Gabonese Republic

United Nations Security Council

UCL United Nations Association

Delegates: Harry Sun, Malak Bouklata

Topic: "The situation in Haiti"

“Quand les toiles d’araignées s’unissent, elles peuvent retenir même un lion”
“When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion”

Introduction
The human impacts of political instability in Haiti is terrifying, economically intolerable, and
politically alarming. Chilling scenes of gang rule, kidnappings and sexual violence remind
Gabon of its own politically unstable past. A past which has only been relegated to the
history books thanks to development of strong state institutions and a robust democratic civil
society. While Gabon has traditionally adhered to the principles of upholding state
sovereignty and therefore non-interference in the domestic affairs of other nations, which are
principles supported by the United Nations Charter, we must act to restore key state
institutions and public functions such as schools, hospitals, and policing in Haiti. We are
increasingly concerned by the ineffective nature of previous military interventions in Haiti by
the international community, and wish to see a shift in focus towards state-building and
community empowerment.

Efforts by the UN and the United Nations Security Council

The United Nations (UN) and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) have been
tackling the situation of political instability in Haiti. Empowered by the resolve of the
international community to end human suffering in Haiti, this Council passed resolution 2653
(2022) demanding ‘immediate cessation of violence, criminal activities and violations of
human rights’ which has compromised regional security. Resolution 2653 comprises a
targeted package of measures including travel bans, asset freezes, and an embargo of arms
sale and transfer to entities identified as perpetuating violence and unrest in Haiti.
In a December 2022 meeting, this Council heard from the editor of respected Haitian news
outlet Haitian Liberté that ‘Haitian people are almost universally opposed to more United
Nations interventions, except for Haiti’s tiny bourgeoisie’. In the subsequent debate,
members of this Council ‘highlighted the need to address the multifaceted nature of Haiti’s
political, economic, humanitarian and security crisis’, moving beyond an interventionist
approach towards one of community empowerment and nation-building.
Gabon: Potential Challenges
Acknowledging the great humanitarian suffering experienced by the Haitian people, Gabon
stands in unity with fellow members in recognising that inaction simply will not do.
However, Gabon stands by its constitutional principle of respect for sovereignty and non-
interference in the domestic affairs of other sovereign nations. While Gabon support political
stability, reduction of crime, and reintroduction of democracy in Haiti, we commit to the
principles of peaceful coexistence and international cooperation by refraining from direct
interference in internal Haitian affairs.

Furthermore, Gabon faces the real threat of political instability at home. While 2019 political
and institutional reforms have eased political tensions within Gabon, we are a small nation
which needs to prioritise the distribution of scarce resources towards the good of our people.
We are unable to meaningfully resource large-scale, long-running international military
operation to restore in Haiti.

Solutions:
Gabon believes in the Council’s previously resolved stance that the Haitian situation ‘cannot
be resolved (purely) through foreign intervention, military force or even sanctions’. Rather,
Gabon proposes a three-pronged approach towards community building and long-term local
empowerment in the region:

1. Funding for provision of essential services

Gabon believes that the basis for a stable society is the provision of essential services
such as power, water, healthcare and education. The international community can take
its first step towards stabilising Haiti by funding the construction of critical public
infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals. Through partnerships with local NGOs,
this Council must ensure that these facilities are adequately staffed with professionals.

2. Creating stable job opportunities

When citizens have opportunities to find meaningful work, they generate an income
which sustains their family. This reduces the need for Haitian citizens to turn to arms
or crime for income. In the medium term, the international community should focus
on upskilling Haitians such that citizens are able to make use of Haiti’s abundant
natural resources for their economic betterment.

3. Investment in infrastructure
The international community should invest in Haitian infrastructure, such as
hydropower dams, and ensure that such projects are locally-owner by the Haitian
people. Haiti has abundant natural resources, such as gold, copper and marble, and
waterways suitable for the development of hydropower facilities. By investing in
these facilities, the international community will enable Haiti to generate a sustainable
income, preventing the need for crime and fostering an atmosphere of stability.

Conclusion
In a nation precariously tethering on the brink of prolonged conflict, the international
community must not be drawn into its tendency of military intervention. Haiti is a sovereign
country, and the wishes of its people to self-govern must be respected.

Given the surge of political instability, violent crime, and crippling poverty in the nation,
Gabon believes that the previous mistake of international intervention by force must not be
repeated. Rather, we must create a collaborative investment plan which tackles the basic
humanitarian suffering of the Haitian people by building hospitals, schools and other
essential facilities in the short term, while investing in the long-term development of Haiti
through infrastructure development and upskilling of the Haitian people.

Bibliography
  Proverbs: https://proverbsafricanliterature.wordpress.com/country-
profile/central-africa/gabon/
He who conceals its disease cannot expect to be cured
Celui qui dissimule ses maux ne peut s’attendre à guérir.

What is inflated too much will burst into fragments.

The frog wanted to be as big as the elephant and burst.

