United Nations Security Council Resolution 917
Encyclopedia
United Nations
Security Council Resolution
917, adopted unanimously on May 6, 1994, after recalling resolutions 841
(1993), 861
(1993), 862
(1993), 867
(1993), 873
(1993) and 875
(1993) and 905
(1994) on the situation in Haiti
, the Council imposed further international sanctions
on the country after the military authorities refused to implement the Governors Island Agreement to hand over power and instances of violations of human rights
.
The Security Council confirmed the intention of the international community
to restore democracy
in Haiti and the return of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide
. The need for free and fair elections, as called for in the constitution
, was stressed. Killings, illegal detentions, abductions
, disappearances, instances of rape
, the denial of freedom of expression and the impunity
under which armed citizens operated were all condemned. The Council recalled that further measures would be considered if the Haitian authorities continued to impede the activities of the United Nations Mission in Haiti
(UNMIH) and failed to implement the Governors Island Agreement.
, the parties were called upon to co-operate with the United Nations and the Organization of American States
(OAS) to implement the agreement. All countries were told immediately to prohibit aircraft any aircraft to take off from, land in, or overfly their territory if it was destined to land in, or had taken off from Haiti, excluding humanitarian reasons
. They were also called upon to deny entry to:
Haitian military and police officers and their immediate families; those involved in the coup d'état in 1991 and subsequent illegal government and their immediate families; employees of the Haitian military
and their immediate families.
In all, the ban affected around 600 officers. Funds were also ordered to be frozen, and measures outlined below, consistent with the embargo recommended by the OAS, were to take effect no later than 23:59 EST
. All countries were:
prohibited from receiving imports or exporting to Haiti; to ban activities by nationals in their territories which would promote exports to Haiti.
Additionally, all exports were banned to Haiti, excluding:
medical and food supplies; other products essential for humanitarian use, permitted by the Committee; petroleum
or petroleum products, including cooking gas; products authorised in Resolution 873.
It was decided that the above probitions would not apply to information materials, including books and materials for journalist
s. All traffic to and from Haiti carrying prohibited goods were banned, except for regular shipping lines carrying approved goods. French
, American
, Canada
ian and Venezeulan boats patrolled the Haitian coast to ensure the application of the embargo.
All countries were requested to report to the Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali
by June 6, 1994 on the measures they had taken to implement the present resolution. The Committee established in Resolution 841 was entrusted with additional functions including:
to examine reports submitted by Member States; to obtain further information on action taken by countries; to consider information concerning violations of the measures; to make recommendations based on the violations; to consider any applications for approval regarding flights; to amend guidelines in Resolution 841 to take account of measures in the current resolution; to examine possible requests under Article 50 of the United Nations Charter
for any states affected by the sanctions against Haiti.
The measures would be reviewed monthly a democratic government returned to Haiti and would be suspended if progress had been made, but would not be lifted until:
the resignation or departure from Haiti of the Commander-in-Chief of the Haitian Armed Forces, the Chief of Police of Port-au-Prince, and the Chief of Staff of the Haitian Armed Forces; changes in the leadership of the police and military high command; the creation of an environment where free and fair elections could be held; the creation of conditions where UNMIH could be deployed; the return of President Aristide.
The resolution concluded by condemning any illegal attempt to remove legal authority from the legitimately elected President, declaring that it would consider any move illegitimate and would therefore warrant the reimposition of the above measures.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Security Council Resolution
United Nations Security Council Resolution
A United Nations Security Council resolution is a UN resolution adopted by the fifteen members of the Security Council; the UN body charged with "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security"....
917, adopted unanimously on May 6, 1994, after recalling resolutions 841
United Nations Security Council Resolution 841
United Nations Security Council Resolution 841, adopted unanimously on June 16, 1993, after recognising the need for an urgent settlement to the situation in Haiti and the efforts of the Secretary-General of the United Nations Boutros Boutros-Ghali and the Secretary General of the Organization of...
(1993), 861
United Nations Security Council Resolution 861
United Nations Security Council Resolution 861, adopted unanimously on August 27, 1993, after recalling Resolution 841 and welcoming an agreement between the President of Haiti and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Haiti, the Council, acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations...
(1993), 862
United Nations Security Council Resolution 862
United Nations Security Council Resolution 862, adopted unanimously on August 31, 1993, after recalling resolutions 841 , 861 and an agreement between the President of Haiti and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Haiti, the Council reaffirmed the international community's commitment to...
(1993), 867
United Nations Security Council Resolution 867
United Nations Security Council Resolution 867, adopted unanimously on September 23, 1993, after recalling resolutions 841 , 861 and 862 on the situation in Haiti, the Council reiterated its position of protecting international peace and stability and established the United Nations Mission in...
(1993), 873
United Nations Security Council Resolution 873
United Nations Security Council Resolution 873, adopted unanimously on October 13, 1993, after recalling resolutions 841 , 861 , 862 and 867 , the Council noted the continued obstruction of the arrival of the United Nations Mission in Haiti and the failure of the Armed Forces of Haiti to carry...
(1993) and 875
United Nations Security Council Resolution 875
United Nations Security Council Resolution 875, adopted unanimously on October 16, 1993, after recalling resolutions 841 , 861 , 862 , 867 and 873 , the Council, aware of the continued failure of parties in Haiti implement the Governors Island Agreement, widened international sanctions and imposed...
