"The mission will be revised, but human capital perseveres"

INTERVIEW/ Eduarda Hamann

The human aftershock of the earthquake in Haiti will inevitably affect the post-conflict work that was being carried out in Haiti, most especially under the aegis of the MINSUTAH, the United Nations Stabilization Mission that has had its mission renewed continuously since 2004.

Comunidad Segura contacted Viva Rio’s Deputy Coordinator for Peace Operations, Eduarda Hamann, a lawyer specialized in International Politics who is currently based in Washington DC developing an online course for police officers engaged in international peacekeeping operations.

Hamann was in Port-au-Prince this past September, for a seminar held in the UN offices and has been in close contact with both the UN peacekeeping force and the work of NGOs in the city.  She tells us how the natural disaster has struck the MINUSTAH particularly heavily, with vital losses in its command structure, describes how the UN works in emergencies and comments on the fate of  the social capital that was being generated in Haiti through civilian action. Hamann gave this exclusive in interview to Comunidad Segura:

What are your immediate concerns now with respect to Haiti, a few days into the shocking developments of the earthquake just outside Port-au-Prince?

We have yet to get our full bearings on the size of the disaster in Haiti. The Red Cross estimates that approximately 3 million people were affected in some way by the earthquake and this is a nation of 9 million people. That is one in three people. As far as we know our nine Brazilian employees in Port-au-Prince are well, but we have a further 350 Haitian workers and we have not heard from every one of them yet. Things are very unclear right now

Important symbols of stability and strength in Haiti have been destroyed, like sand castles: the seat of government (the National Palace), the United Nations headquarters, and the National Fort (where part of the Brazilian battalion was based). The number 1 and number 2 officers of the UN mission in Haiti literally gave their lifes for Haiti, in the earthquake. The airport control tower is partially destroyed and the port is non-functioning. The penitentiary was damaged and there was a mass escape of detainees.

What do you know of the situation of the civil society organization Viva Rio in Bel Air?

With such an apocalyptic scenario, Viva Rio is acting on two fronts: we are headquartered in Bel Air in a large community center (25 thousand square meters) called Kay Nou (or “our house”) that is now sheltering 320 families, or approximately 1600 people, offering water and shelter, but there is very little food and almost no medication available. We hardly have enough food for our own staff.

Since so many may still be trapped in the rubble, Viva Rio has also mobilized over 50 people who had been previously trained in collecting garbage (one of our projects) and our Community Protection Brigade, in search of survivors.

How do you see the situation of the MINUSTAH now, once that you were already familiar with the peacekeeping force’s work prior to the earthquake. Is there a special aspect you’d like to mention?

There will certainly be a change in its mission, because the situation in Haiti has changed. This applies as much to security as it does to development. Maybe the word “reconstruction” would now fits in the mandate, which comprises lots of actions, including specific funding. We still lack a precise assessment of the disaster, but I believe that the United Nations Security Council will revise the MINUSTAH at its core, and regrettably, many of its progresses will certainly be lost. Now, there is an emergency, there is a situation of humanitarian aid  that is very different from the situation of poverty and violence that was taking place in Haiti in 2004 when the MINUSTAH was created. In other words, because the situation in Haiti had not reached a complete state of normality, we now have a new element to add to the pre-existing problem of poverty and lack of development, that is the humanitarian emergency.

How would you respond to those that have expressed frustration at the slow action of the MINUSTAH and the UN in face of the current crisis?

You have to know there are two different things going on here. One thing has to do with UN and the UN offices in New York, quite another story is the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti, the MINUSTAH.

The UN offices are moving perhaps a bit slowly for the emergency but that is how it works, it is to be expected. The United Nations is a forum of debate, everyone deliberates, discusses, proposes etc. It is very different from NATO, for example, that has a rapid reaction force that reaches any place in the world in 48hours. Now as to the MINUSTAH the situation is very different.

How so?

The MINUSTAH is a mission with a specific goal, mandate and hierarchy, but it is facing major setbacks at the moment. The General Command of the mission has been partially lost, at least for the first days. The MINUSTAH headquarters came down and there were 150 to 200 people in the building, including the leadership of the mission. This generates chaos. The number 1 and the number 2 person of the MINUSTAH are missing (they are both civilians). Because the third person, the Force Commander, who is a Brazilian general, was not in Port-au-Prince by the time of the earthquake, they took the fourth person in the hierarchy, a Chilean general, and made him head of the mission – his wife is missing under the rubble as well... The main troop in the capital, which is the Brazilian Battalion, lost 14 soldiers. Nevertheless, they are doing their best to provide as much relief as humanly possible.

