(Photo by Gary Raynaldo ©Diplomatic Times) Haitian Foreign Minister Jean-Victor Genius speaks to journalists at United Nations world headquarters in New York during  the 77th session of the General Assembly September 21, 2022.

By  Gary  Raynaldo       DIPLOMATIC   TIMES

UNITED   NATIONS  –  NEW   YORK –   The 77th UN General Assembly (UNGA) debates got underway this week with world leaders focused on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Haiti’s Foreign Minister says the international community must not forget about the serious problems his Caribbean country faces as global leaders  focus on resolving the Ukraine war.  Speaking to reporters outside the UN on the sidelines of the General Assembly Wednesday, Haitian Foreign Minister Jean-Victor Genius said there is a danger that the focus on Ukraine may cause the international community to become distracted from smaller global conflicts such as the political instability and rampant crime in Haiti. Instability and insecurity, caused  by the stark inequalities, have been long-standing problems in Haiti. The assassination of the Haitian president in July 2021 and a deadly earthquake in the south of the country a month later compounded the insecurity caused by the growing presence and influence of gangs.  Insecurity has worsened in the capital Port-au-Prince over the past year, as gang violence, exacerbated by the proliferation of illicit weapons and ammunitions, has intensified. The number of cases of kidnapping for ransom has also escalated, according to the UN. 

“Haiti must not be forgotten. That is why we insist on help from the international community. The situation in Haiti has an impact on all neighboring countries, not only in the Caribbean but also of Latin America.”

-Haitian Foreign Minister Jean-Victor Genius

DIPLOMATIC  TIMES  VIDEO  –  Haitian Foreign Minister Jean-Victor Genius Urges International Community to help crisis-ridden Haiti 

(JOA/Yes Communication Design) (news.un)  Insecurity has been increasing in Port-au-Prince since the assassination of the Haitian president in July 2021.

DIPLOMATIC  TIMES  VIDEO  –  Haitian Foreign Minister Jean-Victor Genius Urges International Community to help crisis-ridden Haiti 

Nationwide protests sparked initially by the almost doubling of petrol prices has brought the Caribbean country to what the UN has described as a “standstill.”  Haiti is grappling with multiple crises of an economic, political, security and humanitarian nature.