The United Nations Security Council has unanimously renewed the mandate of its political mission in Haiti, extending the UN Integrated Office in Haiti, known as BINUH, for another year as the country grapples with spiralling violence and institutional collapse.

BINUH is a civilian mission charged with shoring up Haiti’s fragile political stability, advising on security sector reform, strengthening the rule of law, and monitoring human rights. Diplomats said the renewed mandate narrows and clarifies its priorities, after some member states argued the mission had drifted beyond its original scope.

The 15-member Council agreed on six core tasks, including support for an eventual electoral process, backing efforts to restore state authority, and helping Haitian institutions curb the power of armed gangs that now dominate most of Port-au-Prince and key transport routes.

Several Council members condemned the surge in killings, kidnappings, and sexual violence, warning that the country’s security vacuum risks further destabilising the wider Caribbean region. They also criticised Haiti’s political elites for failing to agree on a credible transition roadmap, leaving the country without elected national officials and deepening public mistrust.

Haiti’s UN ambassador, Pierre Ericq Pierre, welcomed the resolution, saying it better reflects the complexity of the crisis and the need for measurable progress. He stressed that any international support must reinforce Haitian ownership of solutions.

“Our objective is clear: to protect the population, reduce violence, restore the rule of law, and create the conditions for lasting institutional stability, thanks to an inclusive dialogue that includes Haitians in the country and those in the diaspora,” he said.

The renewed mandate comes alongside a separate multinational security support mission, authorised by the Council and led by Kenya, intended to bolster Haiti’s overstretched police and confront heavily armed gangs. That force is designed to replace earlier, smaller UN-backed efforts that struggled with funding, staffing, and public scepticism.

UN agencies warn that Haiti is facing overlapping humanitarian, political, economic, and security emergencies. Since early 2022, thousands of people have been killed, more than a million and a half displaced, and over half the population is estimated to be food insecure, with many cut off from basic services by gang checkpoints and roadblocks.

Diplomats and Haitian officials alike acknowledge that renewing BINUH’s mandate is only one step. The mission’s success, they say, will depend on whether it can help translate international pledges into tangible security gains and a credible path back to democratic governance.