2008

United Nations Peace Operations

YEAR IN REVIEW
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 Table of contents
12 ] UNMIS helps keep North-South Sudan peace on track
13 ] MINURCAT trains police in Chad, prepares to expand
15 ] After gaining ground in Liberia, UN blue helmets
start to downsize
Children of Tongo, Massi, North Kivu, DRC. 28 March 2008. UN Photo by Marie Frechon.

16 ] Progress in Côte d’Ivoire

18 ] UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea is withdrawn
19 ] UNMIN assists Nepal in transition to peace and
democracy
20 ] Amid increasing insecurity, humanitarian and
political work continues in Somalia
21 ] After nearly a decade in Kosovo, UNMIK reconfigures
23 ] Afghanistan – Room for hope despite challenges
27 ] New SRSG pursues robust UN mandate in electoral
assistance, reconstruction and political dialogue in Iraq
29 ] UNIFIL provides a window of opportunity for peace
in southern Lebanon
30 ] A watershed year for Timor-Leste
33 ] UN continues political and peacekeeping efforts in
the Middle East
35 ] Renewed hope for a solution in Cyprus
37 ] UNOMIG carries out mandate in complex environment
38 ] DFS: Supporting peace operations
40 ] Demand grows for UN Police
41 ] National staff make huge contributions to UN peace
1] 2
 008: United Nations peacekeeping operations
observes 60 years of operations 44 ] Ahtisaari brings pride to UN peace efforts with
2008 Nobel Prize
6] A
 s peace in Congo remains elusive, 45 ] Security Council addresses sexual violence as
Security Council strengthens threat to international peace and security
MONUC’s hand
[ Peace operations facts and figures ]
9] C
 hallenges confront new peace-
47 ] Peacekeeping contributors
keeping mission in Darfur
48 ] United Nations peacekeeping operations
25 ] P
 eacekeepers lead response to 50 ] United Nations political and peacebuilding missions
disasters in Haiti 52 ] Top 10 troop contributors

Cover photo: Jordanian peacekeepers rescue children 52 ] Surge in uniformed UN peacekeeping personnel
from a flooded orphanage north of Port-au-Prince from1991-2008
after the passing of Hurricane Ike. 9 July 2008.
UN Photo by Marco Dormino.
2008: United Nations peacekeeping observes
60 years of operations
As the international community cele- tries to ensure the successful imple- fied Congolese wanted more, and frus-
brated the 60th anniversary of United mentation of peacekeeping missions’ trated local civilians stoned the UN’s
Nations peacekeeping during 2008, mandates and avoid similar failures Goma headquarters. Nonetheless, a
today’s blue helmets found them- to those experienced in the 1990s, study published in November by the
selves over-stretched and confronted such as those in Rwanda, Somalia US-based Council of Foreign Relations
with numerous and increasingly com- and Srebrenica in the Balkans. In that concluded that MONUC was the “sin-
plex operations all across the globe. regard, he was frank in warning the gle most important factor preventing
UN Security Council and other Mem- the full collapse of state authority in
“Though they may not resolve all post- ber States that UN peacekeeping was the region”.
conflict issues or challenges, peace- not the right tool for every job and
keeping operations certainly can play that achievable mandates, adequate The UN set in motion a series of actions
a central role in reducing the likeli- resources and political support were to resolve the conflict: MONUC quickly
hood of future conflict and creating a needed: Peacekeepers cannot suc- reconfigured its forces throughout the
framework in which normal develop- ceed in a situation where there is no east, reinforcing its presence in the
ment can resume”, Alain Le Roy, the peace to keep. city of Goma and surrounding areas. In
Under-Secretary-General for Peace- November, following a visit to the DRC,
keeping Operations, told the General Peacekeeping challenged anew Mr. Le Roy urged the Security Coun-
Assembly’s Fourth Committee (which cil to send more troops to the belea-
deals with a variety of political issues) in the Congo guered mission. The Council agreed to
in November. “The range and breadth But in 2008, the largest UN peace- authorize an additional 3,100 troops
of mandated tasks continues to grow keeping operation – MONUC – found and police. Secretary-General Ban Ki-
even wider”. itself challenged when violence reig- moon also called for the deployment
nited in August in the volatile eastern of a multinational force as a bridging
In July, after eight years of leading the region of the Democratic Republic of measure until MONUC could be rein-
Department of Peacekeeping Opera- the Congo (DRC), on the border with forced. He met with regional leaders
tions (DPKO) into a new era, former Rwanda. In late October, the situa- in Nairobi as the crisis threatened to
Under-Secretary-General Jean-Marie tion worsened, when the rebel Congrès spill beyond DRC’s borders, and he ap-
Guéhenno stepped down, having been National pour la Défense du Peuple pointed Olusegun Obasanjo, the former
widely credited with strengthening the (CNDP), led by Laurent Nkunda, un- President of Nigeria, as his Special En-
reputation of UN peace operations dertook a major offensive threatening voy for the Great Lakes Region to work
as an effective tool to help war-torn Goma, the provincial capital of North with the parties and the international
countries return to stability. Under Kivu. Nkunda’s forces quickly over- community on finding a lasting peace.
his tenure, the number of peacekeep- whelmed the government (FARDC) The Security Council on 22 December
ers deployed topped 100,000, and forces and displaced hundreds of voted to extend MONUC’s mandate by
the Security Council gave them new, thousands of civilians. UN peacekeep- a year, and called on MONUC to make
more robust mandates to protect civil- ers found themselves lodged between protecting civilians a priority.
ians and deter ‘spoilers’ of peace pro- warring groups, protecting civilians
cesses. Mr. Guéhenno advanced the where they could, with the government UN forces continue to build in
professionalization of peacekeeping army they were there to support basi-
by further developing peacekeeping cally incapacitated.
Darfur despite challenges
doctrine and policy and reforming the The plea for additional troops for the
UN peacekeeping architecture. MONUC’s almost 20,000 peacekeep- Congo came as DPKO was still strug-
ers were thinly stretched in the vast gling to build up the force in Darfur,
Mr. Guéhenno worked tirelessly to country of 66 million people and Sudan, which is ultimately to exceed
gain political, financial and human dealing simultaneously with four ‘hot’ MONUC in size, with an authorized
support from a wide range of coun- fronts in the eastern DRC alone. Terri- 26,000 soldiers and police and a

year in review 2008 1

 “Peacekeeping has developed into
a flagship enterprise of our Organi-
zation”, Secretary-General Ban Ki-
moon stated on 29 May, the Inter-
national Day of UN Peacekeepers,
which in 2008 commemorated 60
years of UN peacekeeping. “Today
we have more than 110,000 men
and women deployed in conflict
zones around the world. They come
from nearly 120 countries – an all-
time high, reflecting confidence in
UN peacekeeping. They come from
nations large and small, rich and
poor – some of them countries re-
cently afflicted by war themselves.
They bring different cultures and
Susana Malcorra, Under-Secretary-General experience to the job, and they are
for Field Support, addresses a Security Council united in their determination to
meeting on the work of United Nations foster peace”.
peacekeeping operations. United Nations
Headquarters, New York. 23 January 2009. Despite the huge increase in person-
UN Photo by Jenny Rockett. nel and operations, peacekeeping re-
mained an extremely cost-effective en-
terprise. The annual budget for all UN
peacekeeping in fiscal year 2008-9 was
US$7.6 billion, which is equal to ap-
significant civilian component. By sion during the year, 13 of them proximately one half of one per cent of
the end of 2008, 12,374 troops had killed in attacks. global military spending.
been deployed to the African Union/
United Nations Hybrid Operation in The announcement in July by the Peacekeeping elsewhere in Africa
Darfur (UNAMID), representing 63 prosecutor of the International Crimi- The UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) –
per cent of the authorized 19,555 nal Court (ICC) that he was seeking an based in Khartoum and Juba in South-
military personnel. Those troops that arrest warrant for Sudanese President ern Sudan – and its 10,000 peace-
have deployed have found it chal- Omar Al-Bashir on war crimes charges keepers continued to help support the
lenging to support themselves amid raised the possibility of further chal- peace process governed by the 2005
continued fighting and insecurity, lenges to the UN in Sudan in 2009. Comprehensive Peace Agreement,
and in the inhospitable terrain, and, which ended a 21-year war between
as a result, the process has taken North and South Sudan. The Agree-
Cost-effective peacekeeping ment calls for national, Southern Su-
longer than had been expected when
AU troops took up their responsibili-
still in demand dan and state elections in 2009, and
ties as the first UN peacekeepers on In 2008, the surge in UN peacekeep- for a referendum on the future of the
31 December 2007. In addition, UN- ing continued, with DPKO and the country in 2011.
AMID continued to lack a number of newly created Department of Field
key assets including transportation, Support (DFS) running 18 operations Across the border in Uganda, a po-
military aviation and in some cases on five continents. In addition, almost litical mission led by UN Special
even basic accommodation. a dozen political and peacebuilding Envoy Joaquim Chissano contin-
missions and offices, managed by the ued to lead efforts to secure a fi-
Meanwhile the security situation UN Department of Political Affairs nal peace agreement between the
continued to be of grave concern: (DPA) and also supported by DFS, Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and
21 UNAMID personnel died on mis- were active in the field. the Government of Uganda.

2 United Nations Peace Operations

The role of UN peacekeeping grew in was not ready for UN peacekeepers, years, the longest continuous period
neighbouring Chad and the Central and that he had been unable to find a of peace the country has known in
African Republic (CAR), where UN country willing to lead a robust multi- decades. The integrated UN effort
police and military liaison officers national intervention. Support to the continues to support the govern-
worked with a European Union (EU) AMISOM and Somali forces would ment in reconciliation, recovery and
military force to enhance stability and have to increase first, he said. development, and the peacekeeping
support human rights and the rule of operation is anticipating downsizing
law. The EU force is to transfer its Meanwhile, in Côte d’Ivoire, the in 2009.
authority to the UN mission, MINUR- UN-supported peace process
CAT, in March 2009. An anticipated passed a significant milestone with In Sierra Leone, the last chapter of
4,900 ‘blue berets’ are to be de- the launch of the identification and the UN’s peacekeeping presence
ployed to deter hostilities, reassure registration of voters on 15 Sep- there closed with the expiration of
the civilian population, enhance the tember 2008. However, the post- UNIOSIL’s mandate on 30 Septem-
delivery of humanitarian assistance ponement of presidential elections ber. Peacekeepers had come to that
and assist further implementation of until spring 2009 was a worrying war-torn country in 1999, and by
the MINURCAT mandate in the frag- development for the region, and the 2005 the blue helmets had helped
ile and volatile region. Security Council will review in early the country demobilize, hold demo-
2009 the role of the UN peacekeep- cratic elections and embark on a
Peacekeepers withdrew from Eritrea ing mission – UNOCI – which has path of peacebuilding.
and Ethiopia in 2008, however, after been supporting the peace process,
the UN peacekeeping operation, UN- demobilization and reconciliation The Security Council in October 2008
MEE, had monitored the tense border in the once-divided country. created a new, smaller, integrated
between the two countries for seven- peacebuilding office (called UNIPSIL)
and-a-half years. In July, the Security Successful peacekeeping and to continue the UN’s commitment to
Council voted unanimously to termi- assisting the country’s new govern-
nate UNMEE after restrictions placed peace consolidation in 2008 ment with peace consolidation and
on it by Eritrea undermined its ability The peacekeeping mission in Liberia economic recovery.
to carry out its mandate. – UNMIL – in cooperation with UN
agencies on the ground, can share One of the greatest accomplishments
The calls for the international com- credit for the fact that Liberia has of UN peace operations in 2008 was
munity to do more in Somalia grew enjoyed stability for the past five the transition in Nepal, where a po-
louder over the year as the UN politi-
cal office, UNPOS, based in Nairobi,
continued to work towards rapproche-
ment in Mogadishu, where violence
and chaos continued throughout the
year. Following a peace agreement
between the Transitional Federal
Government and the Alliance for the
Re-Liberation of Somalia in Djibouti
on 19 August, the Security Council
requested the Secretary-General to
provide a proposal for a robust mul-
tinational force that would hand over
to a UN peacekeeping operation once
the security situation permitted. The
force would replace the 3,400 strong
African Union (AU) force, AMISOM,
already deployed in Somalia. However,
in December, the Secretary-General
warned that the situation in Somalia

Alain Le Roy (right), USG for Peacekeeping Operations, holds discussions

with Minni Minawi (left), leader of the Sudan Liberation Army. Darfur, Sudan.
year in review 2008 9 October 2008. UN Photo by Josephine Guerrero.
3
litical mission, UNMIN, run by the the UN mission – UNMIT – continued In Iraq, as security improved during
Department of Political Affairs, helped its support for the country’s fledgling much of the year, the Security Council
the country hold nation-wide Constitu- institutions, as well as local capacity re-invigorated the mandate of the UN
ent Assembly elections, which effec- building, development activities and Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI)
tively ended the civil war as well as humanitarian assistance. to assist with upcoming provincial
monarchy rule. elections, resolve internal boundary
The Secretary-General, on visiting issues such as the eventual status of
Far more extensive has been the man- India this year, noted that the UN Kirkuk, promote human rights and
date of UNMIK, the UN peacekeeping Military Observer Group in India and provide and coordinate humanitarian
mission in Kosovo, deployed in the Pakistan (UNMOGIP), deployed in the assistance.
wake of NATO air strikes on Serbia in state of Jammu and Kashmir, “during
1999. After nine-and-a-half years of the last six decades has been playing Reform continues at UN
administering and policing Kosovo, a very important role in monitoring
UNMIK was reconfigured in late 2008, the border situation and peace and Headquarters
having turned over many of its respon- stability in this region”. At UNHQ, the Department of Politi-
sibilities to the Government of Kosovo. cal Affairs (DPA) renewed its efforts
Among its accomplishments over the Missions navigate turbulent to expand into a more field-based op-
past decade, UNMIK set up the lo- eration, and Secretary-General Ban
cal Kosovo Police Service, as well as environments Ki-moon urged greater cohesion and
provisional institutions of government. Increasingly, other peace operations integration between the parts of the
The Security Council, in a Presidential found themselves in fluid and fragile UN system involved with conflict pre-
Statement issued in November, cleared situations not resolvable by peacekeep- vention, peacekeeping, peace con-
the way for the European Union to de- ing alone: in Haiti, with peacekeepers solidation and peacebuilding. The
ploy a rule of law mission (EULEX) of having successfully tackled the prob- General Assembly, on 24 December,
1,800 police and judicial experts to lem of armed gangs in the capital of approved some 50 new staff members
monitor Kosovo’s police and judiciary. Port-au-Prince, the UN mission, MI- to strengthen DPA.
NUSTAH, turned to addressing some
Other missions continued to shore up of the other dire needs of the impover- The 2007 ‘split’ of the Department
enduring ceasefires or peace agree- ished country. Unemployment, the food of Peacekeeping Operations into two
ments. crisis, four horrific storms and school departments (DPKO and DFS) moved
collapses ravaged Haiti. The UN called forward, with both new Under-Secre-
In southern Lebanon, UNIFIL has on other international actors to stay the taries-General using DPKO’s ‘Peace
made a difference in providing stabil- course while taking the lead on helping Operations 2010’ reform strategy
ity and supporting the deployment of the Haitian state to become viable. as their framework and guide. This
the Lebanese Armed Forces, while 80 reform effort has been aimed at
per cent of the respondents to a public In Afghanistan, the mandate and scope strengthening and professionalizing
opinion poll in the country praised the of the UN political mission expanded, the planning, management and con-
UN mission as effective. as UNAMA led the coordination of the duct of UN peace operations. To as-
many international actors, donors and sist all its personnel in implement-
In the divided island of Cyprus, ma- humanitarian organizations in their work ing reforms, DPKO produced the ‘UN
jor peace talks began again under to support the Afghan people and their Peacekeeping Operations Principles
UN auspices in September, support- elected government. While violence and and Guidelines’, a capstone doctrine
ed by the 34-year-old peacekeeping insecurity increased in the south, west which details the multifarious tasks
mission, UNFICYP. In the meantime, and east of the country, UNAMA opened today’s peacekeepers perform.
UNFICYP continued to implement its eighteenth provincial office as part
its mandate by supervising ceasefire of its mandate to coordinate develop- To facilitate the strengthening and en-
lines, maintaining a buffer zone and ment efforts, monitor human rights is- hancement of UNHQ’s support to the
undertaking humanitarian activities. sues, strengthen good governance and field and to promote effective mission
the rule of law, assist local institutions in management at Headquarters, DPKO
In Timor-Leste, signs of economic combating corruption and facilitate the and DFS have established seven In-
growth and political stability grew as delivery of humanitarian aid. tegrated Operational Teams (IOTs) in

4 United Nations Peace Operations

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon inspects Filipino peacekeepers with
Manila mayor Alfredo Lim during a ceremony at the Rizal Monument.
Manila, Philippines. 28 October 2008. UN Photo by Mark Garten.

the four regional divisions covered by Malcorra, the Under-Secretary-General people in ongoing conflicts. The Coun-
UN peacekeeping. Each IOT brings for Field Support, told the General As- cil instructed DPKO missions to take
together dedicated political affairs of- sembly’s Fourth Committee, outlining the lead on reporting and working to
ficers, as well as military, police and her strategy for increasing the efficien- prevent sexual violence in conflict or
support specialist officers to serve cy and effectiveness of DFS. post-conflict situations. Missions in
the UN peacekeeping missions. More Burundi, Chad/CAR, the DRC and
IOTs will be created in 2009. The UN continued to address the is- Liberia began active programmes to
sue of conduct and discipline of its raise awareness of sexual violence and
The new Under-Secretary-General for peacekeepers, and in 2008, the Sec- women’s roles in peace and security,
Peacekeeping, Mr. Le Roy, urged the retariat’s engagement with Member as spelled out in resolution 1325.
General Assembly to consider how to ad- States on follow-up grew. Earlier cases
dress demands for peacekeeping more began to reach resolution, and troop The 60th anniversary of UN peace-
effectively and in doing so, to address and police-contributing countries keeping, which began with unarmed
“the political and resource problems took on more responsibility for inves- military observers in the Middle East
that lie at the root of the conflicts”. tigations under a new agreement with in 1948, was marked globally in
the UN. On the civilian side, for ex- events that drew attention to the im-
At the same time, DPKO, DFS and DPA ample, after a long criminal process, portant work of the men and women
worked to address the new complexi- a French court sentenced a civilian who have served with the UN to sup-
ties of peace operations: “The more staff member of MONUC to prison for port millions of people around the
complex the missions are and the more sex crimes committed in the DRC. world devastated by war. The year’s
sophisticated they become, the more developments underlined more than
difficult it becomes for us to be able to Also during 2008, the Security Coun- ever the need for their continued
support them, not only with the right cil, in resolution 1820, declared sex- service, but also the growing chal-
infrastructure but also with the right ual violence to be a threat to peace lenges facing UN peacekeeping as
profile of staff to enable the missions and security, used as a weapon of war, it evolves to address today’s com-
to deliver their mandates”, Susana destroying the lives of thousands of plex conflicts. n

year in review 2008 5

As peace in Congo remains elusive,
Security Council strengthens MONUC’s hand

Hastily erected dwellings for internally displaced persons. Ngungu, North Kivu, DRC. 27 September 2008. UN Photo by Marie Frechon.

