United Nations Mission in Bosnia Herzegovina
"(UNMIBH)"

NB: This information is current as of December 1st 1996, an updated webpage
detailing work of UNMIBH in Bosnia and Herzegovina is under-construction.

An updated page detailing the work of the United Nations Mission
in Bosnia and Herzegovina is hosted on the UN server - click here to access.



WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED... to reafirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, ... to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, and for these ends ... to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples, have resolved to combine our efforts to accomplish these aims...
(excerpt from the UN charter).


CONTENTS:


Profile of UNMIBH.

Security Council authorization Resolution 1035 of 21 December 1995.

Location: Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Headquarters: Sarajevo.

Date of establishment: 21 December 1995.

Duration: Initial period of 12 months.

Authorized strength: UNIPTF 1,721 civilian police.

Strength as of 5 October 1996: 1,587 police.

Other international civilian staff: 237.

Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Coordinator of UN operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina:
Mr. Iqbal Riza (Pakistan).


IPTF Police Commissioner: Mr. Peter FitzGerald (Ireland).


Financing: $119.4 million gross ($114.8 million net) for period from 1 January through 31 December 1996 appropriated by General Assembly.


Mission Update.

The UN role in Bosnia and Herzegovina under the Dayton-Paris Agreement, A civilian UN mandate.

On 21 December 1995, as the UN Protection Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNPROFOR) formally handed over responsibility to the multinational Implementation Force (IFOR) led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the United Nations Security Council endorsed a new civilian UN operation in the country. The new mission's two principal components, the United Nations International Police Task Force (UNIPTF) and a UN Civil Affairs office were created to help implement the General Framework Agreement (Dayton Agreement) for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The new mission was formally designated the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH).

The Peace Agreement for Bosnia and Herzegovina assigned the UN two principal responsibilities:


UNMIBH's efforts in Bosnia and Herzegovina complement those of UNHCR, the Office of the High Representative, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and other intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations involved in the complex task of implementing the civilian aspects of the Dayton-Paris Agreement. In addition to the activities of UNIPTF and UNHCR, UN involvement focuses on promoting respect for human rights, building confidence, restoring civilian life to normality and paving the way to economic reconstruction. One of UNMIBH's main objectives was to help create a climate conducive for holding elections, held under OSCE supervision throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina on 14 September 1996.


Biographical Information.

Mr. Iqbal Riza has been serving as Assistant Secretary-General in the Department of Peace-Keeping Operations since March 1993. Before that he served from 1991 to 1993 as Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Chief of the UN Observer Mission in El Salvador (ONUSAL). Prior to that he was Chief of the UN Transition Team in El Salvador; Chief of the UN Observer Mission for verification of the electoral process in Nicaragua; Director of the Division of Political and General Assembly Affairs; and Director of the Office for Special Political Affairs. Before joining the United Nations in 1978, he served with Pakistan's Foreign Service from 1958 to 1977. Mr. Riza is a national of Pakistan.


The UN International Police Task Force: Objectives.

As part of UNMIBH, the UNIPTF is focused on developing an effective peacetime civilian policing capability for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Almost 1,700 of the authorized 1,721 international police monitors from 34 countries have been deployed. UNIPTF has concentrated on helping to create an environment that has allowed the parties, the Office of the High Representative, IFOR and the OSCE to proceed with elections and implementation of the terms of the Peace Agreement. Prime UNIPTF objectives are to:

  1. Ensure that local police follow internationally-accepted standards for policing and criminal justice activities;

  2. Ensure that basic, internationally-accepted standards of human rights are adhered to in all policing and related criminal justice activities;

  3. Assist with freedom of movement for the civilian population;

  4. Help ensure that free elections, when scheduled, can occur in a manner free of violence and intimidation.

UN Police Monitors at Work.

UNIPTF monitors, advises and facilitates the work of local police in accordance with international standards. UNIPTF also assists the parties in planning the reduction, restructuring and training of their own police forces. They are not authorized to undertake executive law enforcement functions.

Annex 11 of the Dayton-Paris Peace Agreement specifies that the International Police Task force under the UN is to:

  1. Monitor, observe, and inspect law enforcement activities and facilities, including associated judicial organizations, structures and proceedings;

  2. Advise law enforcement personnel and forces;

  3. Train law enforcement personnel;

  4. Facilitate the parties' law enforcement activities;

  5. Assess threats to public order and advise on the capability of law enforcement agencies to deal with such threats;

  6. Advise governmental authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the organization of effective civilian law enforcement agencies;

  7. Assist by accompanying the Parties' law enforcement personnel as they carry out their responsibilities, as the UNIPTF deems appropriate.

Shoring up a Fragile Peace - UNIPTF Contributions.

