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United Nations Mission in Haiti (UNMIH)
In accordance with its mandate, UNMIH worked to establish an environment conducive to the organization of free and fair elections in Haiti. The municipal and parliamentary elections took place on 25 June 1995 and the presidential election took place on 17 December 1995. UNMIH worked closely with the Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) of the Organization of American States (OAS), which was deployed in mid-May 1995. The United Nations Electoral Assistance Team (EAT) was established in late 1994 to provide technical assistance to the elections at both the national and departmental levels. By late 1995, the EAT came under the operational responsibility of UNMIH. The records of UNMIH in S-1870 document the work of the EAT.

The records include memoranda prepared by the Coordinator of the Electoral Assistance Team (EAT) and other EAT staff for the Director and staff of the Electoral Assistance Division (EAD) at DPKO. The memoranda cover topics such as: electoral law, the timing of electoral operations, registration, and the design and counting of ballots. In addition, some memoranda concern coordination with Haiti’s Provincial Electoral Council (CEP), the autonomous national authority constitutionally charged with organizing and supervising the elections; these memoranda detail plans for electoral data processing and staffing.

Other records that relate to the CEP include: the Letter of Agreement between UNMIH and the CEP, electoral bulletins from the CEP’s press service, EAT notes for the file about the establishment of a communications system for the CEP, calendars detailing electoral set-up activities, and minutes of EAT meetings with representatives of the CEP. The minutes, as well as minutes of EAT meetings with NGOs, OAS, and governmental and United Nations agencies, concern collaboration on the electoral process. Specific topics include: elections results, electoral observation, incidents of violation of electoral law, the production of civic education materials, the vote counting process, and ink for marking votes.

In addition, there are records relating to Haiti’s Bureau Electoral Départemental (BED), Bureau Electoral Communal (BEC), Bureau d’Inscription et de Vote (BIV), and Assemblies of Communal Sections (ASECs). These records consist of lists of registration sites and checklists of election tasks to be executed by BEDs and BECs, such as personnel deployment, evaluation of communications, and transport of elections materials.

The files also contain periodic reports authored by the USAID Advisor, weekly executive summaries, field trip reports, and after-action reviews of the elections. The periodic reports authored by the USAID Advisor detail political developments such as changes in CEP personnel, as well as meetings between representatives of the Haitian government, NGOs, OAS, and governmental and United Nations agencies.

The weekly executive summaries were prepared by Lakhdar Brahimi, the UNMIH Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Kofi Annan. The summaries cover a variety of topics, including: elections results, political parties boycotting the elections, speeches made by President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the expulsion of Haitians from the Dominican Republic, Haitian government legislation on the minimum wage, arrests and trials of notorious criminals, justice and prison system reforms, police training and misconduct, economic and humanitarian aid developments, and threats against UNMIH.

Field trip reports were prepared by the EAT’s Senior Logistics Officer. They detail the Senior Logistics Officer’s meetings with EAT staff, BED presidents, and MICIVIH representatives, and contain the Officer’s evaluation of communications, equipment, and roads in the departments with respect to the conduct of elections.

Records relating to the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), a non-governmental organization, concern the procurement of polling materials and training of elections officials, registrars, and poll-workers. They include project proposals, working papers, calendars of electoral tasks, training and civic education material, and memoranda exchanged between members of the IFES, EAT, CEP, and USAID.

Other records consist of copies of electoral law from the newspaper “Le Moniteur”, departmental results for the 1995 elections, security briefs, and civic education material distributed by UNMIH’s Military Information Support Task Force (MIST).

International Civilian Mission in Haiti, OAS/UN (MICIVIH)
In November 1994, after MICIVIH returned to Haiti following the restoration of the Haitian government, the Organization of American States (OAS) and the United Nations tasked MICIVIH observers with monitoring: the human rights aspects of the electoral process, particularly the right to vote, and the rights of expression, association and assembly; and acts of intimidation and violence during the electoral campaigns. MICIVIH Observers worked closely with OAS-EOM observers.

Records prepared by MICIVIH Observers include: overviews of the political and electoral climate in the department; reports of field visits to oversee electoral operations, noting visits to political party offices and the conduct of political party gatherings; lists of candidates and their respective political parties; and statistics for various aspects of the electoral process, such as the number of registered voters. Additionally, there are periodic reports prepared by the OAS-EOM.