The year 2008 began with renewed eastern DRC, in particular the for- the disparate armed groups plaguing
hope for the people of the Democratic eign armed groups. the region. As the process dragged on
Republic of the Congo (DRC): Peace without results, chances increased
had taken root in many parts of the Under the second, called the Actes that armed conflict would once again
country, and the people had a demo- d’Engagement, or the Goma Agree- break out.
cratically elected government follow- ments, the Government of the DRC,
ing the first free elections in 40 years. the rebel Congrès National pour la At a meeting in Goma in early April,
In another promising sign, the govern- Défense du Peuple (CNDP) and other the Special Representative of the Sec-
ment reached two peace agreements armed groups from North and South retary-General (SRSG) for the DRC,
in late 2007 and early 2008 that had Kivu in eastern DRC established a Alan Doss, appealed to the parties in
the potential to once and for all re- ceasefire and set out principles for the Kivus to implement the commit-
move the threat of war from the larg- the separation of forces and for the ments made in recent accords and
est remaining crisis area in the coun- rebels to either disarm and demobi- help more than 1 million internally
try – the long-troubled eastern regions lize, or be integrated into the national displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees
of the Kivus. armed forces through a process known try to resume normal life. He told the
as ‘brassage’. opening of the mixed technical com-
The first agreement, called the Nai- mission on peace and security of the
robi Communiqué, was signed by The hope engendered by these pacts Amani programme – the framework es-
the DRC and neighbouring Rwanda waned as the year progressed. tablished by the government to imple-
in a bid to increase cooperation be- ment the Goma Agreements – that it
tween the two countries to eliminate Months after they had been signed, was time to move into the “realization
the threat of armed groups in the there was little progress in disarming phase” of the peace process.

6 United Nations Peace Operations

Mr. Doss travelled to New York But the fighting between the CNDP fense of Goma, it also tried to ensure
later that month, where he joined and the FARDC was not the only threat. protection of the civilian population
Assistant Secretary-General for Other ethnic-based rebel groups were throughout the Kivus and not aban-
Peacekeeping Operations Edmond getting into the fray, including the don the territory threatened by other
Mulet in chairing a meeting of infamous Forces Démocratiques de rebel groups in Ituri and by the LRA
Congolese and Rwandan officials Libération du Rwanda (FDLR), which in Province Orientale.
reviewing progress in implement- includes elements that were involved
ing the Nairobi Communiqué. De- in the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. But UN officials in the DRC and at
spite their best efforts, the pro- The threat of a wider regional conflict UN Headquarters in New York knew
cess remained deadlocked. was also highlighted by a cross-border that a military solution alone would
incident between DRC and Rwanda. never solve the problem: political
Around that time, the Secretary- Meanwhile, the long-standing threat and diplomatic efforts were need-
General began to warn the Security of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), ed as well. The Secretary-General
Council that in the face of stalemate, which originated in Uganda, persist- dispatched Assistant Secretaries-
the already taxed forces of the United ed in the DRC’s Province Orientale, General Haile Menkerios and Ed-
Nations Organization Mission in the bordering Sudan. In one instance, an mond Mulet to the region. Under-
DRC (MONUC) were even more over- LRA attack on the village of Dungu Secretary-General for Peacekeeping
stretched. The mission’s top priority drove more than 60,000 civilians Operations Alain Le Roy was soon to
remained the protection of civilians, from their homes. follow. Next, the Secretary-General
but only 10,000 peacekeepers in participated in a meeting in Nairobi,
the two eastern provinces of South To address the outbreak of violence, Kenya, which was attended by key
and North Kivu were tasked with pro- MONUC, despite its overstretched regional and African leaders.
tecting 10 million civilians – or one means, quickly reconfigured its forces
peacekeeper for every 10,000 indi- throughout the east, reinforcing its On 3 November, the Secretary-General
viduals. The Secretary-General warned presence in the city of Goma and sur- also appointed Olusegun Obasanjo, the
the Council that the Mission’s current rounding areas. former Nigerian president and one of
force levels “do not reflect the critical the most distinguished elder statesmen
role MONUC is expected to play under To protect the key city of Goma it- in Africa, to serve as his Special Envoy
the Goma and Nairobi processes”. self, peacekeepers from India, Ma- for the Great Lakes Region to work with
lawi and South Africa were bolstered leaders there and in the broader inter-
Violence re-ignited in the eastern DRC by the deployment of blue helmets national community to end the crisis.
starting in late August, displacing the from Guatemala, Uruguay and Sen- The Secretary-General mandated his
first wave of hundreds of thousands of egal, as well as a formed police unit Special Envoy to focus on addressing
civilians who would flee for their lives from India. While MONUC reconfig- the challenges to peace and security
in the coming weeks and months. In- ured its force to strengthen the de- posed by the continued presence and
termittent skirmishes continued until
24 October, when rebel forces loyal to
Protecting civilians remains MONUC’s top priority.
CNDP leader Laurent Nkunda began Kiwanja/Rutshuru, North Kivu, DRC.
a major offensive. Nkunda’s fight- 7 November 2008. UN Photo by Marie Frechon.
ers advanced on Goma, the capital of
North Kivu province. The CNDP forces
quickly and easily overwhelmed the
Government forces, FARDC, which
lacked command and control. The
FARDC, which MONUC is mandated
to assist, proved unable to protect the
local population and fled the front
lines. Retreating rogue elements of
the national army even looted and in
some instances raped innocent civil-
ians along the way. MONUC was left
to act virtually on its own.

year in review 2008 7

activities of illegal armed groups in beyond the nearly 19,000 military medical attention to those displaced
the eastern part of the country and on and police already there to prevent in the fighting. MONUC’s peacekeep-
building confidence between the DRC the vast country from slipping back ers often provided escorts and lo-
and its neighbours. into ‘horrendous’ conflict. gistical support to the humanitarian
workers, and they helped to evacuate
In mid-November, the Special En- “We are entering a potentially very NGO and UN staff when their lives
voy visited the DRC to meet with dangerous phase, tensions are rising were at risk.
President Kabila and CNDP leader and we do not want to see the Congo
Nkunda, as well as with the lead- plunge back into the conflict which MONUC also undertook several ini-
ers of Angola and Rwanda. Follow- spilled over and involved neighbours”, tiatives to help deal with the issue of
ing discussions with the Special Mr. Doss warned, calling for an addi- sexual violence in the DRC, includ-
Envoy, the CNDP announced on 18 tional 2,000-plus troops, including ing training the local police, military
November that it was withdrawing special forces, increased air assets investigators, prosecutors and magis-
its forces from the Kanyabayonga- and more formed police units. trates. The mission also co-hosted an
Nyanzale and Kabasha-Kiwanja international conference on sexual
axes, where fighting had recently On 20 November, the UN Security violence and utilized quick impact
occurred. Mr. Obasanjo undertook a Council passed resolution 1843 which project funds for medical centers to
second round of consultations be- authorized an additional 3,100 troops treat victims of the scourge.
fore the end of November to main- and police for MONUC, to ensure that
tain the momentum on the political it could more effectively carry out its The year will also be remembered
and diplomatic tracks. mandate including protection of civil- for the loss of seven members of
ians and ensuring humanitarian ac- the UN family who were killed in
Back on the military track, it became cess. The Department of Peacekeep- the fatal crash of a humanitarian
increasingly obvious to MONUC that ing Operations (DPKO) in New York aircraft in South Kivu in Septem-
reconfiguring its troop presence was quickly began the process of seeking ber. Didace Namujimbo, a journal-
not enough, and an increase in the troop and police contributions. ist working for the mission’s Okapi
number of soldiers was necessary. Radio station was murdered in Bu-
In early October, MONUC chief Alan Throughout this perilous period, UN kavu during the November violence,
Doss again appealed to the Security humanitarian agencies worked tire- prompting condemnation from the
Council for additional peacekeepers lessly to provide food, shelter and Secretary-General, who said: “This
crime is all the more devastating
as it marks the second time in less
than two years that a member of
Radio Okapi’s staff has been bru-
tally killed in the same city”.

As the year concluded, the fragile

stability that once held in the DRC
looked more precarious than ever,
but the international community
remained resolved to bring peace
to this long-suffering country and
its people. n

Olusegun Obasanjo (centre), Special En-

voy of the Secretary-General for the Great
Lakes Region, and Liberata Mulamula
(right), Head of International Confer-
ence on the Great Lakes Region, arrive in
Jomba, North Kivu, DRC. 16 November
2008. UN Photo by Marie Frechon.

8 United Nations Peace Operations

Challenges confront new peacekeeping mission
in Darfur

Fighters of the Sudan Liberation Army Unity faction stand in front of a UN helicopter. Hosh, Sudan.
15 January 2008. UN Photo by Stuart Price.

With high hopes for the future of at the greatest risk of any mission rebel movements, and the general
Darfur resting on its shoulders, but since the peacekeeping setbacks of lack of political will among the par-
little to distinguish itself at first the 1990s: The ongoing conflict in ties to seek a negotiated solution to
from its predecessor (the African the region, the lack of a signal from the conflict.
Union Mission in Sudan – AMIS), the parties that they wanted a ro-
the world’s first joint African Union/ bust peacekeeping operation, and By late 2008, there was little sign
United Nations peacekeeping force, UNAMID’s own ‘tragic’ lack of es- that Darfur’s misery was any closer to
known by its acronym UNAMID, sential resources. ending. In addition, the possibility of
came into being on 31 December an indictment of Sudanese President
2007. Although UNAMID was ini- Although beyond the control of the Omar Hassan Ahmed Al-Bashir by the
tially only cosmetically different mission, these three factors were to International Criminal Court (ICC) cast
from the African Union (AU) force, haunt UNAMID throughout 2008, a shadow of uncertainty over all the
this moment marked the entrance of impeding its ability to carry out its UN’s efforts in Sudan, which includes
substantive UN peacekeeping into mandate effectively. Repeated calls a massive humanitarian operation
the Darfur conflict. to Member States by Secretary-Gen- and another peacekeeping mission in
eral Ban Ki-moon and peacekeeping Southern Sudan. Concern grew of a
The risks and challenges facing the officials for critical capabilities, such possible backlash against UN person-
new mission were obvious from the as military utility helicopters, recon- nel and operations should an arrest
start. Then Under-Secretary-General naissance aircraft and logistic sup- warrant be issued in The Hague.
for Peacekeeping Operations Jean- port units, largely fell on deaf ears.
Marie Guéhenno spelled them out On the ground, attempts to advance Troops and police from a large number
in early January when he told the the peace process were stymied by of contributing States did continue to
Security Council that the conver- repeated waves of bombing and fight- arrive in Darfur throughout 2008, al-
gence of three factors put UNAMID ing, the further fragmentation of the though not in the numbers hoped for

year in review 2008 9

 was gravely concerned for the safety
of thousands of civilians in the Jebel
Muun area of West Darfur, following
reports of bombing by Government
aircraft. In May, UNAMID evacuated
villagers in North Darfur who had
been wounded in an attack by Su-
danese government aircraft that left
three dead and at least eight injured.
The Secretary-General strongly con-
demned the incident, saying that the
bombing of the villages of Umm Sidir,
Ein Bassar and Shegeg Karo was “en-
tirely unacceptable”.
A UNAMID peacekeeper examines a damaged vehicle, part of a
UN supply convoy attacked in western Darfur. 13 January 2008. Then on 10 May, the Justice and
UN Photo by David Manyua.
Equality (JEM) rebel movement
shocked the Government of Su-
at the beginning of the year. The de- FPUs in December. Individual police dan and the international commu-
ployment of support units was given officers arrived in a continuous flow nity by launching a lightning attack
priority, and the first major arrival was each month. across hundreds of miles of desert,
the main body of a Chinese engineer threatening the Sudanese capital.
company in May, which deployed to These deployments took place against JEM fighters reached the outskirts
Nyala, South Darfur, to prepare camps a backdrop of increased insecurity and of Khartoum, but were eventually
and conduct other infrastructure fighting across the region. In Febru- beaten back by Government forces.
projects. The engineer element was ary, a rebel attack on N’Djamena, the This led to the Government of Sudan
complemented by the deployments of capital of neighbouring Chad, raised cutting off diplomatic relations with
Egyptian and Pakistani engineers in tensions and added to the potential Chad, which it contended had offered
July and December respectively. A Ni- for further destabilization in Darfur it- support to the JEM.
gerian level II hospital and a Pakistani self. On 8 February, the Darfuri towns
level III hospital deployed in October of Saraf Jidad, Sirba, Silea and Abu In a report to the Security Council
and December, providing an important Suruj were attacked by Janjaweed on 13 May, the Secretary-General
boost in medical and health care for militia supported by Sudanese armed expressed his deep disappointment
the troops. Logistic and transport units forces, resulting in the deaths of at that the parties continued to resort
from Bangladesh, Egypt and Ethio- least 115 people and the forced dis- to violence in Darfur, which, he said,
pia deployed in October, November placement of 30,000 others. In the was constraining efforts to advance
and December. An Ethiopian infantry assaults, civilian homes were burnt to the political process and “present-
battalion and an Ethiopian reconnais- the ground and government helicop- ing a fundamental challenge to UN-
sance company deployed in November ters and fixed-wing aircraft conducted
AMID, which is not a peacekeeping
and December, bringing the number to air strikes. In a statement condemn-
force designed to deploy or function
12 out of the 18 authorized battalions. ing the attacks the following day, the
in a war zone”.
Furthermore, six former AMIS battal- Secretary-General stressed that all
ions were strengthened to 800 person- parties were obliged to adhere to in-
nel according to UN standards. ternational humanitarian law, espe- The following day, Mr. Guéhenno told
cially its prohibitions against attack- the Security Council that Darfur faced
In October, an Indonesian formed po- ing civilians. another major cycle of violence and
lice unit (FPU) joined the mission to large-scale human displacement un-
work in support of the UNAMID po- Aerial bombing by Sudanese govern- less the parties retreated from their
lice in providing security to internally ment forces continued throughout state of confrontation.
displaced persons (IDPs) in the re- the year. At the end of February, the
gion. It was followed by a Nepalese UN humanitarian coordinator in Su- On 25 August, Sudanese authori-
FPU in November and two Nigerian dan, Ameerah Haq, said that she ties raided the Kalma IDP camp in

10 United Nations Peace Operations

South Darfur, leading to an exchange A unilateral ceasefire declaration on Security Council and the Secretary-
of gunfire inside the camp that 12 November by President Al-Bashir General. In May, dozens of armed
killed an estimated 64 people and did nothing to stem the violence in men ambushed Nigerian troops serv-
wounded 117 others. The raid was Darfur, with government air strikes ing with UNAMID. The attack was
condemned strongly by the UN as reported the following day. The dec- again deplored by the Secretary-Gen-
an “excessive, disproportionate use laration was also immediately re- eral. Then, barely a week later, on 29
of lethal force” against civilians. The jected by rebels as a propaganda May, the mission was shocked to learn
attack’s aftermath was to preoccupy stunt to deflect the possible ICC of the cold-blooded murder, the first
UNAMID for much of the remainder indictment, and fighting continued but not the last, of a Ugandan civil-
of the year, as the mission made at- on the ground. Two weeks later, the ian police inspector, shot to death in a
tempts to ease tensions and rebuild Secretary-General issued another UNAMID vehicle near Zam Zam camp
confidence among camp inhabitants. statement condemning aerial bomb- in North Darfur.
This included initiating 24/7 patrols ing by the Government of Sudan in
in the camp. South Darfur, and expressing his dis- However, the most serious incident
appointment that the military activity came on 9 July, when a UNAMID po-
Further fighting in North Darfur and by the Government continued, “par- lice and military patrol was ambushed
banditry across the region led the ticularly in light of the…announce- by unidentified militia in North Darfur,
Secretary-General to declare in an ment of an immediate ceasefire by leaving seven peacekeepers dead and
October report to the Security Council the government”. 22 wounded. The Secretary-General
that security conditions were so bad condemned the attack in the strongest
that UNAMID could not operate effec- Attacks against UN peacekeepers and possible terms, calling on the Govern-
tively. He noted that the parties con- humanitarian workers were consistent ment of Sudan to bring the perpetra-
tinued to pursue a military solution to throughout the year. On 8 January, el- tors to justice.
the conflict and had made little prog- ements of the Sudanese armed forces
ress in implementing the 2006 Darfur targeted a UNAMID supply convoy in Attacks continued with depressing
Peace Agreement. an attack that was condemned by the frequency throughout the rest of the

A Bangladeshi logistics unit arrives in Nyala, South Darfur.

