UN: Haiti still in need of international support despite successful elections

UN: Haiti still in need of international support despite successful elections

2011-04-07 05:17:47 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday said that Haiti will continue to need strong international support despite the successful presidential elections.

"The United Nations will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Haitian Government and people in the noble and necessary work of building a more just and prosperous future," said Ban.

The progress was consolidated with the presidential elections and run-off poll that successfully concluded in March 20. On Monday, preliminary results indicated that popular singer Joseph Michel Martelly was victorious.

The official results will be announced on April 16 but no change is expected as Martelly received 67.57 percent of the votes while his opposition, former first lady Mirlande Manigat, gained only 31.74 percent.

"But while important progress has indeed been achieved, Haiti continues to face daunting challenges. The country's economy is on its knees. Public institutions are barely able to deliver essential services," added Ban.

The Secretary-General remarked that millions of Haitians remain dependent on the assistance of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to meet their most basic needs and many women are victims of sexual violence.

"Rule of law reform must be a top priority for Haiti's next President. Haiti's judicial system is deeply dysfunctional. Its prisons remain dangerously overcrowded. Property records are unreliable and non-existent. Public expenditures often lack transparency," said the UN chief.

The remarks were made in an open debate of the Security Council on Haiti. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton also addressed the Council and reported the progress made by the Interim Haiti Reconstruction Commission.

Clinton, who serves as the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Haiti, remarked that the Commission has approved more than 87 projects, valued at $3.26 billion, and that will help over 2 million Haitians.

The Security Council on Haiti welcomed the ongoing electoral process in Haiti and stressed the importance of its completion in a "peaceful, credible and legitimate" way that will consolidate democracy and complete the constitutional reform.

Furthermore the Council urged the next Haitian president to strengthen the country's democratic institutions. The body also called on the international community to continue to its vital support, and on donors to fulfill their pledges without delay.

Secretary-General Ban congratulated the Haitian people for exercising their right to elect their next president but remarked that the new government will have the enormous task of rebuilding a country struck by a devastating earthquake and a cholera epidemic last year.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-04-07