The summaries of Observers’ visits to local offices of Haiti’s Bureau Electoral Départemental (BED) and the Bureau Electoral Communal (BEC) detail: technical operations of setting up voting sites; voter education programs in communes; the voter registration process; the status of candidates; the distribution and collection of electoral material; security presence at voting sites; the validity of voting results; and election results.

Also included are Observers’ memoranda about a variety of subjects, including: the electoral and security climate; irregularities and obstructions to the electoral process; poor administrative practices related to the elections, such as incorrectly sealing voting boxes and violations of privacy during the act of voting; fraudulent voter registration, voting, and vote counting; anti-UN and anti-government sentiment; control of crowds at voting sites; controversies surrounding local election outcomes; political manoeuvring and suspected impartiality within Haitian electoral institutions; and public demonstrations related to elections.

The memoranda also cover politically-motivated election violence, such as: arson; attacks against candidates; threats received by BEC and BIV officials; ransacking of Bureaux d'Inscriptions et de Votes (BIV); destruction of ballot boxes; and assassinations and deaths resulting from suspicious circumstances. They also note the arrests of individuals accused of political intimidation and disruptions to the electoral process.

The records are arranged geographically by base.

International Civilian Mission in Haiti, OAS/UN (MICIVIH)
S-1879 contains records documenting activities undertaken by MICIVIH Observers stationed in bases throughout Haiti, to: monitor and evaluate the state of respect for human rights in prisons and detention facilities; identify violations of Haitian law and international standards relating to the treatment of prisoners and detainees; ensure proper functioning of penal institutions; and assist in the reform of the penal system in Haiti. The Haitian Armed Forces (FADH) ran the prisons in Haiti until the FADH was dissolved in January 1995. Administration of prisons was then turned over to the Interim Public Security Force (IPSF) until the creation of National Penitentiary Administration (APENA) by Presidential Decree on 29 June 1995.

The records document human rights abuses of prisoners and conditions in prisons and detention centers in Haiti during two years (1993-1994) of the de facto regime (29 September 1991 - 14 October 1994), and up to the closure of MICIVIH on 15 March 2000. The records are arranged by base and geographic location. Major prisons visited by Observers include the National Penitentiary in Port-au-Prince, Saint Marc Prison, Gonaives Prison, Les Cayes Prison, Hinche Prison, and Cap Haitien Prison; detention centers; and jails located in military-occupied casernes (barracks).

Included are reports describing the overall state of the prison system in the department, as well as: the level of cooperation between the mission and the prisons; Observers’ access to prisons and prisoners; relations among the prison, judicial and police authorities in the department; the prevalence of human rights violations in prisons; and recommendations for reforms.

Summaries of periodic visits to prisons by Observers note: structural and hygienic conditions; the availability of potable water, beds, and adequate supply of food to prisoners; the severity of overcrowding; incidents, including riots, hunger strikes, and escapes; and the state of recordkeeping in prisons. The visit reports also provide information about the circumstances of arrest and detention for individual prisoners, their access to legal counsel, and the status of their case in the court system. Additionally, the visit reports document brutality carried out by prison guards and military officers, including: cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment of prisoners; deaths caused by beatings and medical neglect; verbal abuse; arbitrary punishment and detention; and administrative neglect of prisoners’ cases.

The reports of visits to prisons are accompanied by lists featuring prisoners’ names and aliases; dates of arrest; criminal accusations, lengths of sentences; and milestones in the prisoners’ legal processing.

Also included are memoranda, authored by Observers, about: meetings between Observers and prison guards and authorities; the number and status of juvenile and women detainees; interventions enacted by Observers on behalf of individual detainees, particularly meetings with judicial authorities to draw attention to the legal mishandling of their case; the medical state of individual detainees and treatment carried out by MICIVIH medical personnel; and seminars on human rights and prison reform conducted by Observers for prison authorities.

There are also statistics compiled by Observers about the prison population, covering: the genders of prisoners, types of crimes committed, length of detention; and prisoners’ appearance before judicial authorities. The series also includes: lists of prisons, detention centers, casernes, and garde-à-vue of police commissariats in the department; guidelines for Observers on how to conduct prison visits and prisoner interviews; and prisoner data sheets.

