Showing 1614 results

Series documents the substantive and administrative work of the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General. The series is arranged into five sub-series: chronological file, including various forms of correspondence; code cables (incoming); code cables (outgoing); faxes (outgoing); and outgoing faxes and code cables of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General. The earliest records in the files were created under the mandate of United Nations Operation in Somalia I, which ended in March 1993. Series is arranged alphabetically by sub-series, then chronologically therein.

Title based on series contents.

UNOSOM Headquarters Boards of Inquiry (BOI) were convened to make decisions regarding serious injury, death, major property damage, and major property loss in which UNOSOM personnel were involved. Final case reports with supporting documentation regularly were sent to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations at UN headquarters in New York.

Series consists of reports/case files of the Headquarters Boards of Inquiry. Records included are: witness statement forms, BOI convening orders, interoffice memoranda, accident/incident reports, security statement forms, security investigation reports, damage/discrepancy reports, medical reports, death certificates, autopsy reports, letters of condolence, incident sketches, and interview transcripts.

Title based on series contents.

Special Representative for the Secretary-General (SRSG)
The Office of the Special Representative for the Secretary-General (SRSG) to Liberia was located at UNOMIL headquarters in Monrovia, Liberia. Records derive from the tenures of Mr. Anthony Nyakyi (December 1994 - April 1997) and Mr. Tuliameni Kalomoh, who succeeded Nyakyi in April 1997. The documents primarily consist of incoming and outgoing code cables and subject files which relate to the SRSG’s activities as Head of the Mission.

The code cables were sent from SRSG Nyakyi to United Nations Headquarters, New York and include: drafts and final progress reports to the Secretary-General; daily and weekly situation reports, sent to Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Kofi Annan, detailing political and military developments in the mission; and summaries of meetings between the SRSG and Heads of State, Foreign Affairs Ministers, and faction leaders. Memoranda are also included in the outgoing code cables, describing: the electoral process; analyses of ceasefire violations as relating to the 28 December 1994 Accra Agreement and the 19 August 1995 Abuja Agreement; and deployment of UNOMIL and Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) observers. The code cables also contain notes for file prepared by the Political Affairs Officer (PAO) and by the Human Rights Officer (HRO). The notes for file offer summaries and analyses of the meetings with high-level officials and human rights investigations, respectively.

Also present in the records are incoming code cables from Annan and the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Marrack Goulding to SRSG Nyakyi on topics such as the Brussels Conference held to support the peace process in Liberia (December 1996); the Mission of the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to Liberia (April 1996); and human rights violations (December 1995).

Other files relate to meetings held by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), including meetings of the Chiefs of Staff; the Council of Ministers; the Committee of Four on Sierra Leone; the Committee of Nine on Liberia; and sessions of Authority Heads of State and Government. Documents relating to these meetings include agenda; minutes from the meetings; draft and final reports; notes verbal; and final communiqués. There are also statements presented at meetings by ECOWAS member states’ Ministers of Foreign Affairs and SRSG Nyakyi.

Also included are files about the disarmament and demobilization process: correspondence between the SRSG and representatives of warring factions about the progress of disarmament; meeting summaries of, and attendance lists for, the inter-agency Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Task Force, chaired by the Humanitarian Coordinator of the United Nations Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Office in Liberia (UN-HACO); working papers about the disarmament and demobilization process; and correspondence between the UN-HACO Humanitarian Coordinator and the SRSG.

There are also subject files which relate to the ECOWAS Military Observer Group (ECOMOG), which include meeting reports of the ECOMOG Disarmament Committee. Records of the inter-agency Ceasefire Violation Committee (CFVC) are also present. These contain meeting minutes summarizing faction allegations of ceasefire violations, and letters of protest from factions and sent to the CFVC.

Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)
Also included are documents from the UNOMIL Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), who reported to the SRSG. These include: UNOMIL organization charts; code cables sent from both the SRSG and the CAO to United Nations Headquarters, New York; daily, weekly, and monthly situation reports detailing political and military activities, in particular the activities of President Charles Taylor; and daily press briefings summarizing the daily briefing delivered by Spokesman of the Secretary-General, Fred Eckhard.

International Civilian Mission in Haiti, OAS/UN (MICIVIH)
S-1880 consists of case files for human rights violations investigated by MICIVIH Human Rights Observers stationed at bases throughout Haiti from 1993 to 2000. The case files are arranged geographically by base, and then by number. A three-letter series prefix indicates the base. Each series of case files is accompanied by lists of case numbers with the name of the victim, date, location, and type of human rights violation. Violations and incidents investigated include: cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment; torture; murders and shootings; rape; illegal arrest, detention and imprisonment; illegal house searches; destruction of property; false criminal accusations; excessive use of force by members of the Haitian National Police (HNP); intimidation and death threats; extortion; threats to freedom of speech and association; popular justice killings; marronage (hiding); and land conflicts.

