Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on Haiti
United States Mission to the United Nations
Ambassador Dorothy Shea
Acting U.S. Representative
New York, New York
Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you Secretary-General António Guterres, Executive Director Catherine Russell, and Mr. Jean Jean Roosevelt for your briefings.
The United States remains concerned about escalating levels of violence in Haiti. The territorial expansion of the gangs threatens to undermine gains made by both the Haitian National Police and the Multinational Security Support mission.
We continue to condemn the recruitment of children in armed gangs and the disproportionate impact of gang violence on children. In 2024, Haiti was reported as one of the countries with the most violations and abuses against children, with the large majority committed by the Viv Ansanm coalition, which for the first time was listed in the Secretary-General’s report on children and armed conflict.
Due to the violence, over 1.3 million people – half of them children – have been displaced. Children face constant risks of being killed or injured during gang attacks, police operations, or acts of mob justice. Forced recruitment by gangs and recurring incidents of sexual violence rob children of the peaceful lives they deserve.
Corruption and indiscriminate violence remain major issues. We have taken concrete steps to counter impunity for those supporting violence in Haiti with the United States’ designation of Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists. We applaud this Council for the recent designation of Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif as well. This sends an important message from the international community that we hold bad actors and entities to account.
The United States recently announced a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest of gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, also known as Barbecue. In addition, we remain committed to the removal and prosecution of criminals and enablers hiding in the United States who contribute to the violence and destruction in Haiti.
These significant steps taken by the United States demonstrate the Trump Administration’s commitment to countering these criminal gangs and foreign terrorist organizations.
Mr. President, food insecurity also remains a pressing concern. Active humanitarian and lifesaving assistance awards continuing in Haiti include U.S.-grown emergency food aid, nutrition support, logistics, shelter, clean water, and medical services for crisis-affected Haitians. This sort of programming addresses critical needs like food, shelter, medical care for violence-affected children and survivors of sexual violence, cholera treatment and prevention, hygiene, and malnutrition treatment for families and children.
In June, the Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly and the United States co-sponsored a resolution which passed unanimously to galvanize action for Haiti and to complement efforts here at the UN. Moreover, the United States continues to work with the OAS as it proceeds with its roadmap for Haiti. This is an important step towards the regional leadership we expect on such shared regional challenges.
Mr. President, with respect to the MSS mission, the United States thanks Kenya for its dedication, leadership and support for over the past year. Kenya answered Haiti’s call at a critical moment, demonstrating an enormous compassion and courage, putting its people in harm’s way thousands of miles from home, and preventing a complete collapse of the Haitian state. Without the presence of the MSS mission, the gangs would have been even more emboldened in their ambitions and brazen atrocities against civilians in Haiti.
We would also like to thank The Bahamas, El Salvador, Belize, Guatemala, and Jamaica, for contributing personnel towards this effort, and to Canada for its sizable contribution to the UN Trust Fund and to the planning efforts. As we look to combat the threat of terrorist gangs looking to topple the State, we must ensure an even greater share of the international community is invested in the fight.
To address this, today, the United States and Panama are sharing a draft UN Security Council resolution with this Council to help address the growing violence by establishing a Gang Suppression Force and creating a UN Support Office to provide logistical support to efforts on the ground. We urge Council members: join us – join us in responding to the call from the Haitian government, as we forge a new path towards peace and security, and establish the UN Support Office to properly, and sustainably, resource this effort. This will ensure the mission has the tools at its disposal to take the fight to the gangs and ensure that the Haitian state can meet the foundational needs of its people.
President, we note the next international force must be resourced to hold territory, secure infrastructure, and complement the Haitian National Police. In parallel, a comprehensive approach is required to disrupt gang financing, arms trafficking, and other illicit flows fueling instability.
To make meaningful progress on this collective challenge, we need international stakeholders and donors to come to the table and join the United States, Panama, and others who have demonstrated their commitment to Haiti’s security, in meaningful burden sharing to help promote stability in Haiti. We stand with the Haitian people as they seek a secure, stable future for their country. We remain committed to working with the international community to drive progress forward in Haiti, and call on all Council members to take concrete action in support of this effort.
I thank you.
National Center of Haitian Apostolate
The commune of La Croix-des-Bouquets.
This week, I would like to write a text about the commune of La Croix-des-Bouquets. Despite the difficulties facing our country, Haiti, the inhabitants of this corner of the earth continue to hope against all odds and to work with great courage and pride for its recovery.
La Croix-des-Bouquets is the second largest commune in terms of area after Aquin (South Department). It covers an area of 530 km2, with a population of over 150,000. The diaspora community of La Croix-des-Bouquets is beginning to awaken. They understand the need to contribute to this land that has given birth to great women and men, by developing a close relationship with their sisters and brothers from Lakou Lakay. Lakou Lakay ap toujou rete Lakou Lakay.