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.

International Civilian Mission in Haiti, OAS/UN (MICIVIH)
Records in S-1878 document the work of the MICIVIH Medical Unit, which was established in June 1993 to complement the work of Observers, who conducted investigations of human rights violations throughout Haiti. The Medical Unit operated under the authority of MICIVIH’s Director of Human Rights. The Unit treated victims of human rights violations and provided medical documentation of abuses for use in criminal trials. The Unit also documented the health and hygienic conditions in Haitian prisons, and the health of prison inmates in the context of human rights observation. Additionally, the Unit made recommendations for the rehabilitation of the Haitian medical infrastructure.

The files contain a variety of reports prepared by the Medical Unit. One dating from 1995 offers recommendations to the National Truth and Justice Commission (CNVJ) about victims of human rights abuses. The monthly reports describe: activities of the Medical Unit in specific departments; the Unit’s work with the French non-governmental organization Médecins du Monde (MDM); and updates about victims interviewed or treated by Unit personnel.
Reports on medical examinations of victims of human rights violations include information about the incident; the category of violation; clinical observations of the victim; medical treatment history; and the victim’s long-term medical ailments.

The reports prepared by the Medical Unit also describe visits to prisons. These reports note: the hygienic and sanitary conditions in prison cells, showers, latrines, and kitchens; the health status of prisoners with acute conditions; disease outbreak; the supply of medicines and medical equipment; and interviews with prison authorities about medical treatment practices.

Other records include: the terms of reference for the Medical Unit; summaries of meetings of the Medical Unit; discussion papers about human rights, medical ethics, and mental health; and lists of victims and case descriptions. Statistics on the work of the Medical Unit note the ages and gender of victims treated, and the category of human rights violations. Violations include: illegal arrest and detention; forced disappearance; cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment; torture; death threats and attempted murder; intimidation; rape; and violation of the right to free movement.

There are also photocopies of the emergency room and morgue registries dating from 1992-1994 from the Hôpital d l'Universite d'Etat d'Haiti (HUEH) located in Port-au-Prince. These list the names and ages of individuals admitted, date of admittance, and injuries.

The series consists of records which deal with the origination, formulation, execution and evaluation of the relevant projects. The types of records include any of the following: proposals, preparatory documentation, agreements, plans of operation and various reports such as progress, technical, mission, evaluation, etc. There are also departmental supporting documents which comprise background data, guidelines, studies, terms of reference and other relevant papers that bear elements further elucidating project activities. The department which is responsible for providing the necessary advisory services and assistance to the governments of developing countries and countries with economies in transition to strengthen their national capacities has been re-organized several times under the following names:
Dept. of Economic Affairs, ca 1946-1954
Dept. of Economic and Social Council, ca 1955
Technical Assistance Administration, ca 1955-1958
Dept. of Economic and Social Affairs, ca 1955-1978
Office of Technical Co-operation, ca 1967-1977
Dept. of International Economic and Social Affairs, ca 1979-1993
Dept. of Technical Co-operation for Development, ca 1979-1993
United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations, ca 1985-1993
Dept. for Policy Co-ordination and Sustainable Development, ca1994-1997
Dept. for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, ca 1994-1997
Dept. for Development Support and Management Services, ca 1994-1997
Dept. of Economic and Social Affairs, ca 1998 up to present.
To preserve their identity, the records of the various technical assistance projects are maintained according to their provenance, i.e. the actual name of the organizational element which originated the records forms a part of the series title.

Accession numbers - 80/0026; 84/0082; 84/0123; 84/0124; 84/0125; 84/0126; 84/0130; 84/0203; 84/0204; 84/0205; 84/0231; 86/0249; 87/0206; 91/0121; 91/0140; 2001/0187-0001; 2001/0187-0002; 2001/0187-0003; 2001/0187-0004; 2001/0187-0005; 2001/0187-0006; 2001/0187-0007

Series consists of incoming and outgoing code cables - numbered and unnumbered including daily situation reports - SITREP between top echelon United Nations officials in New York headquarters and in missions in Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Eastern Europe. Subjects relate to administrative matters including personnel, mission composition, and travel arrangements; human rights; economic and social matters ; local elections; activities of peace-keeping and observer missions inspections; political events and incidents; and Security Council consultations and meetings. Correspondents include Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali; Chief of Staff Jean Claude Aime ; Under-Secretary-General for Special Political Affairs Marrack Goulding; and Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs Jonah.

