UK at the Security Council on Haiti: insecurity must not outpace political progress, with gang rape figures and a warning on candidate eligibility

The United Kingdom told the UN Security Council on 19 October that Haiti “cannot afford another year in which insecurity outpaces political progress”. The statement was delivered by Ambassador Sarah MacIntosh, the UK Permanent Representative to the UN, and published by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office the same day.

Security and the Gang Suppression Force

The UK said gangs continue to terrorise communities and undermine state authority. It noted that the Council had renewed the mandate of the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) and the UN sanctions regime, the latter covered in UN Security Council renews Haiti sanctions for a year, with 14 votes in favour and a Russian abstention. London thanked the United States and the Standing Group of Partners for their work to expand the force.

The statement condemned recent attacks, including those over the weekend on Salvadoran members of the GSF. It cited progress such as a first operational presence outside Port-au-Prince, a stronger force headquarters and deployments to build capacity, and said close coordination with the Haitian authorities and compliance with the force’s human rights framework remain central.

Sexual violence

According to the figures the UK presented, almost 700 women and girls reported gang rape in July and August 2026 alone, and 87 per cent of them were subjected to collective rape. The UK welcomed improved reporting and response mechanisms supported by the UN Integrated Office in Haiti and the UN human rights office. It said coordination platforms in six police stations had identified and referred 151 cases of sexual violence to the police, 96 of them involving minors, and that much more remains to be done.

Elections

On the electoral process, the UK welcomed efforts to broaden participation, including measures to ease voter registration and reduce barriers. It warned that changes to candidate eligibility must not weaken safeguards against people who use violence, coercion or criminality to gain influence, and urged the authorities to keep the process credible while allowing all eligible Haitians to take part.

The UK said sustained improvement in security is essential for credible elections, and that those with influence over the gangs should use it to make them disarm and stop the violence. It pledged “sustained support” to the UN Special Representative for Haiti, who had asked for it.