Bashellet stresses prevention, early‑warning and protection concerns in Haiti; flags child involvement in gangs

During the dialogue on the three pillars, Bashellet emphasized prevention as a core role of the Secretary‑General and argued for an operationally present SG with hands‑on engagement in the field to address emerging crises early.

She said early‑warning indicators that would trigger personal intervention include large‑scale human rights violations (killings, forced disappearances), hate speech against communities, militarization of security forces and collapse or dysfunction of the justice system. Citing a prior experience as a human‑rights official, Bashellet described how she sensed a coup three weeks before it occurred in one country and used that anecdote to underline the limits of current early‑warning capacity.

In response to Caribbean concerns about Haiti, Bashellet welcomed international operational support for stabilization but warned that many gang participants are children and adolescents; she urged missions and contributing states to incorporate child‑sensitive safeguards, strong oversight, community engagement and plans for long‑term institution‑building and protection.

Member states also raised the need to modernize peace and security architecture to address cyber threats, climate‑related insecurity and transnational crime; Bashellet said mandates must be tailored to situations with balanced civilian and political components, not rely on a one‑size‑fits‑all peacekeeping model.