UN Secretary-General renews call to help Haiti

SECRETARY-GENERAL of the UN António Guterres has repeated his call for nations with the logistical, tactical and necessary equipment to volunteer their services in bringing peace to Haiti.

Speaking at a joint media conference with the Prime Minister at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s, on Monday, Guterres said, “It is time for all those who have the capacity to create the basic conditions for us to exist, to volunteer themselves and participate.”

Guterres first made the call on Saturday during a visit to Haiti. He said thanks to arms smuggling, “the horrible capacity of the gangs” in Haiti is allowed to flourish. This, he said should be a full priority for the international community.

Dr Rowley also said Haiti will be a major talking point during the Caricom discussions and promised to give further details after the meeting. Caricom is also speaking with Canada and African nations to assist, he said.

“The problem has gone beyond the region  (to) wherever help can be had. So there is a lot to be said about Haiti.”

Guterres said once, arms trafficking was a by-product of drugs, but now it is becoming a problem in and of itself, which severely undermines the security of several countries in the region.

He said arms trafficking should be looked at as a serious threat to global peace and security.

Like climate change, he said, the issue of illegal guns in the region is a "very essential" issue to be addressed.

On the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy, Guterres said each country should not be expected to move at the same pace.

“I have advocated for a just and equitable transition, which means that not all countries need to be treated in the same way,” he said, adding that the UN’s position on fossil fuels is to phase out their usage and progressively use renewable energy to sustain economic development in the world.