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Public Information Office (PIO)
The United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT) Public Information Office was formed by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Tajikistan Gerd Merrem on 16 June 1997 with the appointment of Hasmik Egian as Public Information Officer (PIO), who also served as the Spokesman for UNMOT. The stated functions of the Public Information Office included publicizing the Mission’s activities through visual and printed media, such as the publication and distribution of the UNMOT newsletter, and liaising with local, regional and international media outlets to drive coverage of UNMOT activities related to the peace process to as wide an audience as possible. The Public Information Office communicated with Central Asian NGOs engaged in public information initiatives.

The series primarily consists of media analyses (in Russian) of local and regional coverage of UNMOT and the political and security situation in Tajikistan, with particular focus on inter-Tajik negotiations. Media outlets mentioned in these analyses include:

Radio and Television Broadcast Outlets:
BBC World Service
Radio Svoboda
Turkmen TV
Taliban Radio “Voice of Shariah”
Tajik TV News program “Akhbor”
Russian TV “Vremya”
News agency Itar-Tass
Radio Iran Hurson
Russian TV “Novosti”
Radio “Liberty”
Radio “Voice of Free Tajikistan”
Radio Iran
Radio “Free Tajikistan”
Radio Voice of Russia
Radio Khuroson
Radio “Uzodi”

Newspapers:
“Leninabadskaya Pravda” – an outlet of the provincial government of Leninabad
“Tirozy Djakhon” - City of Hukumat
“Eti-Khod” - Communist Party
“Unity” - Socialist Party

Also included in the records of the UNMOT Public Information Office are daily press briefings issued by the office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General in UN-NY. The briefings summarize daily activities of the United Nations Secretariat and its organs, and mention status updates, funding information, and developments related to UNMOT. Additionally, there are memoranda exchanged between the Spokesman at headquarters and the PIO/Spokesman for UNMOT in Dushanbe. The memoranda provide information about the PIO/Spokeman’s activities and media projects. Periodic reports describe the efforts of the Public Information Office to establish and maintain efficient contact with international media, to increase the office’s presence at Tajik cultural activities, and to increase awareness of the activities of UNMOT in Tajikistan.

S-1862 also contains a collection of photographs that document the activities of UNMOT. Photographs are in color and black and white, and most are accompanied by 35 millimeter negatives. Photographs depict: activities of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG); activities at UNMOT headquarters in Dushanbe; meetings and press conferences attended by UNMOT officials and the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmonov, and the leader of the United Tajik Opposition (UTO) Sayid Abdulloh Nuri; activities of the Chief Military Observer; briefings and patrols of UNMOT military personnel; transportation of the casket of UNMOT Lieutenant Wolfgang Sponner, who was killed in Kurgan Tube on 18 September 1995 in an exchange of fire; visits of UNMOT staff to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and Tehran, Iran; cultural events attended by local civilians and UNMOT staff; United Nations-led training events with local civilians; and humanitarian aid activities carried out by UNMOT personnel.

Chief Administrative Officer
Records of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) consist of meeting minutes, summaries, agenda, correspondence, working papers, and other documents. There is correspondence with the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan about allegations of crimes committed by the United Tajik Opposition (UTO); and letters of complaint from the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan about the imprisonment of soldiers by the UTO. Also included is correspondence between the SRSG and the leader of the UTO, Sayid Abdulloh Nuri, about restrictions to freedom of movement of UNMOT personnel by the UTO military. Other correspondence concerns violations of the General Agreement and statements prepared by the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the UTO about presidential elections.

Other records detail the work of the Contact Group of Guarantor States. These include meeting agenda in the English and Russian languages, minutes, and attendance lists. The meetings were attended by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG), ambassadors from neighbouring countries, and members of the Joint Electoral Observation Mission in Tajikistan (JEMOT). The files also contain information about UNMOT observer policy and procedure, about electoral issues, and recommendations for implementing the military protocol stipulated in the General Agreement.

