The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) is an officially mandated United Nations mission in Kosovo. 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."
The UNMIK was established pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1244, which was passed on 10 June 1999. The Resolution authorised an international civil and military presence in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.Member States of the United Nations, UN.org : "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." In that Resolution, the UN decided to "[deploy] in Kosovo, under United Nations auspices, [an] international civil and security [presence]". From 2003 to 2013, the Office of Political Affairs was headed by Jolyon Naegele.
The Assembly of Kosovo adopted the declaration of independence on 17 February 2008; Kosovo Serb parliamentarians boycotted the session. Serbia considers the declaration to be illegal under its constitutional law as it violates the eighth article of the Constitution of Serbia. However, the International Court of Justice rendered an advisory opinion holding that Kosovo's declaration of independence was not in violation of international law nor of Security Council Resolution 1244.
The UNMIK still exists today, but its day-to-day functions are relatively minor since Kosovo declared independence and adopted a new constitution, 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."EU launches Kosovo police mission ", BBC, 9 December 2008. – Retrieved on 19 May 2009. EULEX assists and supports the Kosovo authorities in the rule of law area, specifically in the police, judiciary and customs areas. In September 2012, international supervision ended, and Kosovo became responsible for its own governance.
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 Kosovo's population support Kosovo's independence. Internationally, a majority of the United Nations' member states ( of 193) and a majority of European countries have recognized Kosovo's independence (although some countries have later been reported to have revoked their recognition).
The head of the UNMIK is the special representative of the secretary-general for Kosovo ('SRSG' for Kosovo) and is appointed by the secretary-general under the advice of UN member states. Caroline Ziadeh was appointed SRSG in November 2021 and arrived in Kosovo in January 2022.
Structure The UNMIK had been divided into four sections which it calls "pillars". These originally were:
Pillar I: Humanitarian Affairs (United Nations-led) Pillar II: Civil administration (United Nations-led) Pillar III: Democratization and institution building (led by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE Mission in Kosovo) Pillar IV: Reconstruction and economic development (European Union-led)
Following a major internal restructuring of its activities in 2001, this Pillar structure underwent a change. Pillar II was split into two different pillars, the Pillar of Civil administration was retained. However, the Pillar of Humanitarian Affairs was dissolved and a new pillar, the Pillar of Police and justice replaced it having previously being under the jurisdiction of Pillar II.www.unmikonline.org UNMIK > Pillar I > Police > CIVPOL. Retrieved 2010-06-16. The Dissolution of the Pillar of Humanitarian Affairs caused the Police Commissioner and the Director of the Department of Justice to report to SRSG instead of DSRSG as previously. Pillar II was reduced to a Department of Civil Administration and its Director also reporting directly to the SRSG.
Following the internal restructuring, the Pillar system retained much of its original structure:
Pillar I: Police and justice (United Nations-led) Pillar II: Civil administration (United Nations-led) Pillar III: Democratization and institution building (led by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE Mission in Kosovo) Pillar IV: Reconstruction and economic development (European Union-led) Responsibility for enforcement of Pillars I and II had been transferred to the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Kosovo upon their creation in 2002. The UN, however, still monitored this enforcement.
A NATO-led force called the Kosovo Force (KFOR) provides an international security presence in support of UNMIK's work, but is not subordinate to the UN.
The European Union led economic development includes the privatisation of former government enterprises. This policy has been opposed by Belgrade. This was formerly carried out by the KTA (Kosovo Trust Agency) an EU organisation with Jasper Dick as Managing Director. Since 2008 this role of the KTA has been taken over by The Privatisation Agency of Kosovo.
Current institutions United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 – legal basis United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Kosovo (SRSG) European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) Kosovo Force (KFOR) OSCE Mission in Kosovo (OMiK)
List of Special Representatives of the Secretary-General
Special RepresentativeCountryYearsSérgio Vieira de Mello June–July 1999Bernard KouchnerJuly 1999–2001Hans Hækkerup2001–2002Michael Steiner2002–2003Harri Holkeri2003–2004Søren Jessen-Petersen2004–2006Joachim Rücker2006–2008Lamberto Zannier2008–2011Farid Zarif Afghanistan2011–2015Zahir Tanin Afghanistan2015–2021Caroline Ziadeh2021–2025Peter N. Due2025–
Duties Resolution 1244 directed the UNMIK to:
perform basic civilian administrative functions; promote the establishment of substantial autonomy and self-government in Kosovo; facilitate a political process to determine Kosovo's future status; coordinate humanitarian and disaster relief of all international agencies; support the reconstruction of key infrastructure; maintain civil law and order; promote human rights; and assure the safe and unimpeded return of all refugees and displaced persons to their homes in Kosovo.