23 October 2008. UN Photo by Josephine Guerrero.

year in review 2008 11

year, including one that resulted in the In the meantime, efforts continued to At the end of June, the Secretary-
death of a peacekeeper in West Darfur make progress on the political front. General appointed the former For-
in July, the killing of a South African At the beginning of the year, the UN eign Minister of Burkina Faso,
peacekeeper who was attempting to and AU special envoys, Jan Eliasson Djibril Yipènè Bassolé, as the new
secure a water point with his contin- and Salim Ahmed Salim, shuttled be- joint AU-UN Chief Mediator for Dar-
gent in North Darfur in October, and tween the Government of Sudan, the fur, to be based in El Fasher, North
a number of incidents in which UN- rebel movements and regional and in- Darfur. Messrs. Eliasson and Salim
AMID civilian utility helicopters were ternational partners in an attempt to would remain available for advice
shot at. move the parties to a position where and engagement as required. Mr.
formal negotiations could begin. Un- Bassolé arrived in Darfur at the
The humanitarian community also suf- fortunately, by April, hopes for a po- end of August and immediately em-
fered greatly from banditry throughout litical solution had dimmed as it be- barked on a round of wide-ranging
2008. By December, 11 humanitar- came apparent that both sides were consultations.
ian workers had been killed; there had unwilling to abandon pursuit of their
On 31 July, the Security Council re-
been 172 assaults on humanitarian aims through military means. The
newed UNAMID’s mandate for anoth-
premises; 261 vehicles had been hi- envoys’ jobs were made all the more
er 12 months. By the end of the year,
jacked; and 170 staff had been tem- difficult by the rebel movements’ ten-
12,374 troops had been deployed to
porarily abducted. All of this meant dency to fragment, making it next to
UNAMID – representing 63 per cent
that vital aid operations had to be cur- impossible to form a sensible negoti-
of the mission’s authorized military
tailed in a number of areas in order to ating platform from which to engage strength of 19,555 personnel – with a
protect aid workers. In August, Under- the government. commitment to complete deployments
Secretary-General for Humanitarian Af- in 2009. On the political front, despite
fairs John Holmes spoke out after two In June, Mr. Eliasson told the Secu- concerted efforts by Mr. Bassolé and
attacks against the staff and premises rity Council that the environment in a peace initiative by the Government
of Médecins Sans Frontières in North the region had deteriorated further, of Qatar to bring the parties together
Darfur, saying that he was “deeply trou- and he warned that “a new genera- for direct negotiations in Doha, there
bled about the continuing threats and tion in Sudan may be doomed to a life were few signs of an imminent break-
attacks against humanitarian agencies in conflict, despair and poverty”. He through, not least because all parties
working in Darfur”. He warned that added that “at the end of the day, we seemed to favour continued fighting
hundreds of thousands of people relied will not make progress unless the Su- over dialogue. n
on assistance provided by the aid orga- danese themselves show seriousness,
nizations and that “we cannot afford to political will and a focused commit-
have them absent from Darfur”. ment to peace”.

UNMIS helps keep North-South Sudan

peace on track
In 2008, the United Nations Mis- ployment of forces, a resolution of the curity Council, warned that instabil-
sion in Sudan (UNMIS) continued to dispute over the oil-rich Abyei region, ity and tension in the first quarter of
support implementation of the 2005 and preparations for national elec- 2008 threatened to undermine the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement tions in 2009 and the referendum in CPA. He urged the parties to “sum-
(CPA) between the National Congress 2011, which will decide the fate of mon the political will to address dif-
Party (NCP) and the Sudan People’s Southern Sudan. ficult outstanding issues”.
Liberation Movement (SPLM), focus-
ing on the parties’ outstanding com- On 24 April, Secretary-General Ban At the end of April, in a resolution
mitments, which include the rede- Ki-moon, in a report to the UN Se- extending the UNMIS mandate for

12 United Nations Peace Operations

another 12 months, the Security UN agencies and non-governmental or- sparked some peaceful protests in
Council stressed the need for full ganizations quickly (NGOs) made ar- Khartoum, El Obeid and Kassala,
and expeditious implementation of rangements to provide humanitarian but did not immediately affect UN-
all elements of the CPA, including assistance to those who had fled. MIS activities.
“a mutually agreeable solution to the
Abyei issue”. Once the fighting had subsided, the In his report at the end of October,
parties negotiated the Abyei Road- the Secretary-General said that a lack
The fragility of peace in areas of the map Agreement, which was signed of mutual trust between the signato-
country outside Darfur was under- on 8 June. The two sides agreed to ries remained the main challenge to
lined by two separate and unrelated redeploy their forces out of the area, implementation of the CPA. He urged
incidents in May: A violent confron- allow UNMIS full freedom of move- the leaders of both the NCP and the
tation in the disputed town of Abyei ment, deploy a joint military unit and SPLM to make an effort to improve
and a surprise attack by a Darfur a civilian administration to Abyei, their relationship, saying that the
rebel group – the Justice and Equal- and refer the issue of the area’s “onus of improving mutual trust and
ity Movement (JEM) – that reached boundaries to the Permanent Court confidence lies with the leadership of
the outskirts of the Sudanese capi- of Arbitration. UNMIS and UN agen- both sides”.
tal, Khartoum. cies have actively supported the im-
plementation of the Roadmap Agree- After much delay, on 18 Novem-
The fighting in Abyei between mem- ment, including the establishment of ber, Sudan’s National Assembly ap-
bers of the Sudan Armed Forces and the joint military unit and training of proved the new National Electoral
the SPLA drove tens of thousands of police, as well as the reconstruction Commission, a vital step in prepa-
civilians from their homes, destroyed of Abyei town and the return of dis- ration for national, Southern Sudan
much of the town and forced UNMIS placed civilians. and State elections, scheduled for
to evacuate all UN civilian staff from 2009. Despite this positive devel-
the area. During the crisis, UNMIS The announcement by the pros- opment, UNMIS officials consid-
was very active in bringing the parties ecutor of the International Criminal ered that meeting the July 2009
to meet at all levels, both locally and Court (ICC) in mid-July that he was deadline for elections set by the
in Khartoum, in order to end the fight- seeking an arrest warrant for Presi- CPA may be difficult. n
ing and resolve differences over Abyei. dent Ahmed Al-Bashir of Sudan

MINURCAT trains police in Chad,

prepares to expand
During 2008, the United Nations MINURCAT’s mandate, established cers, 46 military liaison officers, and
Mission in the Central African Re- by Security Council resolution 1778 a civilian component consisting of
public and Chad (MINURCAT) worked (2008), tasked the mission with con- civil affairs, human rights, rule of law
to bring attention to and alleviate tinuing to help create conditions con- and mission support.
the abysmal situation of some half a ducive to a voluntary, secure and sus-
million internally displaced persons tainable return of refugees (57,000 Working alongside EUFOR, the mission
(IDPs) and refugees, clustered in the from the Central African Republic and has specifically focused on training
two countries’ volatile border region 263,000 from Darfur, Sudan) and and deployment of the special Chadian
with Sudan. The UN peacekeeping 180,000 IDPs, currently encamped police - Détachement Intégré de Sécu-
role will grow dramatically in 2009 in eastern Chad. rité (DIS) - to maintain law and order
when MINURCAT is to expand and in refugee camps and for displaced
take over responsibilities from EU- But MINURCAT has been a small mis- civilians within a 10-kilometre radius
FOR, the European Union (EU) force sion, with 863 personnel as of late of the camps in eastern Chad. As of
currently deployed. 2008, including 236 UN police offi- December, MINURCAT had trained

year in review 2008 13

more than 400 DIS officers, with most a campaign to focus on the rights of mendations, the Security Council was
already deployed to eastern Chad. The women and girls, following an Octo- to decide on the mandate and strength
mission is also moving substantive ci- ber workshop on gender-based vio- of the UN force in early January 2009,
vilian components into eastern Chad lence suffered by IDPs and refugees but the Secretary-General recommend-
under the leadership of Deputy Spe- in eastern Chad. ed that the new UN force be highly mo-
cial Representative of the Secretary- bile, cover a wider area with greater re-
General (DSRSG) Rima Salah. The fragility of the situation in Chad sponsibilities than EUFOR had, and be
was demonstrated early in the year in place for the next year and beyond.
Recruitment of soldiers by Darfurian when, in February, a coalition of Chad- With 18 helicopters, it is to be visible
rebel groups, sexual violence and ban- ian rebels named Résistance Nation- by air as well as on land.
ditry have plagued the refugee and IDP ale launched an attack on the capital,
camps and the region in which they are N’Djamena, resulting in further inter- In the meantime, force generation
located, posing “an acute humanitar- nal displacement and the temporary and preparations for the transition
ian challenge”, Secretary-General Ban relocation of MINURCAT and other in- are under way. In light of the security
Ki-moon reported in December. His ternational humanitarian staff from the situation, the logistically challenging
Special Representative for Children country. The attack was condemned nature of the environment and the
and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coor- by both the Security Council and the short time-line prior to the transfer of
maraswamy, visited in May and won a Secretary-General. authority from EUFOR, it is important
pledge from the Chadian government that commitments from UN Member
to release all detained children associ- On 4 December 2008, the Secretary- States to support the force are re-
ated with armed groups. General issued a report on MINURCAT, ceived as soon as possible. To facili-
recommending the concept of a United tate the transition, the United Nations
As part of its determination to tack- Nations force of at least 4,900 peace- is asking the majority of EUFOR con-
ling gender-based violence in its area keepers to take over from EUFOR by tributors to ‘re-hat’, even for a transi-
of operations, MINURCAT launched 15 March 2009. Based on his recom- tional period. n

Alain Le Roy, USG for Peacekeeping Operations, Victor Angelo, SRSG for Chad and the
CAR, Rima Salah, DSRSG for Chad and the CAR, visiting Abéché in the company of
Chadian authorities. Abéché, Chad. 15 October 2008. UN Photo by Penangnini Touré.

14 United Nations Peace Operations

After gaining ground in Liberia,
UN blue helmets start to downsize

Ellen Margrethe Løj (third from left), SRSG for Liberia, and Henrik Stiernblad (left), UNMIL
Police Commissioner, visit newly trained Liberian emergency response officers on night patrol
with UNPOL. Monrovia, Liberia. 9 November 2008. UN Photo by Christopher Herwig.

The United Nations Mission in Libe- eral’s Special Representative, Ellen officers, observers and engineering
ria (UNMIL) remains one of the UN’s Margrethe Løj, has enabled the return and administrative units – which will
most successful operations in recent of hundreds of thousands of displaced leave UNMIL with just over 10,000
years. Thanks in large part to the persons and refugees, disarmed more troops in March 2009. The Security
efforts of UNMIL and UN agencies than 100,000 ex-combatants, and, in Council unanimously endorsed that
operating in the country, Liberia has 2005, helped organize and carry out recommendation, which also called
now enjoyed its fifth year of peace the historic elections in which Ellen for streamlining UNMIL sectors in the
and stability, which is unprecedent- Johnson-Sirleaf became the first wom- country from four to two.
ed since the start of the conflict two an elected as Head of State in Africa.
decades ago. The mission’s military and police com- Reflecting its emphasis on solidifying
ponents have also fostered a security the rule of law in Liberia, the Council
During a visit to the country in environment that paved the way for the also boosted the number of UNMIL
April, Secretary-General Ban Ki- long process of reconstruction, eco- police officers by authorizing an ad-
moon praised Liberia’s “remarkable nomic development and political rec- ditional 240 personnel in two formed
achievements”. Addressing the Na- onciliation, and for children to return police units “to provide strategic
tional Legislature, he pledged the to schools throughout the country. advice and expertise in specialized
“steadfast commitment to peace, fields, provide operational support to
stability and prosperity” in the In August, several months after his regular policing activities and react
country. visit to Liberia, the Secretary-General to urgent security incidents”.
recommended to the Security Council
Since its establishment in 2003, UN- the withdrawal of 1,460 UNMIL mili- Future adjustments to UNMIL’s
MIL, now led by the Secretary-Gen- tary personnel – including troops, staff force levels will be linked to the

year in review 2008 15

government’s ability to assume full Aware of the need to promote gen- peace and security. The global eco-
responsibility for its national secu- der equality, the UN has also ensured nomic and food crises have further
rity. “Our common strategic goal is that the level of women’s represen- aggravated the socio-economic sit-
to ensure that Liberia has a solid tation in the police increases. The uation, which undermines security
security sector – one that can stand all-women formed police unit from in the country. The human rights
on its own feet before UNMIL com- India, the first-ever deployed in a UN situation remains problematic,
pletes its withdrawal”, the Secretary- peacekeeping operation, has sparked with the Independent National
General said in a report to the Secu- interest among local women to serve Commission on Human Rights not
rity Council. in law enforcement. operational because of continued
government delays in appointing
UNMIL has spent five years help- Progress can also be seen in the its commissioners.
ing the country’s security forces to government’s efforts to regain con-
stand on their own feet by recruiting trol over, and efficiently manage, “This is truly a success story for a
and training officers for the Liberian Liberia’s natural resources – a fun- country coming out of so much de-
Police Service, which will ultimately damental requirement for the coun- struction in such a short time”, Presi-
be responsible for providing security try’s long-term security and financial dent Johnson-Sirleaf told the General
through the country. To date, UNMIL well-being. Assembly in September. “We owe this
has provided basic training to more phenomenal achievement first to our
than 3,500 officers, including more While Liberia, with UNMIL’s assis- people, the Liberian people, and very
than 1,000 who received specialized tance, has made progress on many strategically and importantly, to the
training. The United Nations, work- fronts, serious problems remain. international community led by the
ing with its international partners, has The high level of unemployment United Nations”. n
also helped build police stations and among young people – despite the
barracks, as well as purchase vehicles economic growth of recent years
and other logistics for the force. – has the potential to undermine

Progress in Côte d’Ivoire

Since the signing of the Ouaga- followed the successful completion of logistical airlift capacity and trans-
dougou Agreement in March 2007, the mobile court operations in Sep- portation of identification agents
and in spite of the postponement of tember, which issued some 750,000 and materials. In August, UNOCI
the presidential elections initially duplicate birth certificates to Ivori- airlifted 1,500 out of a total 6,000
scheduled to be held in 2008, sig- ans as a first step in the identifica- identification and voter registration
nificant progress has been made in tion process. Also significant was the kits to Côte d’Ivoire from Europe
implementing the agreement, and complete restoration of the freedom in order to expedite the launch of
the people of Côte d’Ivoire continue of movement between the North and the process. Meanwhile, since No-
to enjoy relative peace and stability. South, following the lifting in July vember, UNOCI has helped the In-
2008 of the last observation post of dependent Electoral Commission
The progress made in the identifica- the United Nations Operation in Côte dispatch its identification and voter
tion of the population, which lies at d’Ivoire (UNOCI) along the former registration agents throughout the
the heart of the Ivorian crisis and has zone of confidence that had divided country. Thanks to financial support
so far allowed for the enrolment of Côte d’Ivoire since 2002. from the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF),
3 million Ivorian people on the vot- UNOCI and the UN Development
ers’ list, is very encouraging, as noted UNOCI contributed to addressing Programme (UNDP) also launched a
by Assistant Secretary-General for arising logistical challenges to the US$4 million ‘1,000 micro-projects’
Peacekeeping Operations Edmond government’s identification process initiative to facilitate the reinsertion
Mulet during his visit to Côte d’Ivoire by providing, at the request of the of ex-combatants and youth at risk
in December 2008. These operations national institutions, substantial into Ivorian society, and supported

16 United Nations Peace Operations

An Ivorian citizen displays his receipt after completing the identification process for the upcoming elections. Dabou, Côte d’Ivoire.
15 September 2008. UN Photo by Ky Chung.

Ivorian institutions in planning for the parties, will not only sustain the the embargo regime against Côte
security arrangements during the political momentum created by the d’Ivoire, as well as the sanctions re-
electoral process. Ouagadougou Agreement, but also gime against individuals, with a view
create the conditions for a secure, to safeguarding the peace process
Ivorian parties have recently agreed credible and transparent election, from any threats. The Council urged
on modalities to resolve key out- once a new date is set and agreeable all the Ivorian political actors to coop-
standing military and security issues, to all the Ivorian parties. erate fully with the regional diplomatic
as formalized by the fourth supple- facilitator, President Blaise Compaoré
mentary accord to the Ouagadougou At the same time, as emphasized by of neighbouring Burkina Faso – who is
Agreement. As these issues had ear- the Security Council in November, supported by the Special Representa-
lier impeded tangible progress in the Côte d’Ivoire continues to face formi- tive of the Secretary-General (SRSG)
disarmament of former combatants dable obstacles in consolidating the for Côte d’Ivoire, Choi Young-Jin –
and dismantling of the militias, the hard-won peace. Expressing concern and to demonstrate their political de-
signing of the this supplementary over delays in the electoral process termination to fulfill all commitments
agreement is an encouraging develop- and continued human rights viola- undertaken in the framework of the
ment which, if strictly adhered to by tions, the Security Council renewed Ouagadougou Agreement. n

year in review 2008 17

UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea
is withdrawn
On 30 July 2008, the Security Coun- However, both parties rejected all op- to keep the peace after a two-year
cil unanimously adopted resolution tions for this solution. war (1998-2000) claimed at least
1827 terminating the mandate of 70,000 Ethiopian and Eritrean
the United Nations Mission in Ethio- “The Secretary-General regrets this lives. It was a difficult mission in
pia and Eritrea (UNMEE) with effect decision by the parties, but wel- geographically harsh locations, but
from the following day. The Council comes the decision of the Council to the men and women who served
decision came in response to crip- continue to remain actively seized with UNMEE did not flinch”.
pling restrictions imposed by Eritrea of the matter”, said the spokesper-
on UNMEE, as well as the discontinu- son for the Secretary-General. “He Mr. Ennifar noted that peace was sus-
ation of fuel supplies – making it im- also expresses hope that the par- tained throughout the period UNMEE
possible for the operation to continue ties would be able break the current was operational.
carrying out its mandated tasks, and stalemate and create conditions nec-
putting at risk the safety and security essary for the normalization of their UNMEE was established by the Secu-
of UN personnel. relations, which is key to peace and rity Council in July 2000, shortly after
stability in the region. The Secre- Ethiopia and Eritrea had signed a ces-
At the same time, resolution 1827 tary-General reaffirms that his offer sation of hostilities agreement follow-
called on the two Horn of Africa coun- of good offices remains available to ing proximity talks led by Algeria on
tries “to show maximum restraint and the parties to help them implement behalf of the Organization of African
refrain from any threat or use of force the Algiers Agreements”. Unity (OAU), now the African Union
against each other and to avoid pro- (AU). The subsequent Algiers Peace
vocative military activities”. The then Acting Special Represen- Agreement of 12 December 2000
tative of the Secretary-General for formed the basis of the normalization
Earlier, on 3 July, the Council had Ethiopia and Eritrea, Azouz Enni- of relations between the two coun-
asked the Secretary-General to en- far, praised the work of the sever- tries. UNMEE’s mandate was to moni-
gage the Ethiopian and Eritrean gov- al thousand men and women who tor the cessation of hostilities and the
ernments on the options available for served in UNMEE over the life of temporary security zone, thus helping
a follow-on UN presence after the ex- the mission: “The mission was sent to ensure the observance of security
piration of the mandate of UNMEE. at the request of both countries commitments, and to provide support
to the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Com-
mission established to delimitate and
demarcate the border.