SOLUTIONS:
 Prevention, Peacekeeping, Peacebuilding
 CAN THE SITUATION BE DESCRIBED AS A WAR AGAINST DRUGS???
 Addressing the issues regarding each actor:

- Alternative source of income for farmers living in the region

- Addressing the situation in Myanmar => factor that contributed to the
increase of opium production
- Economic sanctions against Sam Gor???
- A reckoning with the junta ruling Myanmar (faire un bilan)

DRUGS in GABON: https://africa.ocindex.net/country/gabon#:~:text=Cannabis%20is%20the

%20most%20commonly,and%20Central%20African%20entry%20points.
In Gabon => one of the strongest psychedelic drugs = IBOGA (https://slate.com/news-and-
politics/2016/12/gabon-tourists-want-to-try-one-of-the-worlds-strongest-psychedelic-
drugs.html) :
- Locals in Gabon have been consuming it for centuries
- But outside of the small Central African nation, not many people have heard
of the drug
- Once the preserve of the tribes who discovered it + religion that emerged
around it
- Today = draws foreign enthusiasts and foreign tourists

The way the trade works:

- Poppy plant harvested in Myanmar
- Plant is sent across the border to Thailand + Laos to be refined in laboratories
- Then shipped worldwide (across the Asia-Pacific region, Taiwan, Australia)
- TODAY = production of high-quality synthetic drugs (Japan, Australia, US)

ACTORS:
 A) Poppy fields:
- Either dug mafias
- Farmers trying to feed themselves => ‘when the crops fail, or hard times befall
the region, they have no option but to turn to opium’
B) International business of refining and shipping drugs
- Handled by groups of Chinese tiads
- Ex: Sam Gor / the company Sam Gor based in Myanmar (previous leader: Tse
Chi lop)
 Triads = incredibly difficult to get a hand on + they are the drugs’
gateaway to the world

CONSEQUENCES ON:
A) The people
Job scams
Human and sex trafficking markets
Child labour + child soldiers
Displacement of over 1 million people in Myanmar
 The perpetrators of these crimes operate in regions of the country
where ‘the current military government has little power or interest in
administrating’ => IMPUNITY

 Raymond Ndong Sima (Prime Minister) speech during the 78th session
de l’Assemblée Générale = https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=rcovxYXgNA8
Promote international peace and security
I stand before this august assembly in an unprecedented context for my country which has
emerged from trials and tribulations following a chaotic electoral process which was
interrupted on 30th August
Intervention condemned by the international community
HOWEVER, it is essential to recall the Gabonese political context that justified this takeover
of power
List of accusations against the prior gvrnmt
Given the situation the defense and security forces had a choice between: either repress the
protests again the ‘elected’ government running the risk that sooner or later they would be
the ones persecuted by international jurisdiction for their responsibility OR they could
choose to interrupt to interrupt this fraudeulent election

President, 78 years after the UN was created an endless cycle of crises continues to cloud
aspirations and darken the Horizon for sustainable peace btwn and within the nation.
The multiple crises of solidarity, security crises, humanitarian crises, health crises, climate
crises, geopolitical crises fuel sentiments of mistrust vis-à-vis international institutions and
mechanisms.
Indeed the system of collective and indivisible security advocated for by the UNCharter
patently appears as fiction in numerous regions of the world.
Pray to the upheavals of War particularly in Africa and the region of Sahel, the Horn of Africa
the region of the great lakes, they have become true epicenter of instability. In the majority
of these regions, predation for natural resources is a significant source of conflict to a pont
where these resources become a real curse for the countries that possess them.
President, today we are at an inflection point which requires each and every member of the
international community to take ownership once again of the objectives of the UN Charter
and it requires a reconciliation with the aspirations of peoples of the world.
It is crucial to reframe the social contract btwn nations whatever their size and population
and bearing in mind that every people counts.
We must above all recalibrate how we project our identity as peoples of the world,
prioritizing dialogue, each and every time over fighting / prioritising cooperation over the
spirit of US vs them
We must further ado carry out a real structural transformation of the peace and security
architecture of our organization and adapt mechanisms for promoting peace and security to
a global context marked by ever-changing crises and conflicts

GABON reaffirms that prevention is a tool that is more than essential. It must be the heart of
our actions if we want to see Consolidated and lasting peace. The efforts of international
community in terms of prevention have so far been slow, ill-adapted and underfunded.
Indeed, the absence of sufficient resources for the work of our organization for prevention
and peace building has contributed to a resurgence of crises during transitions

 Gabon’s position towards:

Nuclear weapons
Financing the fight against climate change

SECURITY COUNCIL:
- To maintain international peace and security in accordance with the
principles and purposes of the UN
- To investigate any dispute or situation which might lead to international
friction
- To recommend methods for the establishment of a system to regulate
armaments
- To determine the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression and
to recommend what action should be taken
- To take military action against an aggressor
- To recommend the admission of new Members
- To exercise the trusteeship functions of the UN in ‘strategic areas’
- To recommend to the General Assembly the appointment of the Secretary-
General and, together with the Assembly, to elect the Judges of the ICJ