UNMIT Background
Past United Nations missions in Timor-Leste
The establishment of the United Nations Integrated Mission in
Timor-Leste (UNMIT) was preceded by a number of other United Nations
operations or missions deployed in Timor-Leste beginning in 1999.
- The United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) (June -
October 1999) was mandated to organize and conduct a popular
consultation to ascertain whether the East Timorese people accepted a
special autonomy within Indonesia or rejected the proposed special
autonomy, leading to East Timor's separation from Indonesia. UNAMET was
a political mission.
- The United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET)
(October 1999 - May 2002) was a peacekeeping operation. The Security
Council established UNTAET following rejection by the East Timorese of
special autonomy. UNTAET exercised administrative authority over East
Timor during the transition to independence.
- The United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET)
(May 2002 - May 2005), also a peacekeeping mission, was mandated to
provide assistance to the newly independent East Timor until all
operational responsibilities were fully devolved to the East Timor
authorities, and to permit the new nation, now called Timor-Leste, to
attain self-sufficiency.
- Once the peacekeeping mission withdrew, a new political
mission, the United Nations Office in Timor-Leste (UNOTIL) (May
2005—August 2006), supported the development of critical State
institutions and the police and provided training in observance of
democratic governance and human rights.
April/June 2006 crisis
UNOTIL
was scheduled to end its mandate in May 2006, and the Security Council
had already received the Secretary-General's recommendations for the
post-UNOTIL period. However, a series of events in Timor-Leste
culminating in April-June in a political, humanitarian and security
crisis of major dimensions led the Council to prolong UNOTIL's mandate,
ultimately to 20 August 2006, and to request the Secretary-General to
present new recommendations taking into account the need for a
strengthened United Nations presence. Against this background,
Timor-Leste urgently requested police and military assistance from
Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Portugal. On 26 May, incoming
international forces began securing key installations in the country.
«UNMIT was established with a
far-reaching mandate to assist the country in overcoming the
consequences and underling causes of the 2006 crisis.»
Reporting to the Council in August 2006 
,
the Secretary-General noted that the level of violence had abated
significantly since its peak in late May and early June and that a new
Government had been installed on the pledge to unify the nation. His
view, however, was that the crisis was far from resolved, with many of
the underlying factors needing attention over the longer term. Among
these were the failure of government to engage with people, the unhealed
wounds of the past and high youth unemployment. The Secretary-General
noted that the resolution of the political stand-off merely created an
opportunity to address the grievances that gave rise to the crisis and
the longer-term issues.
In assessing the situation, the Secretary-General's report
pointed to the mixed legacy of the 24 years of occupation, resulting in a
gulf of understanding separating those who spent years as resistance
fighters, those who lived in occupied towns and villages and those who
went into exile. Veterans and young people were also likely to be
divided by a generation gap. Furthermore, the single party that had
dominated politics since 2001 rested its claim to be the party of
government. Among other factors were long-standing frictions between
easterners and westerners in the armed forces and the police. The report
also noted that the roots of the imbalance in power between the
institutions of State, allowing the executive to operate with few
constraints, were political, institutional and constitutional. Poverty
and its associated deprivations had contributed to the crisis.
Request for a new mission
On 11 June 2006, the President of Timor-Leste, the President of
the National Parliament and the Prime Minister wrote to the
Secretary-General requesting that he propose to the Security Council to
establish a United Nations police force in Timor-Leste to maintain law
and order until the national police could undergo reorganization and
restructuring. The Secretary-General requested his Special Envoy,
appointed on 25 May 2006, to lead a multidisciplinary assessment mission
to Timor-Leste to identify the scope of tasks to be undertaken by a
post-
UNOTIL mission and to develop recommendations for a future UN presence. The mission conducted its assessment from 26 June to 9 July.
Secretary-General's recommendations
In his
report to the Security Council dated 8 August 2006 ,
the Secretary-General stated that much had been achieved since
independence in major areas of institutional capacity building.
Nevertheless, the United Nations and the international community had
learned from lessons elsewhere, and had been starkly reminded by the
Timor-Leste crisis, that nation-building and peacebuilding were
long-term tasks. This was especially true of the time required to build a
new police service and justice system.
The Secretary-General went on to note that successes achieved
through the work of successive peacekeeping missions would be undermined
if a failure of socio-economic development left the people of
Timor-Leste in poverty and unemployment. Long-term development efforts
to translate available budgetary resources into programmes addressing
rural poverty and urban unemployment were as crucial as anything that
could be done through a new United Nations mission.
He stressed that an enhanced international role in the security
sector and elsewhere must fully respect the national sovereignty of
Timor-Leste, and the process of nation-building must be Timorese-owned
and led. At the same time, the international community should be able to
expect that the country's political leadership, having reflected on the
crisis, would work together to broaden the country's political
functioning into an open, pluralistic democracy in which all Timorese
felt that they have a stake.
