Canada propose deployment of Peacekeepers in Haiti

Amidst the gang crisis in Haiti, the delegation of Canada at the UN DISEC summit are proposing to deploy UN Peacekeeping Forces and lead a UN-led rebuilding effort to stabilize the country by putting forth a UN mandate through passing a Bloc resolution paper. 

The first two sessions of the United Nations Disarmament and International Security summit have been successful in proposing diverse solutions to the ever-worsening current gang crisis in Haiti. Canada seeks to pass a Bloc resolution paper to put forth a UN mandate to deploy UN Peacekeepers in Haiti to maintain and improve security, aid in the UN-led rebuilding effort, and help Haiti reclaim its democracy and state sovereignty.

Below is an audio transcription of an interview with Hannah Gabor, a delegate of Canada at the summit after her speech on the need to deploy Peacekeeping Forces.

Interviewer: Could you give a quick overview of Canada’s proposal for Haiti?

Gabor: Canada’s proposal with Haiti is essentially a UN mandate, just because we feel that attacking individual issues like education, like government, like arms control isn’t enough. And just because peacekeeping missions have in the past failed, does not mean that we cannot learn from our mistakes and implement them in the future.

Interviewer: You mentioned you want to use the UN to help rebuild Haiti. How exactly will that work?

Gabor: UN peacekeeping missions have worked in the past before, it’s orders, laws, legislations, it’s worked before. We plan on essentially just going back to 2010 before the earthquake and before the cholera outbreak, input more funding, more peacekeepers to really ensure and develop Haiti into a nation that can support itself. So train Haitian police, set up education systems, and enforce government systems.

The delegation has taken into consideration the public perception of UN Peacekeeping capabilities amidst growing tensions, instability, and exaggerations of past failures.

While public opinion of UN Peacekeepers is mixed, Canada assures that the Peacekeeping forces have had many successes and prevented numerous deaths throughout the last 80 years, and that deploying Peacekeepers is the only way to stabilize Haiti, and restore true democratic sovereignty, as Canada has helped do with Haiti through Peacekeeping for decades before the 2010 crisis. 

Multiple other delegations at the DISEC summit have also proposed a Peacekeeping force in a large-scale disarmament effort alongside Canada.