The case files for some series consist of a brief intake or incident reporting form, with basic facts about the incident and victim. In other series, the case files contain documentation about the case, compiled by MICIVIH Observers, such as: memoranda drafted by Observers, statements submitted by the victim, correspondence about the incident from various Haitian authorities; assessment reports about the victim prepared by MICIVIH’s Medical Unit, and photographs of the victim’s injuries.

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.

Series contains documents relating to the warrants for arrest and prosecution of Cambodian citizens. Included also is UNTAC procedure for the handling of prisoners. Series is arranged by subject classification number.

Title based on series contents.

S-1037 contains records concerning human rights activities of the following peacekeeping missions:

United Nations Angola Verification Mission III (UNAVEM III), 8 February 1995 – 30 June 1997
United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA), 30 June 1997 – 26 February 1999

The MONUA peacekeeping mission maintained the files of two of its predecessor missions – UNAVEM II and UNAVEM III - and added records to those files until mission closure. Files for predecessor missions are searchable in S-1037 by date.

Human Rights Division / UNAVEM III and MONUA
Records of the Human Rights Division consist of: weekly situation reports from Human Rights Officers sent to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG); summaries of meetings held by the Chief of the Human Rights Division; reports of investigations carried out by Human Rights Officers; reports of Human Rights Officers’ visits to prisons; agendas and summaries of local seminars and workshops on human rights; and field reports of Human Rights Officers sent to the Chief of the Human Rights Division, which document local human rights violations, mission support for the rehabilitation of a fair judicial system, and the mission’s promotion of local human rights campaigns. Also included are questionnaires and results of MONUA’s “Lessons to be Learned Survey” conducted in 1998, which gathered perceptions of human rights related issues from Human Rights Officers, Political Affairs Officers, Military Observers, Civilian Police, and other personnel upon departure from the mission.

Chief Military Observer
The Chief Military Observer (CMO) was tasked with the command of the Military Division of UNOMIL. The CMO was posted at UNOMIL headquarters in Monrovia, Liberia, and reported directly to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) on matters regarding military operations of the UNOMIL mandate. The post was held by Major General Daniel Ishmael Opande, succeeded in April 1997 by Major General Sikandar Shami.

The records contain incoming and outgoing code cables, exchanged between the CMO and United Nations Headquarters, New York (UN-NY) and between the SRSG and: Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Marrack Goulding; Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Bernard Miyet; and Margaret Carey, Africa Specialist with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. Topics of the cables pertain to military operations and developments of the mission.

The records also contain operational reports such as reconnaissance reports ordered by the CMO and conducted by Military Observers (MILOBS) and/or Electoral Officers to ascertain viability of establishing a field station; or to obtain data on the population and infrastructure necessary for electoral staff. Daily and weekly situation reports and monthly assessments of main developments sent to the SRSG relay information about developments in military and electoral operations.

There are also summaries of meetings of the inter-agency Ceasefire Violations Committee (CFVC), which was chaired by the CMO. The meeting summaries detail the Committee’s discussion of alleged ceasefire violations. The records also include letters of complaint sent by the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) to the CMO, reporting factions’ allegations of ceasefire violations.

S-1119 was created in accordance with an organizational description of the UNAMSIL records. To date, no records of the Force Commander have been appraised for processing. (31/12/09)

S-1116 contains the records of the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG), which includes the Office of the Senior Legal Adviser, the Office of the Child Protection Adviser, and the Human Rights Section.

Records of the Office of the SRSG include the office’s central registry files. These files consist of the SRSG’s public addresses and correspondence, as well as documents pertaining to the Working Group on the Utilization of United Nations Resources (Regional Approach). Correspondents of the SRSG include the government of Sierra Leone, diplomatic missions and UN agencies, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

Records of the Office of the Senior Legal Adviser consist of correspondence and legal briefs concerning a variety of subjects including: UNAMSIL offices and building rentals, thefts, labor strikes, human remains, allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse, and the Yenga border dispute. Also included are notes and advisory opinions of the Senior Legal Adviser to the SRSG and investigations into aircraft crashes. Documents from crash investigations include crash site assessments, witness statements, Board of Inquiry proceedings, medicolegal and autopsy reports, death certificates, movement of personnel request forms, and aircraft accident response procedures. S-1116 also includes proceedings of the Special Court for Sierra Leone and documents pertaining to United Nations assistance and cooperation with the International Criminal Court.

Records of the Office of the Child Protection Adviser consist of: situational analyses; meeting minutes; program and workshop proposals; and reports and papers pertaining to the status of children, including child soldiers and foster children in Sierra Leone. The Office of the Child Protection Adviser also documents the activities of the Children’s Forum Network; the National Steering Committee for Military Training on Child Rights and Child Protection; the National Commission for War Affected Children (NACWAC); and the National Committee on Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (NCDDR) during UNAMSIL’s mandate.

Records of the Human Rights Section consist of monthly reports; daily human rights reports from UNAMSIL sectors and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs); reports from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC); reports from the High Commissioner for Human Rights; and subject files. Topics of subject files include the training of personnel; the Human Rights Stakeholders Conference held in December 2005; and the National Forum for Human Rights.