UN Secretary-General meets with Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council

– urges progress to install elected government in February 2026

The regional and international effort to return Haiti to normalcy continues. Following the work of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), led by President Dr. Irfaan Ali when he was chairman, Haiti was able to establish a Transitional Presidential Council. And United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres has urged the council to ensure that elections are held.
According to a UN statement, Guterres met with Leslie Voltaire, a member of Haiti’s presidential transition council. During the meeting, he congratulated Haiti on making administrative arrangements to oversee the political transition.
The CARICOM-backed plan for the establishment of the Presidential Transitional Council provided for an elected president to be installed by 7 February 2026. It further stipulated that current members of the council could not serve as president.

“The Secretary-General and the member of the Transitional Presidential Council discussed the need to accelerate progress on both the security and political fronts to ensure an elected government by February 2026, as agreed by Haitian stakeholders.”
“They also agreed to work together to boost international support to address gang violence and the humanitarian situation,” the meeting report, released by the UN, further explained.
CARICOM and President Dr. Irfaan Ali have previously received praise from the international community for the way they have proactively addressed the political and security crisis in Haiti to find a solution.
In March 2024, heads of state and officials from several countries, both in the region and around the world, gathered in Kingston, Jamaica to discuss finding a solution for Haiti, a country plagued by increasing gang violence.

In the press conference that followed these talks, several leaders and officials praised President Ali for his role as Chairman of Caricom, in organizing the meeting. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, in whose country the meeting was held, was one such leader.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also attended the meeting in person and thanked President Ali. Blinken represented the US in the talks and then announced that financial aid for the multinational force that would be sent to Haiti had been increased to $300 million.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who attended the meeting virtually, also congratulated Caricom for holding the meeting to discuss Haiti and develop a strategy to help the troubled country.
Following these crucial talks between Caricom leaders in Jamaica on how to return Haiti to normalcy, the regional bloc announced the creation of a presidential council to guide Haiti towards elections and the restoration of order.
The announcement was made by Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley when she addressed the media at the press conference following the talks. Mottley had said that 80 to 90 percent of the proposals put on the table were approved by stakeholders.
These included an agreement to establish the Presidential Council, which would help identify an interim prime minister and replace then-prime minister Ariel Henry. Mottley further explained that the next interim prime minister would work with the Presidential Council to form a government. In addition, a provisional electoral council would be established as a critical institution.
Following the agreement, Haiti formally announced the creation of a nine-member Transitional Presidential Council. This council will elect the country’s next prime minister and cabinet. This is a long-awaited move given the wave of violence in Haiti.
The decree announced that the Council would exercise certain presidential powers until a new president-elect could be inaugurated by 7 February 2026 at the latest. The Council’s mandate would therefore end on that date, with no extension foreseen. Garry Conille was selected by the Council as interim Prime Minister on 28 May 2024.
Haiti has been in turmoil since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. Since then, the streets have been overrun by gangs and a continuing cycle of violence has ensued.
The violence flared further in February when criminal gangs carried out coordinated attacks on police stations, prisons, key infrastructure and civilian sites in the capital, Port-au-Prince.
On March 2, armed gangs raided two prisons and reportedly freed some 3,800 inmates, prompting Haitian authorities to declare a three-day state of emergency and impose a curfew.
CARICOM, under the leadership of then Chairman, President Ali, played an integral role in devising a plan for a peacekeeping force, led by Kenya. To date, Kenyan, Jamaican and Belizean security forces are on the ground in Haiti, restoring order.