Head of the UN Ban Ki-moonfinds reasons for optimism in the Caribbean island long associated with political violence and extreme poverty
There may be worse slums in Haiti, but none so infamous for its violence and grinding poverty as Cité Soleil in the heart of the nation's capital, Port au Prince. Drinking water is scarce, public sanitation non-existent. Most of its 300,000 residents have no electricity, even fewer have jobs.
The neighbourhood's mayor was blunt when I met him during my visit to Haiti last week. "Here," he said, "we need everything."
And yet, I also saw hope in Cité Soleil. At the mayor's offices, a new local government is putting down roots in a community it long ago abandoned. Across the street, I toured a newly-refurbished school. Youngsters greeted me, excited by the prospect of resuming their education.
People struggle merely to survive in Cité Soleil. The irony of its name, Sun City, is cruel. Yet I was glad to see this lively bustle, these signs of normal life. Six months ago, there would have been none of this.
Gangs ruled, terrorising ordinary people, extorting money and destroying lives. Kidnappings were routine, at nearly 100 a month.
Last December, the newly-elected president René Préval asked the UN Stabilisation Mission in Haiti to do something. It did, with a decisiveness and efficiency that serves as a model of robust international peacekeeping. In an operation lasting six weeks, amid fierce firefights, UN forces took control. Roughly 800 gang members were arrested and their leaders jailed.
The practical results are plain to see. In June, only six kidnappings were reported. Security has returned not only to the streets of Cité Soleil, but to the rest of the capital and other Haitian cities as well.
I saw other signs of progress. For the first time in a long while, Haiti today has a stable, democratically elected government, widely accepted across all strata of society and by all political parties. The economy is no longer in free-fall. Inflation has dropped to 8 per cent, from 40 per cent three years ago.
The IMF projects growth of 3.5 per cent this year. Thanks to new laws, tax revenues rose by a third last year. Just as Préval took on Haiti's gangs, he has also declared war on corruption, endemic to every sphere of life. This shows real political courage.
I am convinced that Haiti is at a turning point. At long last it has a golden chance to begin to rebuild itself. With the help of the international community - and the UN in particular - it can.
Haiti has seen five multinational interventions over the past decade. In each case, we left too soon, before real change could take hold. Or our efforts were too restricted, merely trying to maintain security or supervise an election.
This time will be different. That is why, in October I will ask the security council to renew the UN's mandate in Haiti for a term beyond the customary interval of six months.
In clear language, I assured the Haitian government - and the people - that we intend to stay until our mission is accomplished, consistent with their wishes.
Haiti is nearing the end of the first phase of its nascent recovery, that of ensuring peace and security.
The second phase must focus on social and economic development. More than ever, Haiti needs our energetic help in building functioning civil institutions, beginning with the creation of an effective and honest national police force, backed by a reformed justice system.
I was immensely encouraged that, in response to my visit, the Haitian senate last week approved ambitious new legislation aimed at reconstituting an effective and independent judiciary and creating a legal climate more conducive to economic development and foreign investment. Without such changes, the trends of global commerce, finance and tourism will continue to pass Haiti by.
I called on all sectors of Haitian society - the government, business and ordinary people - to commit to working together for social change. Without their mutual co-operation, Haiti cannot advance.
Above all, the ordinary people of Haiti must see tangible evidence of progress so they can look forward to a better future. We must assist the government in delivering what many call a "peace dividend". It's nothing grand, as our Brazilian force commander Carlos Alberto Dos Santos Cruz explained to me. Yes, the people of Cité Soleil, like all Haitians, welcome the new peace on their streets. But more, he said, they need "the basics". Water. Food. Jobs.
Of course, this is ultimately Haiti's responsibility. But it is ours to help achieve it.
• Ban Ki-moonis the secretary general of the United Nations