UNITED NATIONS CIVILIAN POLICE MISSION IN HAITI
MIPONUH
Established to assist the Government in the professionalization of the National Police. The mission placed special emphasis on assistance at the supervisory level and on training specialized police units. Other tasks included mentoring police performance, guiding police agents in day-to-day duties and maintaining close coordination with technical advisers to the Police funded by the United Nations Development Programme and bilateral donors


LOCATION
Haiti
HEADQUARTERS
Port-au-Prince		 DURATION
December 1997 to March 2000		 DOCUMENTS
List of UN documents
( in PDF format)		 MAP
Deployment map
( in PDF format)
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AND HEAD OF MISSION
Alfredo Lopes Cabral
(Guinea-Bissau)
Appointment: October 1999 to March 2000		 POLICE COMMISSIONER
Colonel George Gabbardo (France)
Appointment: May 1999 to March 2000
FUNCTION
The United Nations Civilian Police Mission in Haiti (MIPONUH) completed its mandate on 15 March 2000. Its main task was to assist the Government of Haiti in the professionalization of the Haitian National Police. MIPONUH, which succeeded the previous United Nations Missions in Haiti in December 1997, placed special emphasis on assistance at the supervisory level and on training specialized police units. Other tasks included mentoring police performance, guiding police agents in their day-to-day duties and maintaining close coordination with technical advisers to the Haitian National Police funded by the United Nations Development Programme and bilateral donors. MIPONUH's special police unit was tasked with providing assistance to MIPONUH personnel and protecting its property.

MIPONUH was succeeded by the new International Civilian Support Mission in Haiti (MICAH) on 16 March 2000. The establishment of MICAH was approved by the General Assembly in resolution A/54/193 of 17 December 1999. Its mandate is to consolidate the results achieved by MIPONUH and its predecessor missions of the United Nations in Haiti as well as by the International Civilian Mission in Haiti (MICIVIH), which was a joint undertaking of the United Nations and the Organization of American States (OAS) to promote respect for human rights in Haiti. The new mission is tasked with further promoting human rights and reinforcing the institutional effectiveness of the Haitian police and the judiciary, and with coordinating and facilitating the international community's dialogue with political and social actors in Haiti.

- Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Civilian Police Mission in Haiti dated 25 February 2000. --(S/2000/150)
- Security Council Presidential statement on Haiti dated 15 March 2000 (S/PRST/2000/8)

AUTHORIZED STRENGTH
300 civilian police personnel, including a special police unit, supported by a civilian establishment of some 72 international and 133 local personnel and 17 United Nations Volunteers.
FATALITIES
  • 6 police
  • 1 other
  • 7 total
    		•
    FINANCING
  • Method of financing: assessments in respect of a Special Account.
  • The General Assembly appropriated for the period July 1999 to June 2000: $20.4 million (gross).
    		•
    CONTRIBUTORS OF CIVILIAN POLICE PERSONNEL
    Argentina, Benin, Canada, France, India, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Tunisia, United States
    BACKGROUND
    The United Nations has undertaken a number of peacekeeping missions in Haiti. The last peacekeeping mission was known as the United Nations Civilian Police Mission in Haiti (MIPONUH). Unlike the three previous missions, MIPONUH had no military component. Its mandate was to continue the work of the United Nations to support the Haitian National Police and to contribute to its professionalization.

    MIPONUH was preceded by, in reverse order: the United Nations Transition Mission in Haiti (UNTMIH) (August to November 1997); the United Nations Support Mission in Haiti (UNSMIH) (July 1996 to July 1997) and the United Nations Mission in Haiti (UNMIH) (September 1993 to June 1996).

    Near the end of UNTMIH's mandate, on 29 October 1997, the President of Haiti, Mr. René Préval, wrote to the Secretary-General, thanking the United Nations for its contribution to the consolidation of Haitian democracy. President Préval noted that all United Nations military forces would soon depart the country. At the same time, he said that it was important to continue working to strengthen the police force. He also expressed his confidence that Haiti would be able to continue to count on United Nations support in the new stage of its effort at national reconstruction.

    In view of the President's request, the United Nations consulted with Member States to determine the availability of the necessary personnel. On 20 November 1997, the Secretary-General reported the outcome of those consultations to the Security Council as well as his recommendations concerning a possible follow-on mission and a concept of operations. (See S/1997/832/Add.2) The Security Council established MIPONUH by its resolution 1141 (1997) of 28 November 1997. By the same resolution, the Council affirmed the importance of a professional, self-sustaining, fully functioning national police of adequate size and structure, able to conduct the full spectrum of police functions, to the consolidation of democracy and the revitalization of Haiti's system of justice. It encouraged Haiti to pursue its plans in those respects.
    See also MICIVIH, background note and home page

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