Officially mandated mission of the United Nations in Kosovo
This article is about United Nations mission. For the history of Kosovo during United Nations aministration, see United Nations Administered Kosovo.
United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo
Misioni i Administratës së Përkohshme të Kombeve të Bashkuara në Kosovë(Albanian) Привремена административна мисија Уједињених нација на Косову(Serbian)
The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (Albanian: Misioni i Administratës së Përkohshme të Kombeve të Bashkuara në Kosovë, Serbian: Привремена административна мисија Уједињених нација на Косову, Privremena administrativna misija Ujedinjenih nacija na Kosovu; UNMIK) is the officially mandated mission of the United Nations in Kosovo. The UNMIK describes its mandate as being to "help the United Nations Security Council achieve an overall objective, namely, to ensure conditions for a peaceful and normal life for all inhabitants of Kosovo and advance regional stability in the Western Balkans."[2]
The UNMIK was established pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1244,[3][4] which was passed on 10 June 1999.[5] The Resolution authorised an international civil and military presence in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.[6][7] In that Resolution, the UN decided to "[deploy] in Kosovo, under United Nations auspices, [an] international civil and security [presence]".
The UNMIK still exists today, but its day-to-day functions are relatively minor since Kosovo declared independence and adopted a new constitution,[12] and following the creation of the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), which itself operates within the framework of Security Council Resolution 1244.[13][14] EULEX assists and supports the Kosovo authorities in the rule of law area, specifically in the police, judiciary and customs areas.[15][16] In September 2012, international supervision ended,[17] and Kosovo became responsible for its own governance.[18]
Kosovo is the subject of a long-running political and territorial dispute between the Serbian (and previously, the Yugoslav) government and Kosovo's largely ethnic Albanian population. Public opinion polls indicate that a clear majority of the Kosovo's population support Kosovo's independence. [19] Internationally, a majority of the United Nations' member states (114 of 193) and a majority of European countries have recognized Kosovo's independence (although 10 countries have later been reported to have revoked their recognition).
The head of the UNMIK is the Special Representative of the Secretary-General ('SRSG') and is appointed by the Secretary-General under the advice of UN member states. Caroline Ziadeh was appointed SRSG in November 2021[1] and arrived in Kosovo in January 2022.[20]
^Member States of the United Nations, UN.orgArchived 30 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine: "Serbia – date of admission 1 November 2000, The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was admitted as a Member of the United Nations by General Assembly resolution A/RES/55/12 of 1 November 2000. On 4 February 2003, following the adoption and promulgation of the Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro by the Assembly of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the official name of "Federal Republic of Yugoslavia" was changed to Serbia and Montenegro. In a letter dated 3 June 2006, the President of the Republic of Serbia informed the Secretary-General that the membership of Serbia and Montenegro was being continued by the Republic of Serbia, following Montenegro's declaration of independence."
^"Advisory Proceedings". web.archive.org. International Court of Justice. 8 February 2014. Archived from the original on 8 February 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
^"What is EULEX ?". EULEX. Archived from the original on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2015. EULEX works within the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 1244.