Topic: 2026 – Situation in Haiti
Country: France
Delegate Name: Tatum Grimes
Topic: 2026-Situation in Haiti
Country: French Republic
Delegate Name: Tatum Grimes
For nearly the entirety of its history as a nation, Haiti’s people have been subject to unimaginably cruel conditions. The current situation is not unique when considered within the context of that history, and any plan that seeks to ameliorate the troubles that currently plague the people of Haiti must recognize said context and work towards a solution that offers the country a way forward that won’t simply lead back to where we are today. The UN’s current means of supplying aid have proven to be grossly insufficient, and the United States’ cuts to USAID have only worsened the situation. In 2020 the United States provided nearly two thirds of the overall funding for the UN’s humanitarian response plan in Haiti1, and the rest of the world has not picked up the slack. Securing new sources of funding for our relief efforts in Haiti needs to be the first step of a long process of bringing stability to the country. This does not, however, mean that after said funding is provided it can be allocated in the manner it was before. It is the opinion of The French Republic that there needs to be a radical overhaul in the both the actions and goals of the United Nation’s Haitian relief mission. There has been a tendency among some members of this council to conflate sovereignty and self-determination, and our efforts need to be more concentrated on the ladder. We can no longer pretend that the Haiti Transitional Presidential Council, who is yet to select a replacement for Alix Didier Fils-Aime, represents the Haitian people in any meaningful way, and it is a mistake to place respect for its authority over the safety of the Haitian people.
France’s history regarding Haiti has been one that the current Republic deeply regrets and will do everything in its power to make up for. President Macron has joined a commission with to establish exactly how much and in what form reparations should be paid for the over twenty billion dollars extorted from the nation for gaining its independence2. France is fully willing to invest very large sums of money into both helping Haiti through its current crisis and building new infrastructure to secure a better future for the country and its people. We also understand that simply funding existing plans isn’t enough and that France has a responsibility to engage in open dialogue with the Haitian people about how to best invest in their country. But before such a discussion can even begin, the people of Haiti need to be freed from the rule of gangs and criminals, and this can only be done with a plan that allows for the UNSC to take concrete action towards a goal, rather the exclusively preventative measures being taken right now.
There are three key actions that must be taken by this council if we want children being born in Haiti right now to ever know a nation free from violence and fear. The first action is to authorize offensive missions against the gangs occupying Port-au-Prince. For far too long, the UN has settled for creating refugee camps protected by peacekeepers who are in many cases not permitted to use lethal or even violent means to protect their residents3. Not only does that need change, but we should be taking the fight to the gangs occupying the city by funding and coordinating with Haitian law enforcement. The next step needs to be for the UN to work with the free parts of Haiti to establish a transitionary authority that has the support and recognition of the people. The HTPC, while noble in concept, has been a mess with no real power or control. This new emergency government needs to be created with both economic and military backing from UN member nations and hold legitimacy with the people. The final step is putting in place a long-term fund and plan for Haiti after the current crisis is over. The international community must support the return of free and fair elections to Haiti, and the UN should have a commission in place to be prepared for combating natural disasters and political instability that are common in the country.
For years now, the UN has treated this crisis as the kind of thing that will handle itself eventually, and aid as a temporary necessity while the situation cools down. It should be all too clear that the situation will not cool down without active involvement by world powers. When the Bosnian genocide was occurring, the United Nations sat on its hands while thousands of people were massacred. Things only improved in the region when the United States made the decision to take matters into its own hands and militarily engage with those committing atrocities. The United States isn’t going to bail us out again, and the UN needs to learn how to take concrete action itself. If we allow the people of Haiti to suffer without help, no one will be there for us when we need it.
“First Person: “Tomorrow Is Too Late” to Scale up Humanitarian Aid in Haiti.” UN News, 18 Aug. 2025, news.un.org/en/story/2025/08/1165676.
Debt Justice. “Haiti: Free from Slavery, Not yet Free from Debt.” Debt Justice, debtjustice.org.uk/countries-in-crisis/haiti-free-slavery-not-yet-free-debt.
“Haiti: Soaring Number of Displaced Desperately Need Protection and Aid Priority, UN Experts Urge.” OHCHR, 2024, www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/06/haiti-soaring-number-displaced-desperately-need-protection-and-aid-priority.