In sum, the UN in New York defines the mandate of the Peacekeeping mission, in general terms. But it is the people in the field who interpret these guidelines and transform them into projects, activities and policies. All this has been thrown into havoc now. It has been a terrible tragedy; the MINUSTAH was headquartered in Port-au-Prince in a stable looking five storey building that was chosen precisely because it was made of reinforced concrete.

Is there any special lesson on the interaction of armed forces of different nations in Latin America?

The MINUSTAH has certainly allowed the armed forces in Latin America – or even in South America- more especially Brazil, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina – to create new ties of military cooperation, and even civilian cooperation. The MINUSTAH has made history in the military relations between these nations, independently of how things develop from now on in the mission, independently of the lack of coordination that is inherent in situations like this one when natural disasters strike. (The fact is that right now the MINUSTAH is taken up by a mixture of survival and self-preservation, it is looking for its own missing personnel, whether they are civilians, police officers or military troops.) One example of this closer interaction, that is also a response to guidelines fostering integration from the UN, is the 2008 creation of the ALCOPAZ, the Latin American Association of Peacekeeping Training Centers.

What happens to the work carried out by civil society organizations in Haiti, is it a complete loss?

The situation is dramatic. A lot of buildings came down, and part of those that did not may have to be demolished. It is terrible to say this, but we may need to wait a few more days before we can better understand the new reality in Haiti. But I believe that the work of the NGOs in Haiti prior to the quake will not disappear completely. I think that a lot of what has been done can be described as social technology, and that will, surely, remain. We are talking about human beings- they learn, they understand, interact, apply ideas.

In the case of Viva Rio for example, despite some material loss (still unspecified) a lot of people have been touched by the projects, whether they were directing them or participating in them. Depending on how long they were involved, of the personal investment each person has made, among other variables, I believe that many projects may continue, perhaps more slowly, at the pace of reconstruction. One thing is certain: although we have lost ground in some aspects, we will certainly not be starting from zero, like in the past.

How do you see the role of communications in the current scenario? Are you aware of how the UN uses the new media for example? How does the command structure adapt to new media and user content?

In Haiti we are talking about near to total destruction. The communication is slow because, no matter how advanced the technology is, it still depends on physical means, and these were stricken with the earthquake. Apparently only one celular phone provider was able to return to functioning today, the 14th, it has carried approximately 75% of the calls into Haiti. The UN uses communications a lot but I am not able to inform you on their use of new technologies, and the same goes for the military hierarchy.

How do you see the way the United Nations looks for investments for its peace operations?

The United Nations has two budgets, both are renewed yearly, and must be approved the General Assembly. One pertains to the general workings of the UN, and the other pertains directly to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations that is in charge of 15 missions of peacekeeping around the world under the UN flag.  The DPKO is inside the UN Secretariat, and is headed by the Secretary-General. The budget must be agreed on first and then the various member states must make their contributions according to complicated calculations that involve the per capita GNP and other indicators. This means that the budget is not always reached to completion.

In more serious situations, the Secretary General may appoint a Special Envoy, as he did with former president of the US Bill Clinton for Haiti. The Envoy is entrusted basically with calling the attention of the international community to the country, and this also helps in terms of contributions and investments.

Do you have any further consideration about the situation in Haiti?

Besides the havoc, many opportunities will arise from the ashes. Now, it is time to help the people in need. It is time for humanitarian relief. This however should be done under the leadership of the Haitian government, and with the help of the UN and the international community, Haitians will restart. Some people have lost everything, and will restart from zero. Many countries the world over have been through similar situations and have done it before, and some did well. We need to bring our efforts together now to provide humanitarian aid, but we must also look ahead and think about reconstruction while at the same time they need to continue developing their fragile institutions, in a safe environment. In this environment, the MINUSTAH, the whole UN System, the international community, as well as civil society organizations - which include Viva Rio -, and of course the Haitian organizations must think clearly about their new challenges and work hard to overcome their obstacles, as they have done in the past two centuries.