010 earthquake which flattened large swathes of the island nation and killed more than 200,000 people. A cholera epidemic which caused 9,000 deaths and affected more than 735,000 people subsequently emerged in the earthquake's aftermath in October 2010.

Moreover, the series of disasters came at a particularly delicate time for the nation. The country itself was already attempting a political and economic recovery following the popular uprising that removed former Haitian President Jean-Claude Duvalier from office.

Mr. Ladsous and Ms. Faieta noted, however, that from the days of the Duvalier presidency to this summer's elections, a “vibrant” democracy had erupted across Haiti.

Today, alone, over 38,000 candidates will be represented at the polls.

“We cannot stop here. We appeal to all of Haiti's international partners to step up their efforts and support Haiti in crossing the finish line of this march toward peace and stability,” the two senior UN officials wrote in the United States-based newspaper. “While important contributions have been received from Haiti's partners, there is a crucial gap that needs to be filled. Without this support, the completion of the electoral cycle risks being jeopardized, as does Haiti's hard-won progress.”

The officials stressed that the upcoming elections will mark the longest period of institutional stability that the country has enjoyed in its recent history. It will be the second time since 2006 that a democratically elected president will hand over power to his successor.

“The process will have a positive effect on the sub-region, promoting socioeconomic development and regional stability,” they said.