The U.N. Security Council will vote on Thursday, April 13, whether to end the Haiti peacekeeping mission.
The peacekeeping mission that costs $346 million per year has been in place since 2004, when armed rebellion ousted then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Political violence racked the island until the peacekeepers arrived.
Since then Haiti has suffered numerous natural disasters but has not seen armed conflict.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres supports ending the mission.
Temporary Security Council president, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley is calling for a review of all peacekeeping missions and the United States has long complained about the portion of the U.N. budget it pays.
Ending the Haiti mission could save cash and buy goodwill, which could keep some other missions alive.
The Haiti peacekeeping mission will be replaced with a new mission designed to uphold justice.
“As I have said before in this council, the real measure of progress in Haiti or any country where we have a peacekeeping mission is not dollars spent, but our impact on the lives of the people we seek to help,” Haley said on April 12.
“The new U.N. mission for justice support in Haiti will devote its efforts to where they are most needed, in support of the rule of law, developing the Haitian police force and protecting human rights,” she said.
She concluded by saying, “We regard the transformation of the Haiti mission, including the withdrawal of the military, as a strong example for how peacekeeping missions can and should change as a country’s political situation changes.
“We believe the new Haiti embodies the core principles of success we have developed as part of our peacekeeping review.”