Over a period of seven-and-a-half

years, several thousand peacekeeping
troops and unarmed military observ-
ers from some 46 countries, and hun-
dreds of international and local staff
served with UNMEE. Twenty UNMEE
personnel lost their lives while serving
in the mission. n

UNMEE military and civilian staff

board an aircraft bound for Ad-
dis Ababa following the Security
Council’s decision not to renew the
mission’s mandate. 6 August 2008.
UN Photo by Ian Steele.

18 United Nations Peace Operations

UNMIN assists Nepal in transition to
peace and democracy

Nepalese troops assist the national election commission with the distribution of polling materials in preparation for the 10 April
2008 Constituent Assembly elections. Sankhuwasabha, Nepal. 3 February 2008. UN Photo by Sagar Shrestha.

The holding of the Constituent As- in November 2006 paved the way eral key areas, including technical
sembly election in Nepal was a ma- for the United Nations to establish advice to Nepal’s electoral authori-
jor peace consolidation success of the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), a ties in the planning and organization
2008. After two postponements, the special political mission mandated to of the election, civilian monitoring of
Nepalese people turned out in large provide support and assistance during the management of arms and armed
numbers on 10 April to elect the the transitional period. personnel from the Nepal and Mao-
most inclusive legislative body in the ist armies in 28 cantonment and
country’s history. Following the elec- As Ian Martin, the Special Represen- satellite sites around the country,
tion, the Assembly voted to abolish tative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and monitoring the ceasefire agree-
the 240-year-old monarchy, another for Nepal, said, “Nepal’s peace pro- ment and election code of conduct.
milestone in Nepal’s nationally owned cess has been truly indigenous: It has SRSG Martin also provided the good
peace process. not been mediated or managed by any offices and political presence that
external third party. The UN has en- were useful at crucial junctures in
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted couraged and facilitated the process the peace process.
the “remarkable historic progress” in – through quiet good offices during
establishing peace when he addressed the last years of the conflict, through In addition to UNMIN’s work, the
the Assembly during his visit to Nepal human rights monitoring, through as- Electoral Expert Monitoring Team, an
in November. sistance during the Assembly election independent team of election moni-
and through monitoring the arms and tors appointed by the Secretary-Gen-
In 2006, Nepal emerged from a de- armies during the transition.” eral, reviewed all technical aspects
cade-long conflict between the gov- of the electoral process and the con-
ernment and Maoist guerillas that Since its establishment by the Se- duct of the election. Human rights
claimed 13,000 lives. The signing of curity Council in January 2007, UN- aspects of the peace process have
the Comprehensive Peace Agreement MIN has provided assistance in sev- been monitored by Nepal office of

year in review 2008 19

Electoral material being delivered to Kalikot district. Manma, Nepal.
6 April 2008. UN Photo by Ky Chung.

the UN High Commissioner for Hu- ment needs to address the integration the Secretary-General encouraged the
man Rights (OHCHR). and rehabilitation of some 19,000 for- political parties to continue cooperat-
mer combatants, in addition to draft- ing to meet these challenges, and he
Despite the achievements thus far, ing a new constitution and fulfilling pledged continued international sup-
Nepal still faces various challenges in peoples’ high expectations for peace port for Nepal in carrying the peace
consolidating the peace. The govern- dividends. During his visit to Nepal, process forward. n

Amid increasing insecurity, humanitarian and

political work continues in Somalia
In spite of continued kidnappings The Special Representative of the tion of Somalia (ARS). The ‘Djibouti
and armed clashes, and with a no- Secretary-General (SRSG), Ahmedou process’ created a previously miss-
table increase in piracy threatening Ould-Abdallah, continued to carry ing and much desired positive mo-
international aid delivery, the United forward the UN’s political agenda to mentum on the political reconcilia-
Nations in 2008 continued its hu- support reconciliation efforts in So- tion front, with both sides agreeing
manitarian and political engagement malia. A highpoint of those efforts to establish a unity government, en-
in Somalia. came in June when he was able to large the transitional parliament to
mediate a precarious peace agree- be more representative and create a
Efforts remained on track to create ment in Djibouti between the Tran- joint security force. The implemen-
the necessary political and security sitional Federal Government (TFG) tation of the Djibouti accord expe-
underpinnings for a stepped-up inter- and the moderate faction of the op- rienced some difficulties and as a
national engagement on the ground. position Alliance for the Re-Libera- result, by the year’s end had only

20 United Nations Peace Operations

minimal impact on the situation on of the population, were in need of to advance the Djibouti peace pro-
the ground, while the security condi- assistance, and that around one in cess and improve humanitarian ac-
tions continued to deteriorate, par- six children under the age of five in cess, as well as reinforce the current
ticularly in the capital, Mogadishu. southern and central Somalia was African Union Mission in Somalia
acutely malnourished. (AMISOM).
This insecurity also led the Nairobi-
based UN Political Office for Somalia At the same time, some members However, members of the Security
(UNPOS) to keep on the shelf ongo- of the Security Council continued Council were unanimous in agreeing
ing plans to relocate to Mogadishu. to press for the deployment of a UN on action against increasing attacks
Yet in this regard, SRSG Ould-Abdal- peacekeeping mission in the country. by pirates off the coast of Somalia,
lah continued to maintain that a real In response to the Council’s request, seen as another glaring symptom of
increase in UN credibility and effec- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon – in weak governance and the result of
tiveness would come only through his report in November 2008 – stated years of economic and social des-
the actual presence on the ground of that deployment of a UN peacekeep- peration. In a series of resolutions,
the UN and its agencies. ing operation would only be possible the Council called on all countries
once the minimal security conditions and regional organizations with the
This presence is all the more im- were established in Mogadishu by necessary capacity to deploy naval
portant as the humanitarian chal- a multinational force with a robust ships and military aircraft off the So-
lenge remains robust. Continuing mandate. Noting that the “danger mali coast to fight rampant piracy. In
instability – coupled with drought, of anarchy in Somalia is clear and mid-December, these steps were fur-
high food prices and the collapse present”, he reported at a December ther enhanced, with the Council au-
of the local currency – only wors- press briefing that after having spo- thorizing actions against the pirates
ened the dire humanitarian situa- ken to leaders of some 50 countries, on land in Somalia. The Council also
tion during the year. At the end of he was unable to find any nation that agreed to uphold and monitor the
2008, the UN estimated that some would lead a multinational force. He arms embargo regime it had imposed
3.2 million people, or 40 per cent therefore proposed a series of steps on the country since 1992. n

After nearly a decade in Kosovo,

UNMIK reconfigures
Ten years ago this coming June, the placed Kosovo – a province of Ser- executive, legislative and judicial
United Nations embarked on two unique bia in the then Federal Republic powers vested in the Special Repre-
missions for peacekeeping: In both Ko- of Yugoslavia – under interim UN sentative of the Secretary-General
sovo and Timor-Leste, on opposite sides administration, pending a resolu- (SRSG) for Kosovo. These tasks in-
of the world, peacekeepers would be tion of its future status. Following cluded establishing Kosovo’s institu-
nation-builders, administering territo- the NATO air strikes which drove tions of democratic self-government
ries that had been wracked by conflict Yugoslav forces out of Kosovo, the and interim civil administration
and left with uncertain status. province was left shattered and and its judiciary and police; assist-
chaotic. Hundreds of thousands of ing in its economic reconstruction;
While Timor-Leste proceeded to be- Kosovo Albanians who had fled to and overseeing its elections.
come an independent state and a neighbouring countries returned.
member of the UN in 2002, Koso- Massive rebuilding of Kosovo’s in- Reconciliation between the various
vo’s path has been less direct and far frastructure commenced and the communities, however, remained
more complicated. United Nations Interim Adminis- elusive. In 1999, attacks on the Ko-
tration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) sovo Serb minority drove the majority
In adopting resolution 1244 on 10 began to carry out an unprecedent- of Serbs either out of Kosovo or into
June 1999, the Security Council ed set of mandated tasks, with all largely isolated enclaves. This remains

year in review 2008 21

 UN Police block the main bridge in the ethnically divided city of Mitrovica in northern Kosovo during a student
protest against Kosovo’s proclamation of independence on 21 February 2008. Robert Atanasovski/AFP/Getty Images.

the case to this day, with the larg- civil administrators, political advis- the Council remained blocked on the
est Kosovo Serb-majority area in the ers, and staff from many other fields issue of Kosovo’s status. This includ-
Mitrovica region of northern Kosovo. – all of whom joined the ranks of ed when a proposal for a solution to
peacekeepers in Kosovo. Over time, Kosovo’s status was presented to the
UNMIK has been a large and unusual UNMIK transferred most day-to-day Council, following talks between Bel-
peacekeeping operation and, as the administrative functions to Kosovo’s grade and Pristina led by UN Special
first of its kind, included two ‘pillars’ local institutions. Envoy Martti Ahtisaari during 2006
run by partner organizations. The eco- and 2007. As a result, the Council
nomic reconstruction pillar, run by Security has been provided by troops has not been able to adopt a new res-
the European Union (EU), concluded from the North Atlantic Treaty Organi- olution on Kosovo.
its activities in 2008. The institu- zation (NATO) — the Kosovo Force, or
tion-building pillar, run by the Orga- KFOR — which once numbered more Against a background of continuing
nization for Security and Cooperation than 47,000. In late 2008, 16,000 deadlock in the Council, the Kosovo
in Europe (OSCE), remains in place. troops remained, deployed mainly in Assembly declared independence in
At one stage, UNMIK was staffed by border and boundary areas and over- February 2008, and more than 50
some 3,300 international police and seeing the creation of a new Kosovo countries have since recognized Ko-
thousands of international and local Security Force. sovo as an independent country.
civilians. The range of its activities
has been vast: UNMIK has included The Security Council gives most Violence erupted in March over control
judges, agricultural and health spe- peacekeeping missions fixed man- of the courthouse in Mitrovica, and it
cialists, corrections experts, human dates with periodic expiration dates. was closed until October 2008. Ko-
rights specialists, electoral special- However, under resolution 1244, UN- sovo Serbs held local elections in May
ists and monitors, public informa- MIK is to exist until the Security Coun- under Serbian law, establishing their
tion production teams, economists, cil decides otherwise. Over the years, own authorities in the Serb-majority

22 United Nations Peace Operations

municipalities. A new Kosovo consti- deployment. The pace of UNMIK re- of operational functions in the rule of
tution entered into force on 15 June. configuration and the completion of law area; and the implementation of the
EULEX deployment, particularly in ar- arrangements of the six-point plan.
These developments meant that UN- eas largely inhabited by Kosovo Serbs,
MIK would no longer be able to per- seemed to be at risk, unless there was Since then, UNMIK and Kosovo have
form effectively the vast majority of stronger buy-in for EULEX’s full de- entered a new phase. As EULEX as-
its tasks as an interim administration, ployment throughout Kosovo by Serbia sumes its responsibilities, the role of
as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and more explicit support in the Coun- the UN in Kosovo is to decrease, while
wrote in a special report to the Secu- cil for EULEX’s role. the role of the EU will continue to
rity Council in June 2008. strengthen. At the end of 2008, UN-
In parallel to the decision to reconfig- MIK remained on the ground, but was
In light of the continuing divisions in ure UNMIK and create the conditions undergoing a considerable reconfigura-
the Security Council, the Secretary- for EULEX’s deployment, the Secre- tion and restructuring. On 9 December,
General took a decision on UNMIK. tary-General in June also launched a EULEX took over UNMIK’s operational
He maintained that while the UN re- dialogue with Serbia on six areas of functions in the rule of law area.
mained ‘status-neutral’, UNMIK’s concern to the Kosovo Serb commu-
presence would be adapted to the nity. This dialogue continued over sev- By early 2009, UNMIK was to have
changed situation on the ground and eral months, in close coordination with reduced its staff by 70 per cent, and
UNMIK would be reconfigured accord- the authorities in Kosovo and relevant refocused its work on monitoring and
ingly. In September, UNMIK’s recon- stakeholders. It led to a six-point plan reporting, facilitating arrangements
figuration began, and at the same time that included provisions for an interim for Kosovo’s engagement in interna-
an EU rule of law mission (EULEX) international role and protection mech- tional agreements and functions re-
began preparations to assume opera- anisms in areas of importance to the lated to the implementation of the
tional functions in policing, judicial Kosovo Serb community. The Secretary- six-point plan, and facilitating dia-
affairs and customs. The UN and the General presented this plan – together logue between Belgrade and Pristina
EU agreed that EULEX would deploy with an update on UNMIK’s reconfigu- on issues of practical concern.
under the overall authority of the Unit- ration and a further delineation of the
ed Nations, under a UN status-neutral terms for EULEX’s deployment – in his “This is a complicated phase. UNMIK
‘umbrella’, and within the framework report to the Security Council in No- is doing more political work […] facil-
of resolution 1244. vember. The Council adopted a Presi- itating the transition process”, SRSG
dential Statement on Kosovo on 26 No- Lamberto Zannier said in an interview
However, Kosovo’s authorities, Serbia vember, which provides a mandate to in early December. How that will work
and the international community dis- move forward with the reconfiguration out for UNMIK, and for Kosovo, will
agreed over the modalities for EULEX of UNMIK; the assumption by EULEX be seen in the coming year. n

Afghanistan – Room for hope despite challenges

Afghanistan has rarely left the front However, behind the headlines, Afghan- frastructure, decimated by decades of
pages of newspapers over the last istan has another story to tell. More than conflict, is being rehabilitated. These
year, with regular clashes between 6 million children attended school dur- are the signs of progress that are mak-
international military forces and Tali- ing 2008. Women, once banned from ing a huge difference to communities
ban insurgents dominating reporting. public life, increasingly emerged from across the country, but are rarely com-
The security situation in Afghanistan the shadows to play a full and equal municated to the outside world.
has continued to deteriorate, with part in rebuilding their shattered com-
more attacks during 2008 than in munities. Basic health care services In March 2008, Kai Eide was ap-
any year since the fall of the Taliban are now available to over 80 per cent pointed Special Representative of
regime in 2001. of the population and Afghanistan’s in- the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Af-

year in review 2008 23

 To observe the International Day of Peace on 21 September, UNAMA commissioned cartoons from Afghan artists.

ghanistan to spearhead internation- US$81.3 million requested for the tarian assistance in previously inac-
al efforts in support of the Afghan first appeal was received, while only cessible areas.
people and their government. The about one third of the $404 million
Paris Conference on Afghanistan, in requested for the second had come in With UN assistance, Afghanistan’s In-
June 2008, launched Afghanistan’s at the end of the year. dependent Election Commission (IEC)
first national development strategy, also began preparations for presiden-
a five-year road map for the security Attacks against humanitarian aid work- tial and parliamentary elections to be
and prosperity of the Afghan people. ers continued through 2008, making held in the fall of 2009. The IEC is
Donors underscored their commit- it increasingly difficult to deliver as- to register Afghan voters from October
ment to the road map by pledging sistance to families who most need it. 2008 through February 2009. More
US$21.4 billion for Afghanistan’s Nearly half the country remains inac- than 110 political parties had already
reconstruction, as well as increased cessible to aid workers due to insecu- registered at the time of writing.
aid effectiveness and coordination. rity. In an attempt to reach these com-
SRSG Eide stressed that he would munities, the UN stepped up outreach The Afghan National Army contin-
pursue the most implementable efforts to build support and protection ued to develop, reaching a strength
projects as his priorities for 2009. needed to deliver life-saving humani- of more than 62,000. In September,
tarian assistance. the Afghan government and the inter-
Another positive development dur- national community agreed to raise
ing 2008 was the increase in poppy- Afghan refugees continued to return the recruitment ceiling from 88,000
free provinces, from 13 to 18 (of 34 to their homeland from neighbour- to 122,000 by 2012, reflecting the
provinces), with opium poppy culti- ing countries: More than 200,000 readiness of the Government to grad-
vation decreasing by nearly 20 per were repatriated in 2008, with the ually take on greater responsibility
cent across the country due to im- support of UNHCR, the UN refu- for security. Another important step
proved local governance, awareness gee agency. was taken when the Afghan National
campaigns targeting farmers, and Army assumed the lead for ensuring
better law enforcement. On 21 September, guns fell silent security in Kabul.
across Afghanistan as soldiers from
However, drought and global food national and international forces, In the first half of 2008, the UN-
price hikes during 2008 resulted in a as well as the Taliban, stood down managed Mine Action Centre for Af-
deteriorating humanitarian situation, from offensive military operations in ghanistan, with government support,
pushing millions into food insecurity. observance of the International Day destroyed 38,297 anti-personnel land-
To meet the growing needs, the UN of Peace. Millions of Afghans joined mines, 419 anti-tank mines and nearly
and the Government of Afghanistan the UN in calling for a window of 1 million explosive remnants of war, as
launched two emergency food appeals peace to enable aid workers to vac- well as provided mine awareness edu-
in January and July. Nearly all of the cinate children and deliver humani- cation to over 760,000 civilians.