S-1863 also includes: an analysis of amendments to the Tajik constitution by the President of the Committee for National Reconciliation (CNR) and UTO leader Sayid Abdulloh Nuri; proposed timetables for the implementation of the General Agreement; summaries and plenary meetings about the electoral process; and meeting minutes of the CNR’s sub-commissions. There are also files for of the Civil Affairs political and legal sub-commissions. These contain political analyses by the Civil Affairs Officer (CAO).

Electoral Section
Records consist of one folder containing the “Status of Implementation of the General Agreement,” dated 9 April 1999. It documents progress made in relation to the 1997 General Agreement, describes political, military, legal, and humanitarian issues, and includes footnotes explaining the stipulated time-frame for implementation.

Public Information Office (PIO)
The records document the work of the Committee for National Reconciliation (CNR) and originated from the UNMOT Public Information Office. They include: summaries of meetings of CNR political, legal, refugee, and military sub-commissions, proposed amendments to the Constitution of Tajikistan, and an 18 December 1997 letter to the Commander of Russian Border Forces from the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Gerd D. Merrem, requesting CNR logistical support to aid the repatriation of UTO military personnel. There is also a Plan of Work that lists directives and deadlines; a press statement about disbanding UTO armed formations, dated 4 September 2012; and resolutions by CNR President Sayid Abdulloh Nuri about constitutional, humanitarian, and military issues.

United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT)
The UNMOT records detail efforts to develop a new constitution. They contain a timetable for the implementation of the General Agreement; and an internal 8 March 1998 discussion paper, prepared by UNMOT’s Legal Section, titled “Approach Towards Constitutional Referendum,” dated 29 April 1998.

United Nations Tajikistan Office of Peace Building (UNTOP)
UNTOP records relating to political affairs feature a 2007 memorandum titled “International Conference on the 10th Anniversary of the Peace Agreement in Tajikistan,” with a description of objectives and activities; and memoranda about conflict prevention. Also included are publications titled: “Conflict Prevention in Central Asia: Peace-Building in Tajikistan” (2006); and a Government of the Republic of Tajikistan “Directory for the Majlisi Oli” (the Parliament of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan).

Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)
Records of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) include administrative circulars distributed throughout the Mission and daily situation reports created by field teams. Also included are administrative communications exchanged in the wake of the killings of four UNMOT personnel near Garm, Tajikistan on 20 July 1998.

United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT)
Records of the United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT) consist of code cables, situation reports, and memoranda. Also included are minutes of management meetings that describe Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG), Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG), Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and Senior Political Affairs Officer (SPAO) activities. The status of particular regions within the Mission, officer travel plans, diplomatic discussions held, the status of ongoing investigations, humanitarian assistance, and meetings with UN and NGO agencies are discussed within the minutes.

United Nations Tajikistan Office of Peace Building (UNTOP)
Records of the United Nations Tajikistan Office of Peace Building (UNTOP) consist primarily of code cables transmitted between the Mission and UN Headquarters in NY and cover: issues related to Russian troops stationed on the Tajik-Afghan border; reports on meetings with high level Tajik government figures; significant legal, political moves taken by the Tajik government, changes in Tajik administration; analysis of law enforcement structures in Tajikistan; meetings with ex-combatants; the situation of refugees on the Tajik-Afghan border; and activities related to counter-terrorism.

Notable events described in the code cables include: the assassination of Karim Yuldashev, Presidential State Adviser on Foreign and Political Affairs, in Dushanbe on 17 July 2001; a hostage crisis in Dushanbe, 13 June 2001; and the assassination of Habib Sanginov, an Opposition political figure and former Chairman of the Military Sub-commission of the Commission of National Reconciliation, on 11 April 2001. Clear cables report on UNTOP interactions with the Tajik government and Tajik government requests for assistance from the UN.

