The 13 communications centres, run by UNOPS on behalf of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), were set up in 2005 to manage the mission’s radio system.

MINUSTAH is the most recent in a succession of UN deployments in the Caribbean country since 1994 and has been tasked to provide an environment that protects civilians, permits national reconciliation, and encourages government reform.

Since the devastating earthquake of 12 January 2010, which resulted in more than 220,000 deaths according to Haitian Government figures, including 101 UN staff members, the UN decided to increase the overall force levels of MINUSTAH to support the immediate recovery, reconstruction and stability efforts in the country.

MINUSTAH created the communications centres to provide a reliable radio communications system for use by all members of the mission, many of whom were unfamiliar with the radio technologies or protocols adopted by the mission.  MINUSTAH asked UNOPS to support this undertaking by staffing and running a network which began with the establishment of four mission communication centres under the auspices of the Communications and Information Technology Service (CITS). There are now 13 centres which are open 24 hours a day seven days a week.

The centres employ more than 200 national staff, more than 60 of whom women.  Each month an average 3,000 vehicle movements transporting about 8,000 passengers are tracked.  On a monthly basis the network performs some 18,000 radio checks and airs nearly 300 security broadcasts, more than 350 weather reports and more than 200 restrictions of movement messages.  The centres trains new UN arrivals in the use of the UHF, HF and satellite phones.

Moreover the network has set up a recruiting system and develops the capacity of its national personnel, helping many to find more permanent or better paying jobs with MINUSTAH and other employers.

During previous natural disasters, such as the hurricanes season of 2008, the communication centre staff were heavily involved in assisting the MINUSTAH efforts by ensuring that rescue services reach both UN and non-UN victims

The centres perform a number of other vital services such as:

• Checking the status of the mission’s office and vehicle radios and reporting on equipment outages
• Monitoring civilian MINUSTAH staff safety through daily radio checks
• Tracking MINUSTAH and agency personnel movements by vehicle or boat throughout the mission’s area of responsibility
• Issuing route advisories on road conditions, public demonstrations and accidents
• Transmitting daily weather forecasts
• Making movement control broadcasts
• Issuing security, administrative and evacuation announcements at the request of the UN Department of Safety and Security
• Assisting UN agencies at the request of the Senior Management Team
• Supporting MINUSTAH election staff
• Connecting MINUSTAH to local communities in Haiti, in collaboration with the mission’s Public Information Office multimedia centres
• Provide continuous training to mission and agency personnel and clients in proper radio protocol
• Developing national staff capacities in communication and administrative skills, policies and procedures