Initially, UNIPTF was largely concerned with the transfer of Bosnian Serb-controlled suburbs of Sarajevo to the authority of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to achieve the reunification of the city under the terms of the Peace Agreement. The plan provided for an agreed ratio of UNIPTF and Federation police, and strict UNIPTF control and monitoring of Federation police activities, with IFOR support. UNIPTF monitored the security situation during the transfer of the suburbs in the hope of reassuring the few Bosnian Serbs that had decided to stay.

UNIPTF police monitors have expanded their operations to both sides of the Inter-entity Boundary Line (IEBL), between the area controlled by the Federation (the Bosniac-Croat entity) and that of the Republika Srpska, (the Bosnian Serb entity). Difficulties persist over freedom of movement, both within the Federation and between the Federation and the Republika Srpska, but UNIPTF monitors now have access to more information in order to assess the situation on the ground and to respond to incidents. Although some individuals and families are able to safely cross the IEBL for visits, incidents of harassment continue.

In close cooperation with the UN Centre for Human Rights, the UNIPTF has conducted human rights and humanitarian law orientation programmes for some 900 police monitors. The course has increased the Task Force's ability to monitor and improve respect for human rights by local police.

A UNIPTF database is being created to allow UNMIBH to track detained persons from arrest through to trial. UN legal officers will periodcally review this information to identify trends in the judicial process.

UNIPTF monitors have helped resolve local disputes arising out of local police matters. In addition, UNIPTF has been able to defuse a number of tense situations during organized crossings across the IEBL by Bosnian Muslims from the Federation side. Moreover, UNIPTF has succeeded in ensuring the dismissal of some local police officers that have constantly obstructed the implementation of the Peace Agreement.

In April 1996, UNIPTF and the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina reached agreement on a timetable for reducing, restructuring and training the country's police forces. Formal guidance was issued by the UNIPTF Police Commissioner. Uniformed police in the Federation will be reduced from 20,000 to a maximum of 11,500. A parallel reduction is still under discussion with the Republika Srpska authorities.


UN Civil Affairs.

UN Civil Affairs officers contribute to stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina by participating in local and regional confidence-building and by providing political, socio-economic and human rights information, analysis and other support to the UNIPTF, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and through him to the High Representative. Civil Affairs Officers monitor the political situation and respect for human rights. UNMIBH staff help solve problems among the parties on the ground, and forward information through the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the High Representative. Civil Affairs Officers are co-deployed with their civilian police colleagues at 20 UNIPTF stations throughout the country. In coordination with UNHCR, they monitor population movements and assess the political implications. They also maintain contact with other international organizations involved in implementing the Dayton Agreement.


The MAC (Mine Action Center ).

In response to a request from the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina, UNMIBH is also responsible for establishing a Mine Action Centre (MAC) to help deal with the estimated 3 million landmines scattered throughout the country. The MAC opened in Sarajevo on 20 May 1996.


Cooperation with Other Organisations.

Reporting to the Security Council, the Secretary-General observed that the task of bringing peace to Bosnia had not been entrusted to the UN alone and would require "cooperative effort between many international organizations and Member States" to generate the skills, resources and political will to end the fighting and start building the peace. The Secretary-General's Special Representative, Mr. Iqbal Riza, is responsible for coordinating with the High Representative, the Commander of IFOR, the Head of the Mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the representatives of other international organizations. As United Nations Coordinator, the Secretary-General's Special Representative also brings together the organizations of the UN system active in Bosnia and Herzegovina, namely the World Bank, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the World Health Organization, the UN Development Programme, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Children's Fund and the World Food Programme.


Reintegrating Refugees and Displaced Persons: A Challenge for UNHCR.

The Dayton-Paris Agreement assigned UNHCR the challenging and complex task of organizing the repatriation and resettlement of 2 million Bosnians. Continuing a role it has played throughout the conflict in former Yugoslavia, UNHCR will also serve as lead agency for humanitarian assistance in Bosnia and Herzegovina throughout the country, coordinating the activities of other UN agencies. UN agencies and NGOs delivered daily food and other humanitarian assistance to some 3 million people in the former Yugoslavia during more than three years of war.

Upholding the right of displaced persons and refugees to return to their homes is a major objective of the Peace Agreement. More than half Bosnia's pre-war population falls into one of these two categories. Of 2 million refugees and displaced persons, approximately 70,000 have returned home, virtually all of them to areas where their community is in the majority. Guidelines for displaced persons to visit their home areas and to travel across the IEBL have been developed in consultation with the OHR, IFOR and UNIPTF. UNHCR is attempting to arrange family visits in order to build confidence among communities. These visits are, however, frequently obstructed, particularly by the Bosnian Serb and Bosnian Croat authorities.

Inadequate cooperation of the parties, a climate of uncertainty and slow progress toward reconstruction are hindering implementation of a UNHCR repatriation and reintegration action plan. A Repatriation Working Group is, however, addressing operational aspects of return movements. The Commission on Real Property Claims for Refugees and Displaced Persons has also been created in Sarajevo with the help of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).


Human Rights Protection and Prosecution of War Criminals.