The UNTOP records also include incoming and outgoing communications with the following political, non-governmental and diplomatic organizations:

Political Parties:

• Islamic Revival Party (Hizbi Nahzati Islomii Tojikiston)
• Democratic Party (Hizbi Demokratii Tojikiston)
• People’s Democratic Party of Tajikistan (Hizbi Khalqi-Demokrati Tojikiston)
• Social Democratic Party (Hizbi Sotsial-Demokratii Tojikiston)
• Free Tajikistan Party

International NGO’s

• FINCA International - Tajikistan (micro and small business lending)
• CARE Tajikistan
• International Center for Peace Preservation in Asia
• Pharmaciens Sans Frontieres Comite International

Local NGO’s

• Public Committee for Democratic Processes
• Tajik Society for Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries
• Center Legal Support for Youth
• Centre of Mercy of Servicemen’s Mothers of Republic Tajikistan
• Legal Education Center
• Center for Peace, Nonviolence and Human Rights
• Humanity and Charity
• Tajik Juridical Consortium
• Bureau of Human Rights and Rule of Law

Embassies

• Afghan Ambassador Said Mouhammad Khairkhoh
• German Ambassador Rainer Muller, arranging meetings in Berlin between the Representative of the Secretary-General (RSG) Vladimir Sotirov and German Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials on Central Asia and Human Rights, sharing of UN reports and other documents such as the Project Document concluded by UNDP, UNTOP and the Government of Tajikistan on National Capacity Building in Electoral Administration (September 2004); agreement between RSG Ivo Petrov and German Ambassador to Tajikistan Wolfgang Neuen for Germany’s financial contribution to the “Preservation of Peace through Capacity Development in Human Rights” project (26 February 2002)

RSG Vladimir Sotirov Speech transcripts (Russian language) on topics such as:

• Peace-building in the region

Other UN Agencies:

• UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) Resident Representative in Tajikistan concerning support for Tajikistan’s Institute of Retraining of Lawyers and a Centre for Legal Information and Human Rights in the Tajik Ministry of Justice; implementation of joint OHCHR/UNDP/UNTOP initiatives, such as the Project: Preservation of Peace and Conflict Prevention through Capacity Development in Human Rights Education
• UNHCR; UNICEF; UNIFEM concerning their activities in Tajikistan

Seminars and other events organized by the office of the RSG:

• Public Council Meetings in Dushanbe
• Election Coordination Meetings
• Human Rights thematic group meetings

Electoral Section
Records of the Electoral Section document the assessment, planning and observation of the 27 February 2000 elections of the Majlisi Oli, the parliament of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan. The files contain: reports relating to support of elections by United Nations peacekeeping missions prior to UNMOT; an undated position paper, titled “Criteria for the Arrival of the Joint UNMOT-Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Electoral Needs-Assessment Mission”; a deployment plan for Joint Electoral Observation Mission (JEOM) offices and for the deployment of electoral observers. There is also a 25 March 1999 working paper about the conditions for a timeline of joint-commission involvement in free and fair elections; and the terms of reference for the Joint UNMOT-OSCE Observation Mission in Tajikistan (JEOMT).

Also included in the records are: a report providing recommendations for international monitoring of parliamentary elections, of the 5 August 1999 Second Joint Assessment Mission for Election Preparations in Tajikistan; a (1999) draft titled “Amendments and Changes to the Constitution of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan”; a proposed plan for parliamentary elections, with a September 1999 timeline; and an unsigned assessment report to the head of mission of OSCE about the political climate of Tajikistan in preparation for an electoral referendum. There are also summaries of “Focal Point Strategy Meetings on Elections,” attended by the Assistant to the Special Representative to the Secretary-General (ASRSG), the Organization for Co-operation and Security in Europe (OSCE), and representatives of UNMOT.

Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)
Also included in S-1866 are records of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) which document the electoral process. There is information about the 6 November 1999 Tajikistan presidential elections and the elections of the Majlisi Oli, held on 27 February 2000. The files include reports from UNMOT’s field office in the town of Kurgan Tube to UNMOT HQ about meetings of the regional government and the registration of parliamentary electoral candidates. A 5 August 1999 report from the Civil Affairs Officer, copied to the CAO, includes an assessment of the political climate for the holding of free and fair elections in Khorog Town. In addition, there is a 25 February 2000 assessment prepared by the CAO, titled “Prognostics of the Majlisi Oli elections in Khatlon Province Field Office”; it has an analysis of candidate biographies.