24 United Nations Peace Operations

Across the country, the UN Assistance Despite these signs of progress, sig- starting the economy so that Afghan
Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) con- nificant challenges lie ahead. The families can provide for themselves.
tinued to expand its presence with Paris Conference provided an agenda The challenges are vast, but so is the
new field offices in Badghis in the and road map for Afghanistan, but determination of the Afghan people
North and Uruzghan in the South to success or failure will ultimately de- and their international supporters to
support improved governance, deliv- pend on political will and determi- ensure that the nation continues on
ery of basic services and monitoring nation to address the key issues of the road to a sustainable peace. n
of human rights. This growth will con- restoring security, tackling the cor-
tinue through 2009 as security condi- rosive influence of corruption, im-
tions permit. proving aid effectiveness and kick-

Peacekeepers lead response to disasters in Haiti

The United Nations Stabilization ing mission faced altogether different deadly hurricanes that affected nearly
Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) was challenges. Beyond carrying out the a million people, and a school collapse
deployed in 2004 with a clear mis- core components of its mandate, that took the lives of 100 children.
sion: To help restore and maintain the MINUSTAH played a major role in
rule of law so that the country would helping the country deal with a series Haitian government agencies that
be secure and stable enough for the of disasters, including violent demon- should address these crises are in poor
constitutional and political process to strations over food prices that led to shape from years of economic stagna-
flourish. But this year, the peacekeep- the collapse of the government, four tion and political turmoil, so it fell to

Major-General Carlos Alberto Dos Santos

Cruz (centre), MINUSTAH Force Commander
and other military personnel assist in a res-
cue operation after the collapse of Collège
La Promesse. Pétionville, Haiti.
7 November 2008.
UN Photo by Marco Dormino.

year in review 2008 25

 Brazilian peacekeepers secure the streets around the National Palace following the outbreak of protests
against escalating food prices. Port-au-Prince, Haiti. 8 April 2008. UN Photo by Logan Abassi.

MINUSTAH to mobilize its personnel, Deeply concerned over the plight of affecting more than 800,000. Tens of
resources and expertise to help save the Haitian people, the Secretary- thousands of houses were damaged
lives during the emergencies. General, together with President Luiz or destroyed, and several key roads
Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, orga- and bridges – crucial to the country’s
In early April, the increasingly high nized an international meeting in economy – were washed away.
price of imported food and fuel, com- Rome to discuss the country’s food
bined with low domestic production, crisis. The Secretary-General called Gonaïves was particularly hard hit.
led to violent anti-government dem- for renewed efforts to help Haiti deal This coastal city of around 100,000
onstrations that began in Las Cayes with the impact of the surge in prices people, which suffered a similar fate
and soon spread to several of Haiti’s of many basic foods. He warned that in 2004, was covered in high water
largest cities, including the capital, Haiti’s fragile state of governance and deep mud for weeks. While many
Port-au-Prince. Six people died and and deteriorating living conditions of the city’s inhabitants fled, others
hundreds more were wounded in the “have created a volatile and poten- lived on rooftops while the flood wa-
riots. On 12 April, Prime Minister tially dangerous atmosphere”. ters ebbed. Human corpses and ani-
Jacques-Edouard Alexis was forced to mal carcasses polluted the water, rais-
step down. But the difficulties facing Haiti in the ing the specter of widespread disease
spring paled in comparison to what outbreaks. The Special Representa-
During this difficult time, UN po- lay ahead. Four tropical storms – Fay, tive of the Secretary-General (SRSG)
lice and military were called upon to Gustav, Hanna and Ike – battered Hai- for Haiti, Hédi Annabi, said Gonaïves
work with the Haitian National Po- ti with torrential rains and high winds “looked like hell on earth”.
lice (PNH) to restore law and order in between mid-August and mid-Sep-
neighbourhoods wracked by violence tember. The storms left a trail of dev- During this dark period, the UN hu-
and to protect UN sites and key gov- astation in their wake – killing more manitarian coordinator organized the
ernment buildings in the capital. than 1,000 and displacing or directly response by relief workers and blue

26 United Nations Peace Operations

helmets, who worked around-the- ress from the terrible hurricane season break up the concrete slabs that cov-
clock to save Gonaïves. They evacu- by building their sense of national soli- ered those trapped underneath.
ated victims, shored up crumbling darity and breaking the political stale-
infrastructure, provided security and mate that had lasted for nearly five The invaluable work performed by
delivered urgently needed relief sup- months, allowing the country’s politi- the peacekeepers during the crises
plies such as food and fresh drinking cians to reach agreement on the ap- of 2008 proved that the continued
water, all the while providing emer- pointment of Prime Minister Michèle deployment of MINUSTAH remains
gency medical care, including life- Pierre-Louis, and the formation of a indispensable. As was clear during
saving assistance to pregnant women new government. the April riots and hurricanes, the
and infants. mission security components contin-
Yet as Haiti was beginning to recover ue to play a critical role in ensuring
While humanitarian agencies, with from the string of fatal storms, trage- the country’s stability while the Hai-
the support of peacekeepers, were dy struck again on 7 November when tian National Police is building up.
dealing with the immediate dangers a school in the Pétionville commune Meanwhile, MINUSTAH is making
facing the population, the UN system on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince a key contribution to Haiti’s longer-
was addressing the longer-term prob- collapsed with hundreds of children term stabilization through its support
lems. The UN Office for the Coordina- trapped in the rubble. UN peace- for the strengthening of rule of law
tion of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) keepers from Brazil, Chile, Ecuador institutions, while seeking to build
issued a flash appeal in September and the Philippines, as well as per- the capacity of State administration
for US$108 million to support recov- sonnel from the UN humanitarian at the central and local levels. But
ery and relief efforts over the next six agencies, rushed to the scene to much remains to be done for Hai-
months to address widespread storm clear rubble and help survivors bur- ti’s socio-economic development. As
damage to agricultural land, which ied under the debris. Among the first SRSG Annabi told the press in Oc-
had resulted in the loss of the corn, responders was MINUSTAH Force tober, “a poor, hungry and desperate
bean and banana harvests. Commander Major-General Carlos population is simply not compatible
Alberto Dos Santos Cruz, who raced with peace and security”. n
In the second half of the year, the Hai- on foot to the scene before jumping
tian people themselves salvaged prog- in to help out, swinging a pickaxe to

New SRSG pursues robust UN mandate in

electoral assistance, reconstruction and
advancing political dialogue in Iraq
With a strengthened United Nations mandate, while continuing previous year and stressed the importance of
mandate through Security Council tasks such as electoral and constitu- the need for continued international
resolutions 1770 (2007) and 1830 tional support, human rights and hu- engagement for the critical period
(2008), and the appointment of manitarian assistance, also empha- ahead. The following is an abridged
Staffan de Mistura as the Special sizes a role for the UN to advance version of his statement:
Representative of the Secretary- political dialogue and reconciliation
General (SRSG) for Iraq in November among the country’s political groups “With a robust mandate reconfirmed
2007, the UN has used the past year and communities. In briefing the by resolution 1830 and at the request
to increase its presence in Iraq and Security Council on 14 November of the Government of Iraq, the focus
the efforts to foster peace and recon- 2008, SRSG de Mistura highlight- of the United Nations Assistance Mis-
struction in the country. The new ed the UN’s key efforts of the past sion for Iraq (UNAMI) in 2008 has

year in review 2008 27

been in areas that could support Iraq’s political landscape and are the most away from investment in infrastruc-
efforts towards political dialogue and significant political event in the com- ture to helping mobilize its own sub-
national reconciliation. This was ing months. stantial resources.
largely achieved in recent months by
supporting electoral preparations, lay- “UNAMI continues to support the “UNAMI has explored ways to in-
ing the seeds for a resolution to dis- IHEC in technical preparations, in- crease its level of support to provin-
puted internal boundaries, supporting cluding the printing and procurement cial authorities through the applica-
the national development strategies of materials, the planning and logis- tion of the principles of integrated UN
and facilitating Iraq’s partnership tics of governance elections, public missions and an enhanced presence
with the international community and outreach, consultations with security throughout the country. The UN High
its neighbours. forces to ensure that governorate elec- Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),
tions are conducted in safety, placing the World Health Organization (WHO),
“The past year was dedicated to iden- antifraud measures, and training na- the World Food Programme (WFP),
tifying opportunities in priority areas tional staff. the UN Office for the Coordination
most likely to yield results; the next of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and
year will be the time to consolidate “UNAMI supports renewed efforts by the UN Development Programme
the progress that has been made. the Constitutional Review Committee (UNDP) are the latest agencies to
to enshrine an agreement on compet- place a permanent senior level inter-
“The summer and fall have wit- ing visions of Iraq’s federal framework, national presence in the country and
nessed – despite some occasional the hydrocarbons and viable revenue- have therefore brought the number of
spikes – a steady reduction in the and water-sharing agreements. agency representation in Iraq to nine
levels of violence in Iraq. Some sec- (to include the UN Children’s Fund
tors of the Iraqi security forces have “Our human rights office continues to (UNICEF), the UN Office for Project
greatly improved in their profession- balance its ongoing monitoring and Services (UNOPS), the International
alism and performance. protection activities with emerging hu- Organization for Migration (IOM) and
man rights challenges from elections UN Habitat).
“Iraq now enters a delicate electoral and the resolution of the disputed
period where every small security gain territories. We will continue to devote “In order to pursue and sustain the
likely to give space to political dia- significant attention to the legislative level of its presence and extent of its
logue should be built upon in order process related to human rights and activities, UNAMI necessitates the
to avoid any electoral-related violence rule of law, establishing important security support and protection both
linked to the provincial elections of institutions, including a National Hu- from the host country and a sustained
31 January 2009. man Rights Commission. backing (financial and logistical) from
Member States.
“Electoral assistance has been the “Iraq has also made important strides
flagship of our current activities. It is in its reengagement with the interna- “Iraq enters some critical months
our firm duty as the United Nations tional community, primarily through ahead. The international community
and an integral part of our mandate the International Compact for Iraq. should in this critical period stand
to assist Iraqis and the Independent The very successful Stockholm meet- firm in its support and constructive
High Electoral Commission (IHEC) ing in May ended with the message re-engagement, and the UN will con-
– an Iraqi institution responsible for of ‘partnership and co-financing’. tinue to be by the Iraqis’ side in this
preparing and conducting elections Greater Iraqi ownership, elevating the delicate and challenging transition to-
– with a series of electoral events, compact to the attention of the prime wards stability”. n
starting with provincial elections in minister, who through his advisory
the immediate future and culminat- committee has the compact oversight,
ing with parliamentary elections in has given it a new impetus.
2009-2010. The forthcoming elec-
tions are rightly viewed as an oppor- “Iraq has also entered into a new
tunity to establish a more inclusive cooperation framework for UN assis-
sectarian balance and shape a new tance through 2010, shifting focus

28 United Nations Peace Operations

UNIFIL provides a window of opportunity
for peace in southern Lebanon
UNIFIL peacekeeper and Lebanese army officers review a patrol plan. South Lebanon. 2 January 2008. UN Photo by Francis Assadi.

In March this year, the United Nations in southern Lebanon. After Israel Armed Forces that UNIFIL facilitated
Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) withdrew its forces from Lebanon in deploying across southern Lebanon
turned 30 – a long haul for an ‘inter- in 2000, the focus of continuing for the first time in 30 years.
im’ mission that circumstances con- tensions came to be mostly centred
nived to prolong in the quest for an along the Line of Withdrawal (‘Blue This served to further the extension
elusive peace. Line’) that had been identified by of the Government of Lebanon’s
the United Nations and that both control over all Lebanese territory.
Even as UN Security Council reso- Israel and Lebanon, despite their Moreover, UNIFIL now had a local
lution 425 established UNIFIL in reservations, had agreed to respect. partner willing and able to ensure
1978, the essential elements of the The relative calm that prevailed, security with appropriate support
peace process envisaged in the reso- however, was tentative as long as from the peacekeepers. A new stra-
lution quickly fell apart, or rather nev- the fundamental causes of the con- tegic military and security environ-
er came together. A continued pres- flict between Lebanon and Israel re- ment has since emerged in southern
ence of a multitude of armed groups, mained unresolved. Lebanon, which over the past two
coupled with Israeli control over large years has seen the calmest period
parts of southern Lebanon, as well Simmering tensions ignited in July-Au- since the inception of UNIFIL.
as the inability of the Government of gust 2006 into a 34-day war between
Lebanon to exert its effective author- Hezbollah and Israel. Following a ces- Keeping southern Lebanon free from
ity in the area, presented UNIFIL with sation of hostilities, Security Council hostile activities and any unauthor-
a situation where there was no real resolution 1701 (2006) paved the ized armed presence is a critical el-
peace to keep. way for the largest ever deployment of ement in security arrangements to
UNIFIL forces with new, robust rules reach a permanent ceasefire and a
Nevertheless, the peacekeepers dug of engagement. Most importantly, res- long-term solution as stipulated in
in and remained to establish an im- olution 1701 established the vital cog resolution 1701. Primary responsibili-
partial presence amidst the mayhem in the peace machine: The Lebanese ty for implementation of this provision

year in review 2008 29

rests with the Lebanese Armed Forces securing the Lebanese coastline and rity and military operational issues.
(LAF), with UNIFIL assistance. preventing the unauthorized entry of This forum is an essential confi-
arms or related material by sea into dence-building mechanism between
As the strategic partnership with the Lebanon. The deployment of the the parties and a central element of
LAF gathers strength, it is also ex- Maritime Task Force, on the request liaison and coordination.
panding to include the local commu- of the Lebanese government following
nities. UNIFIL invests sustained ef- the conflict of July-August 2006, was The relative stability brought to south
forts in furthering grassroots dialogue the key move that prompted Israel to Lebanon with the combined presence
with the aim of enhancing public lift its naval blockade of Lebanon. of UNIFIL and the LAF has been par-
understanding of, and hence broader ticularly remarkable in light of the gen-
consensus on, the essence of resolu- At the same time, UNIFIL also main- eral unrest that prevailed elsewhere in
tion 1701. The Mission has enhanced tains effective coordination and liai- the country through most of last year.
its public communications capability, son with the Israel Defence Forces After prolonged suffering, the people
enabling it to better inform the popu- (IDF). For this purpose UNIFIL has of southern Lebanon are enjoying a
lation on the mission mandate, as a liaison office located at the IDF more normal life in safety and secu-
well as share perspectives on related Northern Command headquarters in rity. The momentum for peace is per-
developments that impact on life in Zefat and a liaison office in Tel Aviv ceptible, but can be sustained only
South Lebanon. has been under discussions with the through a political process to achieve
Israeli authorities. a permanent ceasefire and long-term
Similar coordination also extends at solution to the conflict.
sea, where UNIFIL has a Maritime The tripartite meetings of the
Task Force, the first in the history of UNIFIL Force Commander with se- UNIFIL creates an opportunity for
United Nations peacekeeping, de- nior representatives of the Leba- peace, but that opportunity has to
ployed to support the Lebanese Navy nese Armed Forces and the Israel be seized. n
in monitoring its territorial waters, Defence Forces address key secu-

A watershed year for Timor-Leste

For Timor-Leste, the past year was José Ramos-Horta and Prime Min- sis, were addressed by early August
a watershed in terms of address- ister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão. The with the acceptance of financial
ing the remaining consequences of attacks resulted in the nearly fatal in- compensation by the petitioners to
the 2006 crisis that had previously jury of the president and in the death return to civilian life. The pace of
dominated the socio-political scene of Reinado. closures of the internally displaced
in the country. Dramatic, unexpect- persons (IDP) camps accelerated in
ed events early in the year created Following the 11 February events late March as a result of the govern-
the impetus needed for the country and the death of Reinado, who had ment-led National Recovery Strat-
to move forward, supported by the played a significant role in the in- egy, supported by UNMIT. By De-
United Nations Integrated Mission in tractability of resolution of some cember 2008, the majority of IDPs
Timor-Leste (UNMIT). of the major consequences of the had returned to their communities
2006 crisis, the leaders and people of origin or had been resettled.
The defining challenge of 2008 came of Timor-Leste made steady progress
on 11 February when an armed group in overcoming the most visible re- The unanticipated incidents of 11
– led by the former military police minders of that year. The unresolved February tested state institutions. In
commander of the Timorese armed grievances of the 600 ‘petitioners’, sharp contrast to the events of 2006,
forces, Alfredo Reinado – carried out whose dismissal from the armed the situation did not precipitate a
separate attacks against President forces in 2006 had sparked the cri- crisis destabilising the entire soci-

30 United Nations Peace Operations

 UN peacekeepers patrol the streets of Dili after the assassination attempt against President José
Ramos-Horta. Dili, Timor-Leste. 11 February 2008. UN Photo by Martine Perret.

ety. The State institutions responded prehensive evaluation of the security Progress was also made in the re-
in a responsible manner that largely sector. Defining a meaningful role constitution of the national po-
respected constitutional procedures. for the armed forces in a peacetime lice. While UNMIT police contin-
Security was reinforced just after the setting, clarifying the armed forces’ ued to be responsible for interim
attacks through a nationwide curfew, relationship with the national police, law enforcement, it substantially
while national security forces tracked and establishing internal account- increased efforts in support of re-
down the remaining fugitives. ability and civilian oversight mecha- form, restructuring and rebuilding
nisms will be essential in strengthen- of the national police through an
During the course of the year, UNMIT ing the rule of law. ongoing process of training and in-
continued to focus its attention on the stitutional development. In compli-
core substance of its mandate: Review The United Nations Development As- ance with the mandate, the certi-
and reform of the security sector and sistance Framework (UNDAF) for fication process for the majority of
strengthening of the rule of law; econom- 2009-2013 was signed by the Govern- national police was completed in
ic and social development; and promot- ment and UNMIT in August. While the 2008. Preparations were made for
ing a culture of democratic governance. overarching goal of the UNDAF is to a gradual resumption of police re-
consolidate peace and stability, three sponsibilities by the national police
Highlights included support by UN- inter-related areas of cooperation were beginning in early 2009. However,
MIT and the UN Development Pro- identified as critical for UN support to the schedule and pace of the hand-
gramme (UNDP) for the government- the people and government of Timor- over must be flexible, and mutually
led security sector review and reform Leste during the five-year period: De- agreed upon criteria and clearly de-
process, which was formalised in mocratization and social cohesion; fined benchmarks must be met be-
June 2008 with the signing of a proj- poverty reduction and sustainable live- fore any handover takes place. In
ect document that provides for a com- lihoods; and basic social services. the meantime, a continuing robust

year in review 2008 31

UNMIT police presence across the fence forces remain of concern, and to deal with the long-term problems
country is necessary, both to sup- there is a widespread perception that caused by a rapidly expanding pop-
port the resumption of responsibili- they enjoy impunity. This perception ulation coupled with chronic food
ties and to continue to help guar- was further entrenched with the 94 insecurity.
antee public security while that presidential pardons granted to con-
process is underway. victed criminals in May, which, while The fundamental tasks ahead will be
legal, were considered by many as un- to further strengthen state institutions
Overall, while Timor-Leste addressed dermining efforts to promote account- and to improve policy formulation and
a number of significant challenges ability and justice and to combat im- decision-making processes marked
in 2008, others remain. Most impor- punity in the country. by transparency, accountability and
tantly, sustained efforts are needed to consultation. Sustained support from
ensure durable solutions to the under- There are still institutional problems the international community, includ-
lying causes of the crisis of 2006. with the judiciary and many hurdles ing UNMIT, will be required for Timor-
to overcome before all Timorese citi- Leste to build on the gains made to
The professionalism and internal sta- zens may fully enjoy their human date and to continue along the path
bility of the national security and de- rights. The government will also need towards peace and prosperity. n

Under the watchful eye of UNMIT and Timorese police, internally displaced
persons return to their homes with the assistance of the Ministry of Social
Solidarity and the International Organization for Migration. Dili, Timor-Leste.
29 March 2008. UN Photo by Martine Perret.