Accessions include 96/60, boxes 1-10.

Actual series size: 35 boxes.

Bary

S-1820 contains records concerning public information and communications support provided to the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP).

Public Information Office (PIO)
Records consist of daily and weekly summaries describing national and international news, as reported in Macedonian newspapers, television, and radio outlets and with particular attention to countries bordering Macedonia. Media outlets include: the newspapers Vecer, Dnevnik, Nova Makedonija, and Makedonija Denes, Delo, Puls, Fokus, and Forum; Macedonian Radio and Radio NOMA; and the television stations Telma, MTV 1 and A1 TV. Daily summaries cover the activities of UNPREDEP, and provide commentary on news events. The topics include: activities of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia and of President Kiro Gligorov; local political developments, including election results and appointments of government ministers; the presence of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces in Macedonia; interethnic relations, including updates on the flag-displaying legislation and language disputes; civilian demonstrations; Macedonian foreign relations, including Macedonian-Taiwanese relations and Macedonian-Serbian relations; the entry of refugees into Macedonia; and the extension of the UNPREDEP mandate. Daily summaries also include transcripts of interviews with: the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG); Macedonian government ministers; and leaders of political parties.

Series chiefly consists of files relating to the activities of UNIKOM Liaison Office - Baghdad (LO-B) and Liaison Office - Kuwait (LO-K). Included also are files pertaining to the Iraqi Liaison Office in Umm Qasr, which liaised with UNIKOM's Liaison Team - Umm Qasr (LTQ); UNIKOM's Kheitan Support Centre, to which LO-K was relocated on 29 May 1995; and UNIKOM patrol & observation bases (POBs). Records consist of standard letters, notes verbales, inter-office memoranda, press releases, meeting minutes, situation reports, Board of Inquiry reports, and Force Commander directives. A significant number of correspondences are between Chief Military Officer / Force Commander and Iraqi or Kuwaiti authorities, transmitted via LO-B or LO-K, respectively. Subjects include: border crossings, protection of Iraqi-Saudi pipeline, deployment of border police, night patrols, violations of ceasefire, evacuation of injured Iraqi civilians from DMZ, mine clearance and related incidents, detention of foreign nationals, return of property, photography in the DMZ, visits to the DMZ by foreign dignitaries and journalists, alleged smuggling, and missing persons. Records arranged by office / agency and chronologically therein.

Title based on series contents.

UN. Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Special Political Affairs (OUSGSPA) (1959-1972: Bunche; 1963-1964: Protitch; 1965-1970: Rolz-Bennett; 1970-1978: Guyer; 1979-1981: Perez de Cuellar; 1981-1988: Cordovez)

Series consists of numbered and unnumbered master clear cables, UNFICYP (United Nations Peace-Keeping Force in Cyprus) - Geneva clear cables, situation reports, press cables, code cables, Cyprus assessment reports and mediator reports. Items document clearances, visits, cease-fire violations, flight rotations and personnel alterations such as medical conditions, transfers and replacements. Also includes drafts of monthly reports, extracts from local presses, reports on the political climate in Cyprus, and shooting incidents. Subjects include Enonis; Eoka-B; 1975 Cyprus talks in Vienna; 1977 and 1980 intercommunal talks; Greek president Kyprianov; Turkish leader R. Denktash; and the Third Pan-Cyprian Congress of 1984. Correspondents include Special Representatives of the Secretary-General, UNFICYP, L. Weckman-Munoz and R. Osario-Tafall; UNPeace-Keeping Force in Cyprus Commander Maj.-Gen. Prem Chand; Information Officer S. Yacoub; Information Officer for the Office of Public Information K. Beaven; UN Peace-Keeping Force in Cyprus Chief Administrator B. Hausner; Chef de Cabinet C. V. Narasimhan; and Under-Secretary-General of Special Political Affairs Rolz-Bennett.

Accession number: 1990/021

Actual series size: 32 boxes

Novak