Address by President Luis Abinader to the Permanent Council

The Honourable Ambassador Lou-Anne Gilchrist, Chair of the Permanent Council and Permanent Representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; His Excellency Irfaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, whom we asked to join us after a meeting today at the White House; and likewise the dear and Honourable Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, thank you very much for accepting this invitation; His Excellency Luis Almagro Lemes, Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS); His Excellency Nestor Mendez, Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States; permanent and alternate representatives of the member states of the Organization of American States; permanent observers; ladies and gentlemen.

On behalf of the Dominican people, I wish to convey to you a warm greeting. It is an honour for me to speak before this Permanent Council on behalf of the Government of the Dominican Republic in this Hall of the Americas, which for one hundred and ten years has witnessed the most important conversations for keeping peace and governance on our continent. I also take this opportunity, with great sorrow, to express our condolences to the member states and permanent observers of this Organization that belong to the Commonwealth of Nations on the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Her example of dedication to public service will be remembered always.

I begin by telling you how, despite great adversity in our country, we have brought about positive and significant change for the Dominican people. Like all the countries of the region and the world, we face the enormous challenges posed by the effects of a pandemic, a war and climate change.

Our Government concentrated on containing the spread of the virus from very early on. By vaccinating swiftly we managed to reduce the lethality of that terrible disease. This brought us recognition and admiration, which we humbly receive and are grateful for; last May, for example, the World Health Organization (WHO) commended the performance and leadership of the Dominican Republic in the face of the pandemic.

While we fought to preserve the health of Dominicans, we also concentrated on reactivating the economy. In 2021 our country grew by 12.3 percent, placing it among the ten fastest-growing economies in the world. We concentrated on recovering tourism, and did so with such success that the World Tourism Organization recognized us as the number one country in the world in the recovery of tourism. Our results are the product of a hard-working people, an enterprising private sector, a consolidated democracy and a government committed to administering well and to confronting impunity and corruption. We recently promulgated an asset forfeiture law that will allow the Dominican State to recover assets acquired through illicit acts arising from drug trafficking, corruption and other serious crimes. Notwithstanding these and other advances, we must address responsibly the challenges before us as a country and as a region.

The Dominican Republic faces at home a singular situation, unique in the whole Hemisphere. We refer to the impact on our economy, our security and our social stability of the prolonged crisis in the Republic of Haiti. The effects of the multidimensional crisis in that country exceed our individual capacity and are a threat to the stability and security of the entire region. For the Dominican Republic it is a matter of national security. I wish to repeat it, so that it is engraved in the memory of this solemn protocolary meeting of the Permanent Council in the Hall of the Americas: the crisis overflowing the borders of Haiti is a threat to the national security of the Dominican Republic.

It is impossible to deny the danger posed when a State lacks control and the monopoly of force over its territory. We face the real possibility that criminal gangs operating in Haiti may attempt to breach our territorial integrity and seek to disturb order and public security in our country. For a long time now the transit of people and goods from our country into Haiti has been extremely risky.

Our Government is doing and will do everything within its reach to guarantee the peace and security of our citizens and of all persons under our jurisdiction. That is why we have begun building a perimeter fence in the most vulnerable and sensitive areas. We have also taken measures to prohibit the entry into our country of individuals associated with these groups and of those who deliberately threaten our stability.

In the multilateral sphere, the Dominican Republic advocates robust mandates from the international community that allow the Haitian authorities to have the assistance and cooperation needed to overcome violence and its causes urgently, by strengthening the capacities of their State, which, regrettably, has not been possible so far. That is why we call on this Organization and its Secretary General to play a relevant part in achieving the objectives set out in United Nations Security Council resolution 2645 of July 15 of this year. That resolution recognizes and legitimizes the crucial role played by neighbouring countries and by regional and subregional organizations, including this Organization of American States.

How can the OAS help?

1. Haiti has requested cooperation to improve the security of certain critical infrastructure, especially its ports and airports. The Dominican Republic has shared this interest and has backed all the initiatives conceived within the Inter-American Committee on Ports to make this objective a reality. Very little has been achieved so far; this is urgent action, and efforts must be redoubled.

2. The Organization of American States must assist in creating mechanisms and capacities for the control of the arms and ammunition that reach the hands of criminal organizations. This matter is critical and is among the operative paragraphs of resolution 2645 of the Security Council of the United Nations (UN).

3. That the OAS coordinate with member states and the UN the training, instruction and controlled supply of the public security forces, that is, the Haitian National Police.

4. As soon as security conditions permit, it is necessary to work with the Haitian authorities to organize an electoral process that results in a government and elected authorities with leadership, legitimacy and popular backing. The OAS must continue to carry out fundamental work for democratic elections, and one such task is to provide the entire Haitian population with a proper civil registry.

This activity was under way until a few months ago, and the security situation did not allow the officials of the Organization of American States to continue.

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me now to refer to our expectations regarding the role of the international community in the security situation. The Dominican Republic took part in the discussion and negotiation of the terms of the mandate of the United Nations political mission established in Haiti in 2020. Since the departure of the UN Stabilization Mission, we have insisted on the creation of strong multidimensional mandates, properly financed, that give priority to the needs defined by the Haitian authorities.

Two years as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council were not enough to achieve full understanding of the urgency. The result of that lack of understanding is the crisis we are living through today. We salute the work now being done in that body by two member states of this Organization: the United Mexican States and Brazil. Their enthusiastic and determined participation is fundamental, and I wish to recognize it here.

Mr. Secretary General, only a few weeks ago we received your report on “The situation in Haiti”. Laden with reality, your words echoed a collective feeling that no one had captured so succinctly before. Now is the time for action, for bringing efforts together and for driving processes of change. We know of your effort and of the steps you have been taking on Haiti’s behalf.

We are also aware of what many of the countries gathered here have provided over the years in human, economic and technical resources to assist the Haitian people in humanitarian matters, in recovery from natural disasters and in security. What, then, has been missing? What has been missing? That is the conversation we must have, and the one this Organization must promote. The Dominican Republic requested, and it has been so decided, that the next regular session of the General Assembly of the OAS take steps in this direction, and that from there the foundations be laid for a constructive and fluid exchange with the Haitian Government, with the United Nations and with all those who have the wish and the will to cooperate and assist.

Today Vice President Kamala Harris said, in the presence of our leaders of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), two of them present here, President Ali and Prime Minister Mottley, that Haiti cannot wait any longer; that its present situation may be defined as “a low-intensity civil war”. We must act responsibly, and action must be taken now. Thousands of people are dying. Once again, the Dominican Republic has the need and the duty to reiterate that the most lasting and solid response to the Haitian crisis should come from Haitians. We advocate and wish that it be so, but we must be frank and often step away from diplomatic language; we see the possibility of understanding and consensus in that neighbouring nation as ever more distant.

Distinguished representatives, if the Americas are a zone of peace, as I said a moment ago, it is due in great measure to the inter-American system, whose backbone is this Organization. The OAS is as relevant today as it was seventy-four years ago. It has allowed us to create spaces for dialogue, harmonize our legal systems, strengthen the protection of human rights and, in general, create shared democratic values. I firmly believe that this Organization has many more fruits to offer our peoples, and I invite all our governments to keep working to reform it. We all face local, regional and global challenges, but only with loyal cooperation among states will we be able to respond properly to each of these problems.

Our country, the Dominican Republic, has always offered more solutions than problems, and in that line we will keep working, contributing and engaging in dialogue for a continent at peace, fairer, more inclusive and more caring; an America that is more prosperous, more just and more respectful of human rights is the commitment of the Dominican Republic.

Thank you very much, and may God bless you all.