32 United Nations Peace Operations

 UN continues political and peacekeeping
efforts in the Middle East

UN military observers and a Jordanian police officer talk to a camel driver. 1 May 1959. UN Photo.

The Middle East – the region with the pean Union, and the United Nations). tacts to support the Annapolis process
first UN peacekeeping operation and UNSCO is also responsible for coordi- and to promote the implementation of
the longest history of UN peacekeep- nating the work of over 20 UN agen- the Road Map, which underpinned
ing presence – saw the UN’s continued cies and programmes on humanitari- the bilateral negotiations between
engagement in 2008 in defusing ten- an and development assistance to the Israelis and Palestinians. While po-
sion and advancing political negotia- Palestinians living in the region. litical negotiations between Israel and
tions through the provision of its good the Palestinian Authority had contin-
offices and participation in the Middle On the political front, for most of the ued throughout the year, the situation
East Quartet, in monitoring cease- year, the Special Coordinator contin- on the ground did not improve sig-
fires, and in assisting to provide much ued to actively pursue diplomatic con- nificantly. In the West Bank, a pro-
needed humanitarian aid and develop-
ment assistance. Towards the end of
the year, the breakdown of the cease- Nepalese soldiers on foot patrol in South Lebanon. 22 November 1990.
fire between Gaza and Israel and the UN Photo by John Isaac.
launch of a major military operation by
Israel in the Gaza Strip posed serious
challenges to the UN’s political and
humanitarian work and cast a shadow
over the prospects for maintaining
or furthering the progress that been
achieved in the course of 2008.

The UN Special Coordinator for the

Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO),
Robert Serry, is the focal point in the
region for UN support to peace initia-
tives – including the work of the Quar-
tet on the Middle East (composed of
the United States, Russia, the Euro-

year in review 2008 33

 An Austrian peacekeeper patrolling Mount Hermon. Golan Heights, Syria. 30 January 2006. UN Photo.

cess of Palestinian self-empowerment Providing stability and continuity for ers serving in those sectors were as-
and institution-building was matched the broader regional peace process, signed to support UNDOF and UNIFIL
by some Israeli measures of relaxing three UN peacekeeping missions – in the implementation of their respec-
closure and enhancing security coop- the UN Truce Supervision Organiza- tive mandates.
eration, but continued settlement ac- tion (UNTSO), the UN Disengagement
tivity and the maintenance of access Observer Force (UNDOF), and the UN UNDOF was established to supervise
and movement restrictions did not Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) – observance of the Disengagement
contribute to build confidence. continued to implement their respec- Agreement between the Israeli and
tive mandates on the ground. Syrian forces on the Golan. The situa-
In the Gaza Strip, the humanitarian tion in the Israel-Syria area remained
situation – which in spite of a calm Established in 1948, UNTSO was generally quiet in 2008, as it has for
brought about by an Egyptian brokered the UN’s first peacekeeping mission many years. UNDOF observed an in-
cease-fire in mid-year deteriorated – and is its longest-running operation crease in military training activities
required significant UN engagement Originally, the unarmed UN military by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in
to contain the crisis and push for so- observers of UNTSO were tasked with the aftermath of the 2006 conflict in
lutions to facilitate the delivery of hu- monitoring the ceasefire lines negoti- Lebanon. Over the years, there has
manitarian assistance to the civilian ated after the 1948 conflict between been significant growth in the Syr-
population. As the ceasefire in effect Israel and its Arab neighbours, and ian civilian population in the area of
since June unraveled, and rocket fire assisting the parties in their fulfill- separation. The Secretary-General
by Palestinian militants from Gaza ment of the 1949 Armistice Agree- emphasized that UNDOF’s presence
against Israeli civilian targets inten- ments. Since then, UNTSO has taken remained essential “until a compre-
sified and Israel launched a major on various tasks entrusted to it by the hensive settlement covering all as-
military operation on 27 December, Security Council, involving ceasefire pects of the Middle East problem can
conditions deteriorated significantly. monitoring, supervising armistice be reached”. n
Civilians bore the brunt of the opera- agreements, and preventing isolated
tion, which continued well into 2009 incidents from escalating. On es-
and called into question the continu- tablishment of UNDOF in 1974 and
ation of the political process. UNIFIL in 1978, the UNTSO Observ-

34 United Nations Peace Operations

 Opening of the Ledra Street crossing point in old Nicosia.
Nicosia, Cyprus. 3 April 2008. UN Photo.

Renewed hope
for a solution
in Cyprus
“A whiff of spring”, “a new dy-
namic”, “breakthrough”. These are
some of the phrases that greeted
the announcement at the Nicosia
headquarters of the United Nations
Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UN-
FICYP) on 21 March that the lead-
ers of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish
Cypriot communities had agreed to
hold full-fledged negotiations to end
the decades-long division of this
Mediterranean island.

The enthusiasm that the news sparked

among Cypriots and many in the inter-
national community was understand-
able. In the years following the failure
of the previous UN-sponsored effort
to reunite the island in 2004, there
was a practical stalemate. Attempts
to bring the sides together resulted in
a number of declarations of intention
and other agreements, but little else.
The lack of evident progress in the
peace process led the former Spe-
cial Representative of the Secretary-
General (SRSG) for Cyprus, Michael
Møller, to wonder earlier last year how
much longer the international com-
munity would wait for a settlement.

“What more can UNFICYP do after

44 years here?”, he asked. “Can the
resources devoted to the search for a
solution be put to better use in criti-
cal situations elsewhere?”
ties to sit down and negotiate seriously. process. Mr. Christofias was elected
The election in late February of Dem- largely on the promise of reaching a
SRSG Møller answered his own ques-
etris Christofias as President of the compromise with the Turkish Cypriots,
tions by citing the one indispensable
Greek Cypriot-dominated Republic of and specifically with their leader, his
element to a solution in Cyprus: A
Cyprus, which has effective control of old trade union comrade, Mehmet Ali
demonstration of political will on the
the southern two-thirds of the island, Talat. The 21 March agreement, less
part of the leaders of both communi-
opened a new chapter in the peace than a month after the elections in the

year in review 2008 35

 Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, SRSG for Cyprus, observes as Turkish Cypriot
leader Mehmet Ali Talat shakes hands with Greek Cypriot leader
Demetris Christofias. 1 July 2008. Nicosia, Cyprus. UN Photo.

south, was undeniable evidence of the the Cyprus problem had been solved. Cypriots accepted that there would
will of the two leaders to forge ahead. “That will require much more work be “two Constituent States”, and the
among Cypriots as well as support Turkish Cypriot side accepted that the
To beef up their March statement, from all those who wish to see a just new federal state would have a “single
the leaders also agreed to breach and durable settlement in this coun- international personality”.
the barrier that had come to symbol- try”, she said.
ize the division of the island: The Further defining the basis for a solu-
44-year old wall, the original ‘green More than 20,000 people used the tion, the two leaders agreed in prin-
line’, which split historic old Nicosia crossing point in the four days that ciple that there would be one citi-
in two. Speaking at a ceremony to followed its opening. Ledra Street was zenship and sovereignty in this new
mark the opening of a crossing point the sixth crossing point to be opened state. In July, the Secretary-General
on Ledra Street on 3 April, UNFICYP between the north and south parts of appointed a special adviser to lead
acting head Elizabeth Spehar said the island since 2003. efforts to facilitate the talks. Alexan-
the event was “historic for the hope der Downer, a former Foreign Minister
it represents for the renewal of the Subsequently, things moved quickly: of Australia, arrived in Cyprus shortly
peace process in Cyprus. Historic as On 18 April, preparatory talks started, thereafter and has been present at
tangible evidence that what has ap- under UN auspices, on both overarch- many of the weekly meetings between
peared impossible for decades is in ing questions – governance, property the leaders, who began direct talks on
fact attainable – if the will to go for- and security, for example – and on 3 September.
ward is there. And historic in its sym- day-to-day issues – like road safety,
bolism, as the barriers that came to health and the environment. A number This is indeed a new beginning in the
embody the division of this beautiful of measures designed to make daily search for a solution to the Cyprus
island finally give way to let all the life easier for Cypriots on both sides of problem. Hopes have been raised
people of Nicosia come together in the divide have since been announced, before, only to be dashed, and there
the heart of the city”. including facilitating the movement of remains much work to be done in the
ambulances between north and south. search for a solution.
However, Spehar added that the open- The two sides have defined the over-
ing of Ledra Street, which had been in all goal of the negotiations in language But most observers today agree that
the works for years, did not mean that that shows real compromise: the Greek the parties are engaging and have in-

36 United Nations Peace Operations

deed embarked on a serious effort to Mr. Downer emphasized that the UN Negotiations were expected to con-
reach a settlement. was there to help the parties by doing tinue into 2009, with no timeframe
what they felt would be most useful. for their conclusion, even if everyone
“The political will the parties have “No one wants foreigners to come to agrees that they cannot go on indefi-
shown … has changed the state of af- their country and tell them how to nitely. Many also agree that this is
fairs up to now, so we are very encour- govern it. And Cyprus, in this respect, a rare opportunity to solve the long-
aged by the process”, said Tayé-Brook is no different. It is very important … standing conflict in Cyprus. n
Zerihoun, the current SRSG, as the that the final ownership of this pro-
process was gaining traction in June. cess belongs to the two leaders”.

UNOMIG carries out mandate in

complex environment
The United Nations Observer Mission on 8 September, it was agreed that Arriving in Georgia on 1 October in the
in Georgia (UNOMIG) continued to “UNOMIG international observers will midst of this challenging time was the
verify the implementation of the 1994 continue to carry out their mandate in newly appointed Special Representa-
Moscow Agreement on a Ceasefire and their areas of responsibility with the tive of the Secretary-General (SRSG),
Separation of Forces and to facilitate same number of personnel and deploy- Johan Verbeke, who had recently
the resumption of dialogue and confi- ment blueprint as at 7 August 2008, served as the Permanent Representa-
dence-building between Georgia and subject to future adjustments decided tive of Belgium to the United Nations.
Abkhazia in a year that saw violence by the UN Security Council”. Also, on Belgium was a member of the Secu-
erupt in and near the mission area. 12 October, the Security Council de- rity Council at the time of the crisis
cided to extend on a technical basis in Georgia, granting the new SRSG a
In the course of the year, the mis- the mandate of the United Nations unique perspective on the mission he
sion faced an increasingly complex mission until 15 February 2009. As was about to lead.
political and security situation as a result, the mission has continued
tensions mounted on both sides of its activities, including through active “The perspective from New York is, of
the ceasefire line. The dramatic es- patrolling in its area of responsibility course, essentially a policy perspec-
calation of hostilities around Tskh- and through regular contacts with the tive, and it was quite interesting to
invali in August and the Georgian- Georgian and Abkhaz sides, and with see subsequently how that translates
Russian conflict have profoundly international stakeholders. into the realities on the ground”, Mr.
affected the situation in the con-
flict zone and in the upper Kodori
UNPOL vehicle patrolling despite inclement weather. Zugdidi, Georgia.
valley. Following Russia’s recogni-
20 February 2008. UN Photo.
tion of Abkhazia, the Government
of Georgia declared ‘void’ the 1994
Moscow Agreement. Subsequently,
the Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS) decided to suspend
the CIS peacekeeping operation in
the conflict zone, which UNOMIG
was mandated to monitor. Thus the
context in which UNOMIG has been
operating during the past 14 years
changed substantially.

In the European Union (EU) medi-

ated agreement signed in Moscow

year in review 2008 37

Verbeke said. “The Secretary-General the question of internally displaced to detention facilities, monitored
had almost daily contacts with the persons (IDPs) and refugees, which court trials and provided legal advi-
main players: the EU presidency, began on 15 October in Geneva. sory services to the local population.
Moscow, Washington and others. We UNOMIG also implemented various
had to brief him on the latest develop- Throughout the year, UNOMIG con- projects funded by the international
ments and prepare both public state- tinued to perform its observation and community through its trust fund, in-
ments and internal notes. It was a monitoring tasks on both sides of the cluding the rehabilitation of a local
challenging experience”. ceasefire line by carrying out regular power line, the restoration of water
patrols in the conflict zone and the supplies, the rehabilitation of a vil-
Since moving from New York to Tbili- Kodori valley. The mission also con- lage clinic and the construction of a
si, Mr. Verbeke said “I have learnt a ducted investigations of incidents in new police station.
lot about UN activities in Georgia, its area of responsibility. UN police
the situation in the region, and how carried out training courses and joint In its efforts to resume political dia-
all this is related to the core business patrols, liaised with local law en- logue, UNOMIG facilitated the par-
of our organization, i.e. international forcement agencies and supported ticipation of the Georgian and Abkhaz
peace and security”. community policing and crime pre- sides in the Geneva meeting of the
vention programmes. Through its Group of Friends of the Secretary-Gen-
With a view to implementing the provi- human rights office in Abkhazia, the eral in February under the chairman-
sions of the 8 September agreement, mission continued to promote hu- ship of Assistant Secretary-General
the SRSG has been called upon to man rights protection and to provide for Peacekeeping Operations Edmond
co-chair, together with his colleagues support to local non-governmental Mulet. In July, the mission also as-
from the EU and the Organization for organizations, including human sisted the efforts of Germany as the
Security and Cooperation in Europe rights education and training proj- coordinator of the Group of Friends to
(OSCE), the international discussions ects at grass-roots level. The office advance a plan for the settlement of
on security and stability as well as on conducted regular monitoring visits the conflict. n

Supporting peace operations

From the moment a possible peace getting the right staff in place, se- demonstrated how crucial an effective
mission appears on the UN Security curing the appropriate funding, and and dynamic support structure is to the
Council’s horizon, the UN Department fielding the most technically appro- success of peace operations. The work
of Field Support (DFS) starts planning priate and effective information and of the department, led by Under-Secre-
how to turn a political mandate into communication systems as well as tary-General Susana Malcorra (appoint-
an operational reality. logistics and supplies to ensure that ed in 2007), has been acknowledged
peace operations are able to imple- as a key strategic element of peace-
DFS was established in July 2007 to ment their mandates effectively. keeping operations.
staff and equip UN field-based peace DFS now partners DPKO in the mis-
operations, to deploy them quickly sion planning process, providing an Sometimes DFS needs to engage in
and efficiently, and to ensure the re- additional ‘reality check’ on the in- political discussions with local au-
sponsible stewardship of entrusted ternational community’s efforts to thorities to ensure the support of UN
resources. Previously these functions deploy and sustain field operations, field missions and the movement of
were housed in the Department of often in inaccessible, austere and personnel and materials. Most re-
Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO). dangerous environments. cently, in the case of the mission in
Darfur (UNAMID), DFS has engaged
The youngest UN department has DFS has been working hard to raise in extensive dialogue with both the
promoted a greater understanding the profile of field support to peace Government of Sudan and the African
within the UN system and amongst operations in the Security Council and Union (AU) in order to begin to estab-
Member States of the importance of among other Member States, and has lish the mission.

38 United Nations Peace Operations

 A civilian camp under construction in Goz Beida, Chad. 12 November 2008. UN Photo.

In 2008, DFS supported more than in Chad and the AU in Darfur, add an- erations, with expanded career pros-
112,000 personnel in 34 missions led other layer of logistical complexity. pects and professional development.
by either DPKO or the Department of Po-
litical Affairs (DPA), with a total budget This complexity provides opportunity Through its Conduct and Discipline
of more than US$7.2 billion and main- as well. DFS has been able to focus Unit, DFS also has the lead responsi-
taining more than 17,000 vehicles and its support with specialists dedicated bility in the development and imple-
operating 280 aircraft, among many oth- to particular regions or missions, sit- mentation of prevention, enforcement
er logistical and support functions both ting side by side with political, mili- and remedial strategies regarding
at UN Headquarters and in the field. tary and police colleagues in new misconduct, including sexual exploi-
Integrated Operation Teams devoted tation and abuse (SEA) by peacekeep-
Where there is no infrastructure, DFS to each mission. DFS has also under- ers. Although troubling occurrences
must come up with it. Food, accom- taken new directions in support by, for of SEA continued to require vigilance,
modation, water, energy and sanita- example, introducing environment- preventive measures and training re-
tion systems, transportation and com- friendly technologies such as solar duced the number of allegations of
munications—in places like Darfur, panels and sustainable building mate- misconduct in 2008 by 80 per cent
all this must be built from scratch, rials in Southern Sudan, planning re- campared to 2006. DFS and DPKO
in order for peacekeepers to carry gional logistical bases to better serve continue to work closely with Member
out their tasks. The enormity of the missions clustered in similar terrains States on how to translate the UN’s
requirements is compounded by the and creating, with the Department of zero tolerance policy into zero com-
needs of missions of varying size and Public Information (DPI), branded placency and zero impunity.
complexity. DFS must also manage and simple-to-maintain websites for
concurrently peace operations with all peace operations. DFS’ strategy for 2009 will be one
vastly different mandates in various of consolidation, locking in the prog-
phases of existence. Building on reforms adopted recently ress made so far, continuously striv-
by the General Assembly, DFS – to- ing for better, faster service to the
Hybrid missions and increased partner- gether with the Department of Man- field, and developing a sustainable
ship with regional organizations, such agement (DM) – is building a strong and strategic model of delivery over
as those with the European Union (EU) and diverse staff for peacekeeping op- the longer term. n

year in review 2008 39

Demand grows for UN Police
Indian UNPOL officers perform martial arts exercises. Monrovia, Liberia. 12 November 2008. UN Photo by Christopher Herwig.