A field office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Centre for Human Rights provides technical expertise to the OHR. The field office coordinates and undertakes ad hoc investigations; supports the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, Ms. Elisabeth Rehn; assists the UN Expert on Missing Persons, Mr. Manfred Nowak; and provides human rights training to UNIPTF. Two Human Rights officers have been placed in the OHR. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Jose Ayala Lasso, has described human rights as an essential pillar of the reconstruction effort which must become "a building block of the new societies that will emerge from the conflict." Speaking to the press on 12 August after a visit to the region, the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights commented that the number of human rights violations in the former Yugoslavia had increased since the spring and the situation was "not at all good".

On 21 December 1995, the Security Council adopted resolution 1034 condemning all violations of international humanitarian law and human rights committed by the Bosnian Serb and paramilitary forces in the areas of Srebenica, Zepa, Banja Luka and Sanski Most, which showed a "consistent pattern of summary executions, rape, mass expulsions, arbitrary detentions, forced labour and large-scale disappearances". The Council demanded that the Bosnian Serb parties "give immediate and unimpeded access" to UNHCR, the ICRC, the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights. The Council also called upon all States, particularly in the region of the former Yugoslavia, as well as all parties to the conflict, to cooperate fully and in good faith with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, which had issued indictments against the Bosnian Serb leaders, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic.

The President of the ICTY, Judge Antonio Cassese, has also stressed that all States in the region "including self-proclaimed entities exercising de facto governmental functions - must comply with their legal obligation to cooperate with the Tribunal."


Economic Reconstruction.

Within the UN system, the World Bank has been given the task of overseeing the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina's reconstruction and recovery programme. The focus is on seven major sectors on an emergency basis: recovery from the crisis, farm reconstruction, water and sanitation, transport, war victims rehabilitation, education, and district heating. Further projects are under discussion. UN agencies are acting as members of task forces set up by the World Bank and the European Commission to act as a forum for donor exchange and coordination. A $5.1 billion priority reconstruction programme has been prepared by the European Commission, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the World Bank, and endorsed by Bosnia and Herzegovina.


Sarajevo Airport - Symbol of Economic Hope.

On 14 August Sarajevo's airport opened for commercial flights after four years. The EBRD is loaning half of the $26.7 million required for the reconstruction project which will repair the main airport buildings, runway and taxiways and passenger parking areas. New navigation, communication and weather forecasting and recording equipment will be bought and installed. Grants from European Union member states and the European Commission will finance the other half of the project, which is expected to be completed by mid-1997.


UNMIBH: Fulfilling Expectations.

Reporting to the Security Council, the Secretary-General pointed out that "Among the most difficult tasks in the peace process is to assuage the intense and widespread fear and desire for retribution resulting from a vicious conflict in which civilians were the principal targets and victims". Through the efforts of IFOR and the continuing ceasefire, a relatively stable military environment has been created for the extremely complex political and civilian undertakings contained in the Agreement. However, the two elements are interconnected and only when the latter goal is achieved, can UNMIBH fulfill its tasks and the implementation of the Peace Agreement be considered successful.


FURTHER SOURCES:

THE DAYTON-PARIS AGREEMENT (A/50/790-S/1995/999)

LONDON PEACE IMPLEMENTATION CONFERENCE (S/1995/1029)

REPORT OF SECRETARY-GENERAL PURSUANT TO SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 1026 (1995) OF 13 DECEMBER 1995 (S/1995/1031)

SECURITY COUNCIL ADOPTS RESOLUTION 1035 (1995) OF 21 DECEMBER 1995

PROGRESS REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL PURSUANT TO SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS 1025 (1995) AND 1026 (1995) OF 6 FEBRUARY 1996 (S/1996/83)

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL PURSUANT TO RESOLUTION 1035 (1995) OF 21 MARCH 1996 (S/1996/210)

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL PURSUANT TO RESOLUTION 1035 (1995) OF 21 JUNE 1996 (S/1996/460)

SITUATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE REPUBLIC OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (E/CN.4/RES/1996/71)

SITUATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE TERRITORY OF THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA (E/CN.4/1996/6)

SITUATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA (E/CN.4/1996/3)


Facts About United Nations Peacekeeping:

As of 31 July 1996:




For more information contact the UN Press & Information Office in Sarajevo by email at:

sdavies@utic.net.ba

or contact the...

Peace and Security Section
Room S-1005
Department of Public Information
United Nations
New York, NY 10017
Tel: (212) 963-6840
Fax: (212) 963-1186



Other Related Sites


Alternatively, have a look at the
UN WebSite in New York...


The mission for the The United Nations
Press and Information Office.


NB: This information is current as of December 1st 1996, an updated webpage
detailing work of UNMIBH in Bosnia and Herzegovina is under-construction.

An updated page detailing the work of the United Nations Mission
in Bosnia and Herzegovina is hosted on the UN server - click here to access.


Back to Sarajevo Diary