As described above, the UNMIK no longer performs all of these functions.
History
1999 On 25 July (1999), UNMIK issued its first regulation, defining the structure of the UN Interim Administration in Kosovo, and also announcing that laws applicable prior to 24 March 1999 shall continue to be applied in Kosovo, insofar as they do not conflict with UN standards.
Those legal frames were redefined already on 12 December (1999), when UNMIK announced that only laws applicable prior to 22 March 1989 shall continue to be generally applied in Kosovo, but also allowing the possibility for application of later laws - in exceptional situations.
By the autumn of 1999, UNMIK appointed five regional administrators, one for each of the five administrative regions in the UN-administered Kosovo (centered in: Gnjilane, Mitrovica, Peć, Priština, Prizren), and for the lower (municipal) level, municipal administrators were also appointed.
2000 On 14 January (2000), UNMIK created the Joint Interim Administrative Structure (JIAS), and also appointed members for the Kosovo Transitional Council and the Interim Administrative Council.
On 27 July (2000), UNMIK issued regulation on territorial scopes of municipalities in the UN-administered Kosovo, and in cooperation with the OSCE Mission in Kosovo made other preparations for the first local elections, that were held on 28 October (2000).UMIK (2000): Regulation No. 2000/43: On the Number, Names and Boundaries of Municipalities.
2001 In 2001, UNMIK promulgated a Constitutional Framework for Kosovo that established the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG), including an elected Kosovo Assembly, Presidency and office of Prime Minister. Kosovo held its first free, Kosovo-wide elections in late 2001 (municipal elections had been held the previous year). UNMIK oversaw the establishment of a professional, multi-ethnic Kosovo Police Service.
2004 In March 2004, Kosovo experienced its worst inter-ethnic violence since the Kosovo War. The unrest in 2004 was sparked by a series of minor events that soon cascaded into large-scale riots. This event was the motive for protests since no one was ever arrested nor personally accused in the case. Protesting, the Kosovo Albanians mobs burned hundreds of Serbian houses, Serbian Orthodox Church sites (including some medieval churches and monasteries) and UN facilities. Kosovo Police established a special investigation team to handle cases related to the 2004 unrest and according to Kosovo Judicial Council by the end of 2006 the 326 charges filed by municipal and district prosecutors for criminal offenses in connection with the unrest had resulted in 200 indictments: convictions in 134 cases, and courts acquitted eight and dismissed 28; 30 cases were pending. International prosecutors and judges handled the most sensitive cases.U.S State Department Report, published in 2007.
2005 A UN-led political process began in late 2005 to determine Kosovo's future status. Belgrade proposed that Kosovo be highly autonomous and remain a part of Serbia — Belgrade officials repeatedly said that Kosovo's formal independence would be a violation of Serbia's "sovereignty" and therefore contrary to international law and the UN Charter. Representatives of Kosovo's ethnic-Albanian majority asserted that Kosovo must become independent, arguing that the violence of the Milošević years made continued union between Kosovo and Serbia impossible.
UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari, a former president of Finland, led the status process with Austrian diplomat Albert Rohan as his deputy. Ahtisaari's office — the UN Office of the Special Envoy for Kosovo (UNOSEK) — was located in Vienna and includes liaison staff from the NATO, the European Union and the United States.
2006 The initial status negotiations focused on technical issues important for Kosovo's long-term stability, particularly the rights and protection of Kosovo's minorities (and especially the Kosovo Serbs). Ahtisaari brought the parties together for the first direct dialogue in February 2006 to discuss decentralization of local government, an important measure in the protection of Kosovo Serb communities. Subsequent meetings addressed economic issues, property rights, protection of Serbian Orthodox Church heritage and institutional guarantees for the rights of Kosovo's minorities.