Surging demand for United Nations Seven new formed police units (FPUs) from May to July 2008, to assist the
Police (UNPOL) in peace operations fu- were deployed to Darfur, Haiti and mission with the strategic handover of
elled a year of unparalleled growth for Kosovo, bringing the number of FPUs law enforcement responsibility to the
UNPOL, marked by new deployments of to 38 in seven missions. FPUs are national police force.
specialized police contingents to trouble armed, mobile police units consisting
spots around the globe. of approximately 140 officers from one UNPOL is also mandated with creat-
country, which take on specific duties ing stable and secure environments
“This demand for UN Police officers such as crowd control and managing where it is deployed and is working
reflects a global understanding of the mass public disorder. with international policing and law en-
beneficial role performed by police forcement experts to find ways to pre-
in the crucial stabilization phase of The Standing Police Capacity (SPC) vent, disrupt and dismantle organized
peace operations. UN Police bring law team – a rapid response unit within crime in post-conflict situations.
and order to countries recovering from the Department of Peacekeeping Op-
conflict, paving the way for democra- erations (DPKO) tasked with providing “We are able to contribute a unique
tization”, UN Police Adviser Andrew immediate start-up capability on the perspective on transnational orga-
Hughes said. ground and supporting and assisting nized crime based on our experience
UN police components – arrived in in peace operations, and in turn we
The increasing number of intra-state the Chadian capital, N’Djamena, in benefit greatly from the expertise of
conflicts has also heightened the need November 2007 to help set up the regional and international policing
for UN policing. police component of the UN Mission organizations in tackling organized
in the Central African Republic and crime networks”, Mr. Hughes said.
UNPOL is the fastest growing compo- Chad (MINURCAT).
nent of UN peacekeeping. The number UN peacekeeping operations have
of authorized police officers has doubled The SPC trained recruits for a special- been tasked to combat a wide range
since the beginning of 2006 to 17,000 ized police unit in Chad, the Détach- of organized crime, including gang
at the end of 2008. Of the 17,000 au- ment Intégré de Sécurité (DIS), which and drug crime in Haiti, human
thorized, more than 11,000 police of- is responsible for protecting some trafficking and financial crime in
ficers, hailing from 98 countries, are 300,000 refugees and internally dis- Kosovo, drug trafficking in Guinea-
currently deployed in 18 UN peace oper- placed persons who have fled from Bissau and Sierra Leone, arms traf-
ations. The number of female police offi- Darfur to eastern Chad. ficking in the Democratic Republic
cers has doubled to eight per cent of UN of the Congo (DRC), timber theft in
Police in the past two years, including a An SPC team also deployed to the Liberia, and the illegal economy in
significant increase in senior posts. UN Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT), Timor-Leste. n

40 United Nations Peace Operations

National staff make crucial contributions to
UN peace operations
The striking increase in attacks on set of different IDs to reach the ‘Green Most of his work has centred on out-
United Nations staff made headlines Zone’ in Baghdad. In Darfur, a female reach activities involving the media
in 2008 with the release of a report security officer walks several kilome- and the general public.
by the Secretary-General in Septem- tres from her office at night, when no
ber on ‘Safety and security of hu- vehicles are available, to the camp for “I always felt I was the liaison be-
manitarian personnel and protection internally displaced persons (IDPs) tween them and the mission”, he
of United Nations personnel’. The that is now her home. Although the says. “Our relationship with the lo-
killing of Didace Namujimbo, a staff routine is dangerous, she continues cal media has been a privileged one.
member of the UN’s Radio Okapi, on to take the risk to support her grand- We helped them in all kinds of ways
21 November, was a tragic illustra- mother and nine children under her – they would always be using our re-
tion of both the upsurge in violence care, only one of whom is her own. sources when the roads were closed
in the eastern Democratic Republic or the conflict was at a critical stage
of the Congo (DRC) and the dangers Here are two stories of long-serving and prevented them from getting to
facing locally recruited staff who national staff who are making a dif- their stories”.
serve under the UN flag. Serge Ma- ference in their home countries:
heshe, Namujimbo’s colleague at Ra- Hassan is a walking archive of UNIFIL
dio Okapi in Bukavu, the capital of Hassan Siklawi: “I am part of and its history in southern Lebanon.
South Kivu province, was murdered Accorded respect throughout the area
in 2007.
UNIFIL’s furniture” of operations and able to liaise with
“You will meet someone called Has- all people and parties, he has served
Working in a peace operation is by its san Siklawi. If you really want to know as the man-on-the-ground for many
very nature hazardous, and interna- what’s going on in southern Lebanon, of UNIFIL’s force commanders and
tional staff leave homes and families you should speak with him – he has senior officials, providing advice and
to serve abroad in often inhospitable seen it all”. invaluable insights.
places. But statistics in the Secre-
tary-General’s report were telling: of These words are often heard by UN It has not been the easiest of jobs. He
the 26 staff killed in malicious acts staff heading to work at the UN Interim has lost count of the number of times
during the year of June 2007- June Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). But this is he has been in danger, describing this
2008, 22 were locally recruited. only half the story. as an ‘occupational hazard’.

UN peace operations employ 15,653 As an integral part of UNIFIL through- Looking back over his more than 30
national staff, who perform both sup- out most of its 30 years of operations, years of association with UNIFIL, Has-
port and professional functions. Their Hassan has been a witness to, and san says the attack on a UNIFIL com-
jobs range from drivers and security participant in, some of the most tu- pound in Qana on 18 April 1996 was
guards to interpreters, media monitors, multuous events in the history of the a turning point for him, as a UN em-
journalists and human rights officers. UN mission and of his country. ployee, as a proud Lebanese citizen,
Many – such as the public information and as a human being. Israeli artillery
officers profiled here – gain skills that Hassan has been involved with UNIFIL rained down on a UN compound in the
can be put to use in the future peace- since its inception in 1978. Initially, village where 800 Lebanese civilians
building and development stages of he covered UNIFIL as a stringer for had taken refuge to escape the fight-
their countries. the Associated Press. This soon led to ing. By the time the shelling stopped,
an offer to work for the mission. there were 106 dead and around 116
Many of them show extreme courage others injured, including four Fijian
simply by getting to work: Iraqis run Now, “I am part of UNIFIL’s furni- UNIFIL peacekeepers.
a gamut of checkpoints and employ a ture”, Hassan jokes.

year in review 2008 41

 fusion of war between peacekeepers Martin Sebujangwe: Proud to
and the people of southern Lebanon
over the years .
be a part of Radio Okapi
On 25 February 2008, Radio Okapi
“Together we were shelled and to- celebrated its first seven years on the
gether we lived. Peacekeepers could air. The anniversary was particularly
get killed as well as civilians. We rewarding for Martin Sebujangwe,
felt the same, we were the same. one of its founding journalists whose
The UN peacekeepers came here commitment and determination
from far away, leaving their fami- helped the UN Organization Mission
lies behind, risking their lives for a in the Democratic Republic of the
peaceful future for Lebanon”, Has- Congo (MONUC) develop a radio sta-
san says. “This was really a turn- tion trusted by millions of Congolese
ing point. UNIFIL was a mission citizens across the country.
that the people of Lebanon’s south
could trust. They were risking their Martin says he is doubly pleased –
lives for the people of Lebanon”. not only to be among the pioneers
of Radio Okapi – but also to be part
Looking back now, Hassan says that of the senior Congolese staff upon
UNIFIL staff member Hassan Siklawi helps the aspect of his experience with whom the radio relies. Martin first
to evacuate a baby. Yater, Lebanon. 21 April UNIFIL that provides him with the worked as a journalist at Radio Aga-
1996. UN Photo. most satisfaction is the mission’s tashya in 1995, based in the trou-
“Initially we could not believe that deep links with the local population. bled Great Lakes region and run by
they were shelling our camp. Every- These links have varied. They range Fondation Hirondelle, a Swiss non-
body knew that the UN was there and from activities for the public, such governmental organization (NGO),
also civilian families with children as providing villages with electricity which is also MONUC’s partner in
were living in the base, but we could during long-running power cuts, to managing Radio Okapi. “Hired to be
definitely hear the sound of bombs individual acts, such as peacekeep- a journalist and a news presenter, I
going off, people screaming asking for ers who have volunteered to pay lo- was given a chance to learn the rig-
help. Suddenly the radio went quiet. cal children’s school fees. ors and excitement of reporting from
As we arrived in Qana, we realized the areas of conflict”, Martin recalls.
proportion of the tragedy. We were “When UNIFIL first came, we used to
walking on top of bodies, surrounded have UN checkpoints and curfews, so Against a backdrop of almost per-
by smoke and by an unreal silence. villagers had to get permission from manent warfare in the Democratic
We spent hours trying to recover in- UNIFIL to move from village to vil- Republic of the Congo (DRC), the
jured people, but sadly most of the lage and it wasn’t an easy process. media plays an important role. But
people we could find were already But then, over time, we saw peace- Martin warns that many media are
dead”, Hassan says, adding that the keepers protecting farmers while they unfortunately tools of propaganda,
images he saw that day are etched in were harvesting olives. And then there while others act in good faith. The
his mind forever. “This was a UN po- would even be times when peacekeep- critical socio-economic situation in
sition, the UN flag was there, civilians ers used to help the farmers pick the the country has often forced jour-
were living in that compound and all olives. All of this was done by choice, nalists into practices considered
the parties should have respected it. by the peacekeepers, not because they unethical elsewhere. This could
Soldiers are trained, civilians are not. were ordered to, but because they are also have been the case with Ra-
It’s not easy to make sense out of it normal people like anyone else”, Has- dio Okapi, he says, if a minimum
and continue working”, Hassan says, san says. of safe working conditions had not
almost in a whisper. been guaranteed.
He adds that this spirit of coopera-
But traumatic as the shelling was, tion – or, as he would say, recogni- However, the role that Martin contin-
it also helped drive home the bonds tion of our common humanity – has ues to play with fellow journalists is
forged amidst the trauma and con- evolved, and for the better of the to always remind them of the basic
people of southern Lebanon.

42 United Nations Peace Operations

Radio Okapi is trusted by millions of Congolese citizens across the country. InformAction Photo by Pierre Mignault.

rule of professionalism: Facts first. over the past two years, both in South journalists and other staff at all levels
This makes or breaks the credibility Kivu province. who agree to work in precarious se-
of the radio. curity conditions. “This is particularly
Radio Okapi is one of the largest true for colleagues in Goma, Bukavu,
“We always ask ourselves how we can media outlets in the DRC, available Bunia – all in the volatile eastern DRC
best satisfy our listeners, our clients. For on FM, short-wave and the Internet. – as well as at times in the capital,
example, if the government tells us that With 100 journalists across a country Kinshasa”, Martin notes.
it is releasing US$1 million to renovate roughly the size of western Europe,
a road, we first ask why the government the station features news programmes Thinking ahead to the day when MO-
chose this road and not another, why it in local languages and popular shows NUC peacekeepers leave the DRC,
chose this contractor over another. As engaging the public, such as “Dia- Martin says he feels it is important for
uncomfortable as some of these ques- logue between Congolese”, but also Radio Okapi to train its local staff to
tions may be, they are always appreci- music and sports – all of which link improve their professionalism and en-
ated by our listeners. In the DRC, Radio far-flung parts of the country with a sure that they are motivated to carry
Okapi represents investigative and in- national identity. on with their work.
formative journalism”, says Martin.
Martin stresses that to preserve and “Good wages, good working condi-
The managers of Radio Okapi always maintain the standards of Radio tions and a serene work atmosphere
need to take the safety of their jour- Okapi, there is a price to pay: First, are essential. From the perspective of
nalists into consideration, because the commitment of the UN through sustainability, we must accelerate the
being a UN civil servant is not pro- MONUC and Fondation Hirondelle to transfer of responsibilities to Congolese
tection in itself. And, as noted earlier, sustain the project. Second, the com- managers who will continue the work
two Okapi journalists have been killed mitment and desire of all Radio Okapi started by the UN”, he concludes. n

year in review 2008 43

Ahtisaari brings pride to UN peace
efforts with 2008 Nobel Prize
Martti Ahtisaari (centre), former UN Special Envoy and laureate of the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize, participates in a meeting with
Jordan Ryan (right), DSRSG for Liberia. Monrovia, Liberia. 28 November 2008. UN Photo by Christopher Herwig.

When, on 10 December, former special The next year, he led a United Nations mission – UNMIK – remains in place
envoy and senior United Nations offi- assessment mission to study the state and a recently deployed European
cial Martti Ahtisaari accepted the No- of the Iraqi infrastructure following the Union mission – EULEX – has taken
bel Peace Prize in Oslo, he was lauded first Gulf War and advocated humani- over international support for the po-
around the world for his three decades tarian aid to the stricken country. lice and justice system.
spent in the pursuit of peace.
He went on to serve as President of Fin- Mr. Ahtisaari also brought together the
The Seattle Times stated that he was land from 1994 to 2000 and, as such, separatist Free Aceh movement and
“arguably, responsible for negotiating played a part in helping the parties to the Indonesian government in 2005
more permanent peace agreements the conflict engulfing the former Yugo- to sign a peace agreement, ending 29
than any other person alive”. slavia to come up with the 1995 Dayton years of conflict that had cost some
agreement. In November 2005, the UN 15,000 lives.
Much of his work involved heading Secretary-General appointed Mr. Ahti-
UN peace operations and UN-led ne- saari as Special Envoy for the Kosovo In his remarks following receipt of the
gotiations. From 1987 to 1991, Mr. status process, which was to determine prize, he remained modest about the
Ahtisaari also served as UN Under- whether the province, having been ad- role of a mediator: “Parties are respon-
Secretary-General for Administration ministered by the United Nations since sible for the mess they have made. They
and Management. 1999, should become independent or should get credit for the success”.
remain a part of Serbia.
He played a crucial role in settling the Yet he also acknowledged the many
conflict in Namibia by helping estab- Mr. Ahtisaari’s Comprehensive Kosovo actors involved in building a success-
lish that country’s independence in Status Settlement Proposal, calling ful peace: “In a conflict, one party
1990 in a peace deal which preceded for Kosovo’s supervised indepen- can always claim victory, but building
the end of apartheid in neighbouring dence, was not endorsed by the Se- peace must involve everybody: The
South Africa. curity Council, and Kosovo declared weak and the powerful, the victors
independence in early 2008. A UN and the vanquished, men and wom-

44 United Nations Peace Operations

 en, young and old”. But he added and that this assistance should share responsibility for the lack of
the caveat that: “You have to talk to include creating employment for peace in the Middle East. “Peace
those who have power”. young people and offering hope to is a question of will. All conflicts
all as a strategy to sustain peace. can be settled, and there are no
He reminded those involved in sup- excuses for allowing them to be-
porting peace processes that post- On a more specific note, he ar- come eternal”. n
conflict assistance must continue gued that world leaders – as well
for years after the fighting stops, as Israelis and Palestinians –

Security Council addresses sexual violence as

threat to international peace and security
Responding to a wave of horrific re- demic proportions in some soci- Peace and Security’, which en-
ports – many from the Democratic eties attempting to recover from couraged a greater participation of
Republic of the Congo (DRC) – conflict”, Secretary-General Ban women and a gender perspective in
where the UN has fielded its larg- Ki-moon said at the beginning all United Nations peace and secu-
est peacekeeping mission – the of the Council’s debate. “Sexual rity efforts.
United Nations Security Council on violence poses a grave threat to
19 June 2008 unanimously adopt- women’s security in fragile post- Resolution 1325 recognized wom-
ed the ground-breaking resolution conflict countries and undermines en’s potential role in conflict pre-
1820, which recognizes that the efforts to cement peace”. vention, conflict resolution and
use of sexual violence as a tactic of peacebuilding. In calling for special
warfare is a matter of international The resolution reaffirms the po- measures to protect women and girls
peace and security. litical commitment of the Security from gender-based violence in situ-
Council to protect women and girls ations of armed conflict, resolution
Resolution 1820 states that wide- from sexual violence in conflict by 1325 established that sexual vio-
spread and systematic sexual vio- demanding the “immediate and lence in conflict is not just a gender
lence can exacerbate armed conflict, complete cessation by all parties to issue, but also a security concern.
can pose a threat to the restoration armed conflict of all acts of sexual
of international peace and security, violence against civilians”. It calls Implementation
and has an impact on durable peace, on all parties to armed conflict to
reconciliation and development. “immediately take appropriate mea- The Secretary-General stressed that
Sexual violence not only causes sures to protect civilians, including combating this “silent war against
grave physical, psychological and women and girls, from all forms women and girls” required strong
health problems for its victims, but of sexual violence” and notes that leadership, comprehensive strate-
also has direct social consequences “rape and other forms of sexual gies and the involvement of a wide
for communities and entire societ- violence can constitute war crimes, range of actors, from the UN and
ies, UN experts argued. crimes against humanity or a con- national governments to non-gov-
stitutive act with respect to geno- ernmental organizations (NGOs)
And the UN has found that despite cide”. Resolution 1820 also affirms and the victims themselves. He
an increasing awareness of vio- the Security Council’s intention to proposed strengthening awareness-
lence against women and children consider targeted sanctions against raising as well as the response
in armed conflict, the problem has perpetrators. capacity of national military and
become even more widespread. police forces; close monitoring of
Resolution 1820 was intended to human rights in specific countries;
“Violence against women has complement Security Council reso- and prosecution of the perpetrators
reached unspeakable and pan- lution 1325 (2000) on ‘Women, of sexual violence.

year in review 2008 45

 Women participate in UNMIL’s ‘16 days of Activism’ campaign to strengthen
women’s rights and combat gender-based violence. Monrovia, Liberia.
25 November 2008. UN Photo by Christopher Herwig.