Through this text, I would like to encourage all the Crucians in the diaspora who are beginning to come together, either on WhatsApp to pray as a family or to strengthen solidarity between family members, or in associations to see how they can contribute to their homeland, Croix-des-Bouquets. If the forces of evil are uniting against Haiti, why is it so difficult for us to come to an understanding and work together to block the path of the forces of darkness that want to destroy our beloved Haiti, for whom our heroes agreed to shed their blood in order to bequeath to us a country where there is room for everyone?
In the situation we find ourselves in today, we must make a tremendous effort to overcome our egos and our differences, to unite all our forces to work together to give a new face to Haiti and to our homeland, Croix-des-Bouquets. It is high time for us to emulate our beautiful motto: "Unity is strength." We must often remind ourselves that our differences are sometimes a great source of wealth.
In this text, I would like to congratulate all our predecessors, all those who worked diligently to give La Croix-des-Bouquets a community high school in 1964, called Lycée Jacques 1er, which became a national high school after 1986. These people were great visionaries who understood the importance for their children and the other young people of La Croix-des-Bouquets of having a solid education to better build their future. It is worth adding that, without the support of the Haitian government or foreign organizations, they founded this high school, which has become one of the heritage sites of the commune of La Croix-des-Bouquets. The Lycée Jacques 1er in La Croix-des-Bouquets has trained great men, women, and professionals of the highest caliber: engineers, doctors, lawyers, agronomists, pastors, priests, nurses, nuns, accountants, and teachers, to name a few. They are a great source of pride for the Crucian community. We will never cease to congratulate and thank those who founded the high school for this calculated risk. They made great sacrifices, overcame many obstacles, and took on many challenges to enable many of the Crucian youth of the time to begin their secondary education. We will never forget our poor farmers who agreed to donate 50 centimes from each cane harvest to help provide a small salary for the teaching staff of the community high school in La Croix-des-Bouquets. Sometimes these teachers could go between three and four months without receiving this pittance. How much did these teachers earn at the time? The names of these Crucian deserve to be written in gold letters in the annals of the Lycée Jacques 1er in La Croix-des-Bouquets. Their example deserves to be emulated for their great love for their native land.
I still remember the meeting the Pitit Manman Wozè Group held in early January 2025 with several members of the Crucian community (priests, nuns, and a few professionals from Haiti and the diaspora) to discuss how we could establish a nursing faculty in La Croix-des-Bouquets. In March 2025, this group successfully elected a board of directors chaired by Professor Jean Frantz Théodat, former dean of the National Institute of Management Administration and Advanced International Studies (INAGHEI) and former Director of the General Directorate of Taxation.
The good and great news is that this board of directors, together with the Gwoup Pitit Manman Wozè, is working hard to open this faculty on October 6, 2025.
Filmmakers premiere “Stay With Me” at Urban Film Festival as a love letter to Haitian courage
Childhood friends reunite for film inspired by true events
by The Haitian Times Aug. 27, 2025
Overview:
The Urban Film Festival in Miami will feature Stay with Me, a new short film by Haitian creatives Samuel Ladouceur and Yanatha Desouvre
When “Stay with Me” premieres Aug. 31 at the Urban Film Festival in Downtown Miami, it will arrive as more than just another short film. The story, inspired by true events, is what its creators call “a love letter to the courage of the Haitian community amidst violence.”
Directed by Samuel Ladouceur and written by executive producer Yanatha Desouvre, the 9-minute short centers on a tense afternoon between investigative journalist Margaret Goodman, played by Geegee Rock and her teenage son Grayson, played by Akili McDowell, known for his role in Billions, the drama series on Showtime.
Set against the backdrop of political unrest in Haiti, Goodman’s reporting on corruption has put her family at risk. Over a simple meal, mother and son grapple with fear, duty and the weight of violence that shadows their lives.
The film weaves their intimate conversation with real footage of turmoil in Haiti, underscoring both the danger Goodman faces in pursuing the truth and the toll it takes on her son. At its heart, “Stay With Me” is a portrait of resilience — a mother refusing to back down, and a child longing for safety — that speaks to the courage of families caught in cycles of grief and conflict.
The project marks a reunion for Ladouceur and Desouvre, childhood friends who reconnected this summer to collaborate on the film.
“What motivated me to write and produce this story is [that] there are people behind that violence. There are families behind that violence. Stay with Me is an ode to fearless journalism and the courage it takes to hold the powerful accountable,” said Desouvre. “Journalism for me is one of the last barriers of a world going into anarchy.”
Their next film, Fortunate Son, which would be their first feature film tells the story of Margaret’s son, Grayson, now an aspiring journalist after his best friend is gunned down amid political turmoil in Port-au-Prince. He risks everything to uncover the truth behind the murder, exposing a web of corruption and power that threatens his family, his community, and his own life.