(1993) and 905
United Nations Security Council Resolution 905
United Nations Security Council Resolution 905, adopted unanimously on March 23, 1994, after recalling resolutions 841 , 861 , 862 , 867 , 873 and 875 , on the situation in Haiti, the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Haiti until June 30, 1994.The Council was disturbed...
(1994) on the situation in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, the Council imposed further international sanctions
International sanctions
International sanctions are actions taken by countries against others for political reasons, either unilaterally or multilaterally.There are several types of sanctions....
on the country after the military authorities refused to implement the Governors Island Agreement to hand over power and instances of violations of human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
.
The Security Council confirmed the intention of the international community
International community
The international community is a term used in international relations to refer to all peoples, cultures and governments of the world or to a group of them. The term is used to imply the existence of common duties and obligations between them...
to restore democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
in Haiti and the return of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a Haitian former Catholic priest and politician who served as Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in 1982 after completing his studies...
. The need for free and fair elections, as called for in the constitution
Constitution of Haïti
The Constitution of Haiti most commonly refers to the present-day Constitution of Haiti, which was modeled after those of the United States and of France. The document was ratified in March 1987, but it was completely suspended from June 1988 to March 1989 and was only fully reinstated in October...
, was stressed. Killings, illegal detentions, abductions
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
, disappearances, instances of rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
, the denial of freedom of expression and the impunity
Impunity
Impunity means "exemption from punishment or loss or escape from fines". In the international law of human rights, it refers to the failure to bring perpetrators of human rights violations to justice and, as such, itself constitutes a denial of the victims' right to justice and redress...
under which armed citizens operated were all condemned. The Council recalled that further measures would be considered if the Haitian authorities continued to impede the activities of the United Nations Mission in Haiti
United Nations Mission in Haiti
For the current UN mission to Haiti, see the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti.The United Nations Mission in Haiti — a peacekeeping operation carried out by the United Nations between September 1993 and June 1996. The Mission was reestablished in April 2004, after a rebellion took...
(UNMIH) and failed to implement the Governors Island Agreement.
Sanctions
Acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations CharterChapter VII of the United Nations Charter
Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter sets out the UN Security Council's powers to maintain peace. It allows the Council to "determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression" and to take military and nonmilitary action to "restore international peace...
, the parties were called upon to co-operate with the United Nations and the Organization of American States
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
(OAS) to implement the agreement. All countries were told immediately to prohibit aircraft any aircraft to take off from, land in, or overfly their territory if it was destined to land in, or had taken off from Haiti, excluding humanitarian reasons
Humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises including natural disaster and man-made disaster. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity...
. They were also called upon to deny entry to:
Haitian military and police officers and their immediate families; those involved in the coup d'état in 1991 and subsequent illegal government and their immediate families; employees of the Haitian military
Military of Haiti
The country of Haiti currently has no regular military. The former Haitian Armed Forces were demobilized.Haiti's current forces consist of the Haitian National Police, which has several paramilitary units, a highly trained and equipped SWAT team, and the Haitian Coast Guard...
and their immediate families.
In all, the ban affected around 600 officers. Funds were also ordered to be frozen, and measures outlined below, consistent with the embargo recommended by the OAS, were to take effect no later than 23:59 EST
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
. All countries were:
prohibited from receiving imports or exporting to Haiti; to ban activities by nationals in their territories which would promote exports to Haiti.
Additionally, all exports were banned to Haiti, excluding:
medical and food supplies; other products essential for humanitarian use, permitted by the Committee; petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
or petroleum products, including cooking gas; products authorised in Resolution 873.
It was decided that the above probitions would not apply to information materials, including books and materials for journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
s. All traffic to and from Haiti carrying prohibited goods were banned, except for regular shipping lines carrying approved goods. French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
ian and Venezeulan boats patrolled the Haitian coast to ensure the application of the embargo.
All countries were requested to report to the Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Boutros Boutros-Ghali is an Egyptian politician and diplomat who was the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1992 to December 1996...
by June 6, 1994 on the measures they had taken to implement the present resolution. The Committee established in Resolution 841 was entrusted with additional functions including:
to examine reports submitted by Member States; to obtain further information on action taken by countries; to consider information concerning violations of the measures; to make recommendations based on the violations; to consider any applications for approval regarding flights; to amend guidelines in Resolution 841 to take account of measures in the current resolution; to examine possible requests under Article 50 of the United Nations Charter
United Nations Charter
The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the international organization called the United Nations. It was signed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco, United States, on 26 June 1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries...
for any states affected by the sanctions against Haiti.
The measures would be reviewed monthly a democratic government returned to Haiti and would be suspended if progress had been made, but would not be lifted until:
the resignation or departure from Haiti of the Commander-in-Chief of the Haitian Armed Forces, the Chief of Police of Port-au-Prince, and the Chief of Staff of the Haitian Armed Forces; changes in the leadership of the police and military high command; the creation of an environment where free and fair elections could be held; the creation of conditions where UNMIH could be deployed; the return of President Aristide.
The resolution concluded by condemning any illegal attempt to remove legal authority from the legitimately elected President, declaring that it would consider any move illegitimate and would therefore warrant the reimposition of the above measures.
See also
- History of HaitiHistory of HaitiThe recorded history of Haiti began on December 5, 1492 when the European navigator Christopher Columbus happened upon a large island in the region of the western Atlantic Ocean that later came to be known as the Caribbean. It was inhabited by the Taíno, an Arawakan people, who variously called...
- List of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 901 to 1000 (1994 – 1995)