Resolution 1820 urges Member abuse by peacekeepers. UN policy The Department of Peacekeeping
States and the UN system to strength- forbids its personnel from having sex Operations (DPKO) has taken the
en their efforts in providing protec- with anyone under 18 as well as sex lead in supporting implementation of
tion against sexual violence; facili- with prostitutes, and it discourages resolution 1820 in countries where
tate the equal and full participation sexual relations with ‘beneficiaries’, UN peacekeepers are deployed, and
of women at decision-making levels i.e. members of the host population. at Headquarters, chairing an inter-
and in capacity-building and train- Resolution 1820 also stresses the Sec- agency task force on the issue.
ing. On the country level, states are retary-General’s zero-tolerance policy
to consider imposing “targeted and against sexual exploitation and abuse The Secretary-General is to report
graduated” measures against warring by UN personnel and urges troop back to the Security Council on
factions who commit rape and other and police contributing countries to progress in implementing reso-
forms of violence against women and ensure full accountability in cases lution 1820 in June 2009. This
girls. Member States are also urged of misconduct by their personnel. should improve the flow of informa-
to deploy female military personnel The resolution also requests that all tion on sexual violence in conflict
and personnel trained in dealing with peacekeeping and humanitarian per- to the Security Council, with the
sexual violence. sonnel deployed by the UN undergo objective of improving the UN re-
training to help them better prevent, sponse to this devastating weapon
The resolution also made reference to recognize and respond to sexual vio- of war. n
the issue of sexual exploitation and lence against civilians.

46 United Nations Peace Operations

peacekeeping contributors (Military observers, police, and troops as of 31 December 2008)
No. Country Police Milob Troops Total No. Country Police Milob Troops Total
1 Albania 3 3 61 Kenya 38 33 909 980
2 Algeria 6 6 62 Kyrgyzstan 15 15 30
3 Argentina 29 11 853 893 63 Libya 2 2
4 Australia 75 26 17 118 64 Lithuania 1 2 3
5 Austria 3 10 388 401 65 Madagascar 48 48
6 Bangladesh 1,102 107 8,358 9,567 66 Malawi 23 31 118 172
7 Belgium 13 329 342 67 Malaysia 259 50 627 936
8 Benin 155 31 1,178 1,364 68 Mali 78 41 15 134
9 Bolivia 39 410 449 69 Mauritania 9 9
10 Bosnia and Herzegovina 18 5 23 70 Moldova 8 8
11 Botswana 3 5 8 71 Mongolia 7 250 257
12 Brazil 12 51 1,289 1,352 72 Montenegro 2 2
13 Brunei 5 5 73 Morocco 5 1,555 1,560
14 Bulgaria 8 3 11 74 Mozambique 10 10
15 Burkina Faso 69 19 4 92 75 Namibia 25 18 15 58
16 Burundi 31 7 2 40 76 Nepal 809 59 3,052 3,920
17 Cambodia 9 136 145 77 Netherlands 22 19 3 44
18 Cameroon 147 147 78 New Zealand 25 13 1 39
19 Canada 112 43 24 179 79 Niger 225 26 385 636
20 Central African Republic 27 27 80 Nigeria 917 88 4,903 5,908
21 Chad 26 3 29 81 Norway 25 31 11 67
22 Chile 22 6 497 525 82 Pakistan 813 133 10,189 11,135
23 China 204 53 1,889 2,146 83 Palau 2 2
24 DR Congo 22 22 84 Paraguay 48 34 82
25 Colombia 7 7 85 Peru 31 210 241
26 Côte d’Ivoire 166 166 86 Phillipines 273 23 330 626
27 Croatia 19 21 112 152 87 Poland 7 16 829 852
28 Cyprus 2 2 88 Portugal 193 6 144 343
29 Czech Republic 13 9 22 89 Qatar 3 3
30 Denmark 3 37 4 44 90 Republic of Korea 1 24 369 394
31 Djibouti 51 1 52 91 Romania 50 56 106
32 Ecuador 23 68 91 92 Russia 76 74 121 271
33 Egypt 134 96 2,201 2,431 93 Rwanda 119 20 3,496 3,635
34 El Salvador 41 17 51 109 94 Samoa 21 21
35 Estonia 2 2 95 Senegal 514 55 1,335 1,904
36 Ethiopia 15 24 2,452 2,491 96 Serbia 11 9 6 26
37 Fiji 49 8 222 279 97 Sierra Leone 20 6 12 38
38 Finland 8 18 3 29 98 Singapore 21 2 23
39 France 118 27 2,053 2,198 99 Slovakia 3 196 199
40 FYR of Macedonia 1 1 100 Slovenia 6 3 14 23
41 Gabon 4 4 101 South Africa 158 30 1,844 2,032
42 Gambia 83 9 201 293 102 Spain 60 6 1,136 1,202
43 Germany 53 46 228 327 103 Sri Lanka 94 14 959 1,067
44 Ghana 687 75 2,600 3,362 104 Sweden 50 27 3 80
45 Greece 2 6 46 54 105 Switzerland 6 19 25
46 Grenada 3 3 106 Tajikistan 5 5
47 Guatemala 17 227 244 107 Tanzania 9 30 88 127
48 Guinea 90 14 104 108 Thailand 12 12 12 36
49 Honduras 12 12 109 Togo 26 17 317 360
50 Hungary 2 14 87 103 110 Tunisia 42 467 509
51 Iceland 1 1 111 Turkey 257 5 491 753
52 India 640 90 7,963 8,693 112 Uganda 123 18 1 142
53 Indonesia 164 42 1,324 1,530 113 Ukraine 78 35 286 399
54 Ireland 19 24 8 51 114 United Kingdom 2 11 284 297
55 Israel 1 1 115 United States of America 72 9 10 91
56 Italy 30 20 2,447 2,497 116 Uruguay 17 65 2,456 2,538
57 Jamaica 21 21 117 Vanuatu 14 14
58 Japan 6 32 38 118 Yemen 95 62 11 168
59 Jordan 1,006 69 2,000 3,075 119 Zambia 183 60 361 604
60 Kazakhstan 1 1 120 Zimbabwe 111 19 2 132

POLICE UNMO TROOP

Totals 11,511 2,630 77,571 Grand total in PKO 91,712 47
 UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS
As of 31 December 2008
Peacekeeping operations since 1948 ..............................................................................................................63
Current peacekeeping operations.....................................................................................................................16
Current peace operations directed and supported by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO)...............18

PERSONNEL
Uniformed personnel (77,349 troops, 11,494 police and 2,539 military observers) .....................................91,382 *
Countries contributing uniformed personnel ...................................................................................................120
International civilian personnel (30 November 2008).................................................................................. 5,662 *
Local civilian personnel (30 November 2008)........................................................................................... 13,049 *
UN Volunteers ........................................................................................................................................ 2,214 *
Total number of personnel serving in 16 peacekeeping operations ............................................................ 112,307
Total number of personnel serving in 18 DPKO-led peace operations ........................................................ 114,205 **
Total number of fatalities in peace operations since 1948 ............................................................................2,555 ***

FINANCIAL ASPECTS
Approved resources for the period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009..................................... About US$7.1 billion
Estimated total cost of operations from 1948 to 30 June 2008............................................... About US$54 billion
Outstanding contributions to peacekeeping ............................................................................ About US$2.88 billion
* Numbers include 16 peacekeeping operations only. Statistics for two special political and/or peacebuilding missions—
BINUB and UNAMA—directed and supported by DPKO can be found at http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/ppmb.pdf
** This figure includes the total number of uniformed and civilian personnel serving in 16 peacekeeping operations and
two DPKO-led special political and/or peacebuilding missions—BINUB and UNAMA
*** Includes fatalities for all UN peace operations
48 United Nations Peace Operations
 CURRENT PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS
UNTSO Since May 1948 UNMIL Since September 2003
United Nations Truce Supervision Organization United Nations Mission in Liberia
Strength: military observer 151; international civilian 95; local ci- Strength: military observer 180; troop 10,607; police 1,066; inter-
vilian 133; total personnel 379 national civilian 478; local civilian 993; UN volunteer 238; total
Fatalities: 49 personnel 13,562
Appropriation 2008-09: $66.22 million Fatalities: 123
Approved budget 07/08–06/09: $631.69 million
UNMOGIP Since January 1949
United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan UNOCI Since April 2004
Strength: military observer 44; international civilian 23; local United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire
civilian 46; total personnel 113 Strength: military observer 197; troop 7,830; police 1,163; inter-
Fatalities: 11 national civilian 430 ; local civilian 656; UN volunteer 296; total
Appropriation 2008-09: $16.96 million personnel 10,572
Fatalities: 54
UNFICYP Since March 1964 Approved budget 07/08–06/09: $497.46 million
United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus
Strength: troop 859; police 68; international civilian 39; local civil- MINUSTAH Since June 2004
ian 106; total personnel 1,072 United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti
Fatalities: 179 Strength: troop 7,036; police 2,053; international civilian 492; lo-
Approved budget 07/08–06/09: $57.39million cal civilian 1,211; UN volunteer 210; total personnel 11,002
Fatalities: 39
UNDOF Since June 1974 Approved budget 07/08–06/09: $601.58 million
United Nations Disengagement Observer Force
Strength: troop 1,039; international civilian 37; local civilian 100; UNMIS Since March 2005
total personnel 1,176 United Nations Mission in the Sudan
Fatalities: 43 Strength: military observer 620; troop 8,726; police 679; interna-
Approved budget 07/08–06/09: $47.86 million tional civilian 774; local civilian 2,475; UN volunteer 271; total
personnel 13,545
UNIFIL Since March 1978 Fatalities: 42
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon Approved budget 07/08–06/09: $858.77 million
Strength: troop 12,435 international civilian 317; local civilian
640; total personnel 13,392 UNMIT Since August 2006
Fatalities: 279 United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste
Approved budget 07/08–06/09: $680.93 million Strength: military observer 33; police 1,517; international civilian
351; local civilian 881; UN volunteer 133; total personnel 2,915
MINURSO Since April 1991 Fatalities: 4
United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara Approved budget 07/08–06/09 $180.84 million
Strength: military observer 197; troop 20; police 6; international ci-
vilian 97; local civilian 153; UN volunteer 18; total personnel 491 UNAMID Since July 2007
Fatalities: 15 African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur
Approved budget 07/08–06/09: $47.70 million Current strength: military observer 175; troop 12,194; police
2,767; international civilian 786; local civilian 1,405; UN volun-
UNOMIG Since August 1993 teer 266; total personnel 17,593
United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia Authorized strength: military observer 240; troop 19,315; police 6,432;
Strength: military observer 136; police 20; international civilian international civilian 1,579; local civilian 3,455; UN volunteer 548
103; local civilian 195; UN volunteer 1, total personnel 455 Fatalities: 25
Fatalities: 11 Approved budget 07/08–06/09 $1,569.26 million
Approved budget 07/08–06/09: $36.08 million
MINURCAT Since September 2007
UNMIK Since June 1999 United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad
United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo Current strength: military observer 44; police 235; international ci-
Strength: military observer 22; police 841; international civilian 373; vilian 316; local civilian 183; UN volunteer 98; total personnel 876
local civilian 1,666; UN volunteer 88; total personnel 2,990 Approved budget 07/08–06/09 $315.08 million
Fatalities: 54
Approved budget 07/08–06/09: $207.20 million Mission Completed in 2008

MONUC Since November 1999 UNMEE (July 2000 - July 2008)

United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea
Congo
Strength: military observer 740; troop 16,603; police 1,079; inter-
national civilian 951; local civilian 2,206; UN volunteer 595; total NOTE: UNTSO and UNMOGIP are funded from the United Nations
personnel 22,174 regular biennial budget. Costs to the United Nations of the other
Fatalities: 139 current operations are financed from their own separate accounts
Approved budget 07/08–06/09: $1,242.73 million on the basis of legally binding assessments on all Member States.
For these missions, budget figures are for one year (07/08–06/09)
unless otherwise specified. For information on United Nations po-
litical missions, see DPI/2166/Rev.66 also available on the web at
http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/ppbm.pdf.

year in review 2008 49

 UNITED NATIONS POLITICAL AND PEACEBUILDING MISSIONS
As of 31 December 2008

NUMBER OF MISSIONS ............................................................................................... 12

PERSONNEL
Uniformed personnel ................................................................................................................. 344
International civilian personnel (30 November 2008)................................................................... 900
Local civilian personnel (30 November 2008)............................................................................2,071
UN Volunteers ..........................................................................................................................136
Total number of personnel serving in political and peacebuilding missions .................................... 3,451

For information on United Nations peacekeeping operations, see DPI/1634 Rev.92 or visit
the United Nations website at http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/index.asp

50 United Nations Peace Operations

 CURRENT POLITICAL AND PEACEBUILDING MISSIONS
UNPOS Since 15 April 1995 UNAMA* Since 28 March 2002
United Nations Political Office for Somalia United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
Special Representative of the Secretary-General: Special Representative of the Secretary-General:
Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah (Mauritania) Kai Eide (Norway)
Strength: international civilian 32; local civilian 16 Strength: international civilian 250; local civilian
1,163; military observer 16; police 5; UN volunteer 41
UNOGBIS Since 3 March 1999
United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office in Guinea- UNAMI Since 14 August 2003
Bissau United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq
Representative of the Secretary-General: Special Representative of the Secretary-General for
Shola Omoregie (Nigeria) Iraq: Staffan de Mistura (Sweden)
Strength: international civilian 9; local civilian 14; Authorized strength: 1,014 (463 international, 551 local)
military adviser 2; police adviser 1 Current strength (staff based in Iraq, Jordan and
Kuwait): international civilian 296; local civilian 389;
UNSCO Since 1 October 1999 troop 222 ; military observer 6
Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for
the Middle East UNIPSIL Since 1 October 2008
Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in
and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General Sierra Leone
to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Pales- Executive Representative of the Secretary-General:
tinian Authority: Robert H. Serry (Netherlands) Michael von der Schulenburg (Germany)
Strength: international civilian 29; local civilian 24 Strength: international civilian 13; local civilian 1;
UN volunteer 9
BONUCA Since 15 February 2000
United Nations Peacebuilding Office in the Central African BINUB* Since 1 January 2007
Republic United Nations Integrated Office in Burundi
Representative of the Secretary-General: Executive Representative of the Secretary-General:
Youssef Mahmoud (Tunisia)
Francois Lonseny Fall (Guinea)
Strength: international civilian 117; local civilian 213;
Strength: international civilian 24; local civilian 54;
military observer 8; police 12; UN volunteer 50
military advisers 5; police 6; UN volunteer 3
UNMIN Since 23 January 2007
UNSCOL Since 16 February 2007
United Nations Mission in Nepal
Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon
Special Representative of the Secretary-General:
(Formerly known as Office of the Personal Representa- Ian Martin (United Kingdom)
tive of the Secretary-General for Southern Lebanon) Strength: international civilian 104; local civilian 158;
Special Coordinator for Lebanon: military observer 61; UN volunteer 33
Michael C. Williams (United Kingdom)
Strength: international civilian 14; local civilian 28 UNRCCA Since 10 December 2007
United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy
UNOWA Since 29 November 2001 for Central Asia
Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary- Special Representative of the Secretary-General:
General for West Africa Miroslav Jenca (Slovakia)
Special Representative of the Secretary-General: Strength: international civilian 2
Said Djinnit (Algeria)
Strength: international civilian 10; local civilian 11 Mission Completed in 2008
UNIOSIL (1 January 2006 - 30 September 2008)
United Nations Integrated Office in Sierra Leone
(It was succeeded by UNIPSIL, see above.)

* Political or peacebuilding mission directed and supported by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. All other
political and peacebuilding missions are directed by the Department of Political Affairs. For information on political and
peacebuilding missions, visit the United Nations website at http://www.un.org/Depts/dpa/prev_dip/fst_prev_dip.htm

year in review 2008 51

Top 10 troop contributors Pakistan - 11,135
As of 31 December 2008

Bangladesh - 9,567

India - 8,693

Others - 37,382
Nigeria - 5,908

Nepal - 3,920

Rwanda - 3,635

Italy - 2,497 Ghana - 3,362

Uruguay - 2,538 Jordan - 3,075

Surge in uniformed UN Peacekeeping personnel from 1991 to 2008

120,000
Dec.2008: 91,712
(MONUC,UNAMID, UNIFIL)
100,000
Jul 1993: 78,444 Jan. 2008: 90,883
(Largest missions: UNPROFOR, UNOSOM, UNTAC) (MONUC, UNMIL, UNIFIL)
80,000

60,000 Nov 2001: 47,778

(UNAMSIL, UNTAET)

40,000

20,000

0
1991-Jan

1992-Jan

1993-Jan

1994-Jan

1995-Jan

1996-Jan

1997-Jan

1998-Jan

1999-Jan

2000-Jan

2001-Jan

2002-Jan

2003-Jan

2004-Jan

2005-Jan

2006-Jan

2007-Jan

2008-Jan

year in review 2008 52

UN peacekeepers from UNDOF, UNFICYP and UNIFIL participate in the military parade in Paris on Bastille Day. Paris, France. 14 July 2008. UN Photo.
 USD $10.00
ISBN 978-92-1-101191-3
Produced by the Peace and Security Section of the United Nations Department of Public Information
Printed in United Nations, New York
Sales No. E.09.I.5
DPI/2521—08-57368—February 2009—8M