The film pays homage to Desouvre’s late Sunday school teacher, who was shot and killed when the director was 7 ½ years old.
“Yanatha and I grew up in church together, Yanatha’s dad was the director for all of the Christmas plays, since the mid-90s,” said Ladouceur. “His father encouraged me to be behind the camera since I was very little. “It wasn’t until the filming of ‘The Sweetest Girl’ in August 2020, that I had an opportunity to express my appreciation and gratitude to Yanatha’s dad.”
Akili McDowell as Grayson Goodman and Yanatha Desouvre as Christian Sainvil (inspired by Yanatha Desouvre’s real-life Sunday School teacher, who was shot and killed when he was only 7 1/2 years old in Brooklyn, New York, in the mid-80s).
Desouvre, a best-selling author and professor of entrepreneurship at Miami Dade College, has received accolades for his screenwriting.
Ladouceur’s body of work spans shorts, television and major films, including “Person of Interest,” “Unstoppable,” “Power and Boardwalk Empire.” In 2020, he directed “The Sweetest Girl,” which earned wide acclaim in festival circles, including Best Short film at the Urban Film Festival in 202.
The screening for “Stay with Me” is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 31 at Silver Spot Cinema in downtown Miami. Admission is free.
Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Urban Film Festival has grown into one of the largest free film festivals in the country. Held across Historic Overtown and downtown Miami over Labor Day weekend, the festival blends red carpet premieres, exclusive industry panels and community-centered programming.
Alongside “Stay with Me,” the festival will feature official selection screenings, film workshops and industry discussions — all live and free to the public.
INSTITUTE FOR JUSTICE & DEMOCRACY IN HAITI
Dear Friend of IJDH,
We have amazing news: the IJDH community has generated so many calls and so many signatures during Capitol Hill’s slowest week of the year that the lawyers got an extension for the Congressional amicus brief on Haitian TPS, and the Congressional leaders extended the signature deadline to Wednesday, September 3, at noon.
Call today to keep making a difference for 350,000 Haitians facing forced return to horrific conditions!!
So far we have four Senators and 43 Representatives stepping up for truth and our Haitian neighbors. That’s exciting, but we need more to have an impact. A list of signers is below. If any of your Senators or Representative are not on the list, please call them TODAY.
Calling is really easy! Just dial Congress’ switchboard, (202) 225-3121 and provide either the name of your Congress Member or your address, and you will be patched through. Tell the person or voicemail this simple message:
“This is [your name], calling from [your town] to urge [Representative/Senator X] to consider signing the amicus brief led by Senator Markey and Representative Cherfilus-McCormick opposing the termination of TPS for Haiti. This is time-sensitive, as signatures close on Wednesday September 3 at noon to meet a court deadline. Please contact Adam Safran in Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick’s office for details.”
We know there is significant low-hanging fruit out there (as befits late August)! For example, only one Representative from Massachusetts has signed on, even though they all consistently support Haiti and immigration fairness. So I will be forwarding this action alert to friends and family across the state, and calling my Rep (for the third time). There are dozens more Members of Congress who will readily sign, if only we make sure that they know about it.
Red State calls are still important!!! A national immigration advocacy leader called yesterday and said he 100% agrees with our call to engage with Republican members. He thinks that doing so will soften opposition to continuing TPS for Haiti, while supporting promising efforts by business and faith leaders to quietly build a constituency for fair immigration policy in the Republican Caucus.
Gratefully,
Brian Concannon
PS: Click here for more information on Haitian TPS and our lawsuit
PPS: Signers so far are Senators Markey, Padilla, Van Hollen and Warren, and Representatives Sewell, Figures (both AL); L. Simon, Waters (both CA); J. Hayes (CT); Degette (CO); McBride (DE); Holmes Norton (DC); Cherfilus-McCormick, S. Wilson, Wasserman Schultz, Frost, Castor and Soto (all Florida); H. Johnson, N. Williams (both GA); J. Jackson, D. Davis, Schakowsky (all IL); Carson (IN); T Carter (LA); Mfume (MD); Pressley (MA); Tlaib (MI); W. Bell (MO); Titus, Horsford (both NV); Clarke, Velazquez, Torres, Tonko, Meng (all NY); Evans (PA); Amo, Magaziner (both RI); S. Cohen (TN); S. Garcia, Doggett (both TX); Plaskett (VI); McClellan (VA); Jayapal (WA); and G. Moore (WI).
PPS: Best to call today, to give offices time to review the amicus. But calls can still have an impact through Tuesday.
Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH)
892 Plain Street, Suite 1 | Marshfield, Massachusetts 02050
857-201-0991 |