The files also contain statements and letters sent to the Secretary-General Kofi Annan. There is a joint statement, about free and fair presidential elections, prepared by the Political Union of United Tajikistan, a union comprised of banned Tajik political parties. There are also statements about the implementation of the General Agreement, especially with regard to parliamentary elections. These were received by the United Tajik Opposition (UTO) and the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan. There are also joint statements of candidates for the office of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan.

United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT)
There are records about the Joint Election Observation Mission to Tajikistan (JEOMT), jointly managed by UNMOT and the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OSCE). Highlights include: a revised 11 February 2000 “Terms of Reference for the UN Electoral Reference Team,” sent from United Nations New York to the UNMOT CAO and a Manual for Short-Term Observers of the 27 February 2000 parliamentary elections.

Humanitarian Affairs Office
The records of the Humanitarian Affairs Office document coordination between UNMOT and humanitarian agencies active in Tajikistan. Included are a variety of documents forwarded to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) from the following agencies and organizations: the Field Coordination Unit stationed in Dushanbe, which was set up and overseen by the Department of Humanitarian Affairs (DHA); the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); the International Organization for Migration (IOM); the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); the World Health Organization (WHO); the International Monetary Fund (IMF); and the World Bank.

There are reports of the United Nations Inter-Agency Humanitarian Needs Assessment mission led by the Department of Humanitarian Affairs (DHA) in October 1996, as well as issues of an information bulletin titled “Humanitarian Assistance in Tajikistan” and circulated by the DHA. The briefs authored by UNHCR officers in Tajikistan cover: the UNHCR’s reintegration programme, the repatriation of Tajik refugees from Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan, conditions at transit centers, and the harassment of Tajik refugees by Opposition forces. There is also a UNDP-authored working paper dating from 1997 titled, “Support to Strategic Framework Process: Managing the Transition from War to Peace.” Also present are summaries of Food Coordination Meetings, which were run by the World Food Programme and attended by UNMOT officials and representatives of non-governmental organizations. Additionally, there is correspondence between the SRSG and representatives of humanitarian agencies as well as summaries of inter-agency meetings convened by the SRSG.

Human Rights Office
The records of the Human Rights Office contain information about human rights educational efforts of the United Nations Tajikistan Office of Peace Building (UNTOP). Activities in this area are described in monthly reports prepared by the UNTOP Human Rights Officer. The reports provide information about: the status of freedom of the press and freedom of association; the rights of Tajik migrant workers; the trials of former combatants; the use of capital punishment; and human rights monitoring carried out by non-governmental organizations in the region. There are also records of the Human Rights Thematic Group, a forum that convened representatives of United Nations agencies and international organizations under the chairmanship of UNTOP. Its aim was to promote and support human rights protection and national capacity building in human rights in Tajikistan. The Thematic Group’s records consist of agenda, summaries of meetings, and project briefs. In addition, there is information about workshops in human rights protection carried out by UNTOP, and a report, dated June 2002, on local compliance with the Convention on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

Chief Security Officer
The records of the UNMOT Chief Security Officer (CSO) consist of one file. It contains a mission-wide security plan detailing the security phases and practical arrangements for the relocation and evacuation of UNMOT staff and employees of United Nations agencies. The plan is dated 15 February 2000.

United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT)
The files for UNMOT contain security plans, a security checklist prepared in the event of Y2K technology disruption (17 June 1999), and a security report. The Special Representative to the Secretary-General (SRSG) prepared the security plans (1 July 1998 and 1 December 1998) and the security report.

Also included are guidelines for UN security personnel and security-related information which were prepared by the Chief Security Officer (CSO). In addition, the files contain a security directive about the inclusion of inter-governmental and non-governmental staff into United Nations security arrangements.

United Nations Tajikistan Office of Peace Building (UNTOP)
UNTOP’s security-related records consist of: security plans; a 30 September 2002 directive about security clearance procedures; memoranda about contingency planning for avian influenza; and directives for security wardens in Dushanbe.