UN supports Claude as PM, promises to aid with elections and security

 

Helen La Lime (r), the Special Representative for Haiti at the United Nations, said that she is supporting Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph as he moves Haiti forward after Jovenel Moïse’s assassination.

The Special Representative for Haiti at the United Nations, Helen La Lime, approved of the interim prime minister and his decision to hold elections following the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.

"[La Lime] acknowledged the legitimacy of Prime Minister Claude Joseph to lead the Caribbean nation, following the “cowardly” assassination [and] welcomed his government’s commitment to hold national elections later this year,” the U.N. said in a public statement. 

La Lime’s comments came hours after the U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting to discuss Haiti’s latest crisis. She said Joseph was promoting dialogue by moving forward with legislative elections and a constitutional referendum. The first round is scheduled for Sept. 26 and then a second round in November. 

La Lime outlined three outcomes that need to happen in order for the country to establish new governance.

Number one is a thorough investigation that identifies the assassins who murdered President Jovenel Moïse July 7 and brings the assailants to justice.

“We will continue to wait for further developments, and to assist as we can,” said La Lime, also the head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti. 

During the closed-door meeting of the Security Council, members of the international body also discussed providing security assistance to help Haiti with the murder investigation into Moïse’s death. Such assistance could be provided specifically to aid the economy and address social unrest, as well as rising hunger and poverty problems, she said. However, the Haitian government must outline which issues it would like the UN to address in particular.

“In the meantime, we need to continue to use the technical assistance we have on the ground, maybe render it more dynamic, so that we can call on additional support,” she said.

The third outcome La Lime emphasized is the importance of peaceful dialogue between authorities and stakeholders in order to have the public decide who the next president will be.

“Our message is that stakeholders need to set aside their differences, and to chart a common way forward, and overcome this difficult moment, in a peaceful manner,” La Lime said.

Read the full statement here.

This story was originally published in The Haitian Times.