A UN spokesperson announced on Tuesday that the United States has halted its financial contributions to a United Nations fund for a multinational security support mission in Haiti, which will prevent $13.3 million in pending aid from being disbursed.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, stated, “We received an official notification from the US requesting an immediate stop work order on their contribution” to the trust fund for the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, referring to the already underfunded Kenya-led force.
In October 2023, the UN Security Council approved the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission aimed at assisting Haiti’s authorities in their battle against criminal gangs that dominate large areas of the country.
The funding freeze from Washington is part of newly elected President Donald Trump’s initiative to cut US overseas aid, which includes efforts to close down USAID, the government’s primary aid agency.
In late January, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cautioned that without increased international support for the security mission, gangs could take control of Haiti’s capital.
Guterres stated that the international force requires additional funds, equipment, and personnel. He warned that further delays could lead to a “catastrophic” collapse of Haiti’s security institutions and allow gangs to take control of the entire metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince.
During a UN Security Council meeting, Haiti’s Foreign Minister Jean-Victor Harvel Jean-Baptiste stated that the country is confronting “major difficulties” that endanger both its population and “the very survival of the state.”
The MSS is not a UN force; however, the UN has established a voluntary fund to finance it, which has generated $110 million so far—an amount considered largely inadequate.