The Secretary-General recommended the establishment of a United
Nations multidimensional, integrated mission, with the mandate to
support the Government of Timor-Leste and to assist it in its efforts to
bring about a process of national reconciliation; to support the
country in all aspects of the 2007 presidential and parliamentary
electoral process; to ensure, through the presence of United Nations
police with an executive policing mandate, the restoration and
maintenance of public security; to assist in liaising with the
Indonesian military through the impartial presence of United Nations
Military Liaison Officers; and to assist in further strengthening the
national capacity for the monitoring, promotion and protection of human
rights.
Establishment of UNMIT
Welcoming the report of the Secretary-General and, among other
things expressing its appreciation and support for the deployment of the
international security forces, the Security Council, by its
resolution 1704 (2006)
of 25 August 2006, established UNMIT with a far-reaching mandate to
assist the country in overcoming the consequences and underling causes
of the April/June 2006 crisis. The Council decided that it would consist
of an appropriate civilian component, including up to 1,608 police
personnel, and an initial component of up to 34 military liaison and
staff officers. The Council requested the Secretary-General to review
the arrangements to be established between UNMIT and the international
security forces and affirmed that it would consider possible adjustments
in the mission structure taking into account the views of the
Secretary-General.
Since its establishment, UNMIT has been working with the
Government of Timor-Leste, various political parties and other partners
and stakeholders in the country and elsewhere to ensure the effective
implementation of the entrusted
mandate.
Top
2007 elections
Following the deployment of UNMIT, the overall situation in
Timor-Leste improved, although the security situation in the country
remained volatile and the political climate fluid. The three rounds of
presidential and parliamentary elections in Timor-Leste concluded in
June 2007, characterized by high voter participation of 80 to 82 per
cent (47 to 48 per cent for women), a generally calm security
environment and results widely accepted by all political actors,
demonstrated that there had been considerable progress in dialogue and
reconciliation since the April-May 2006 crisis. As a result of these
elections, former Prime Minister José Ramos-Horta was sworn in as the
new President on 20 May, succeeding Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, and the new
65-member Parliament was inaugurated on 30 July 2007.
February 2008 events
On 11 February 2008, the armed group led by the fugitive
Alfredo Reinado, the former Military Police Commander of the
Falintil-Forças de Defesa de Timor-Leste (F-FDTL), carried out separate
armed attacks against the President, José Ramos-Horta, and the Prime
Minister, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, resulting in the nearly fatal injury
of the President and the death of Reinado. Rapid medical intervention,
in Dili and, subsequently, in Australia saved the life of the President.
The incidents presented an unexpected and serious challenge to
State institutions, but encouragingly, and in contrast to the events of
2006, the situation did not precipitate a crisis destabilizing the
entire society. The institutions of the State responded in an
appropriate and responsible manner that respected constitutional
procedures. The Prime Minister demonstrated firm and reasoned
leadership; the Parliament functioned effectively as a forum for debate
in response to the events; and leaders of all political parties urged
their supporters to remain calm, while the general population
demonstrated faith in the ability of the State to deal with the
situation.
The Security Council, by its
resolution 1802 of 25 February 2008
extending the mandate of UNMIT, condemned in the strongest possible
terms the attacks on the President and Prime Minister of Timor-Leste and
all attempts to destabilize the country, noting that these heinous acts
represent an attack on the legitimate institutions of Timor-Leste. The
Council also entrusted UNMIT with some additional tasks.
UNMIT continues mandate implementation
Since then, the security situation in Timor-Leste had remained
calm, albeit fragile, and UNMIT’s efforts to foster dialogue and
reconciliation and to effectively implement other provisions of its
mandate continued. The Mission maintained its integrated “one United
Nations system” approach and made significant progress in achieving
integration across all relevant areas of the mandate. The joint efforts
of UNMIT and the United Nations country team were instrumental in
providing coordinated policy, political, technical and financial support
to help Timor-Leste accomplish its goals.
In September 2011, the Government and UNMIT signed a Joint
Transition Plan (JTP) to guide planning for UNMIT’s expected withdrawal
by the end of 2012. The plan, the first of its kind in peacekeeping,
mapped out priorities and objectives until UNMIT’s departure, and
identified 129 UNMIT activities to be completed by the end of December
2012 or handed over to partners thereafter.
UNMIT completes mandate
Thanks to the resilience and determination of the Timorese
people and their leaders, and with the support of the international
community, Timor-Leste has made tremendous progress since 2006. The
displaced people peacefully returned to their homes. Since March 2011,
the national police had been responsible for policing throughout the
country, with no major breakdown of law and order. Timorese news media
and civil society were growing ever stronger, making important
contributions to the democratic debate in the country. Poverty decreased
as a result of public investments in infrastructure and services. Since
2005, life expectancy at birth had increased by more than two years and
averaged 62.1 years by the end of 2012. Primary school enrolment, a key
element to future stability and growth, jumped from 63 per cent in 2006
to 90 per cent in 2012. The country was on track to eradicate adult
illiteracy by 2015.
On the political front, 2012 saw free and peaceful presidential
and parliamentary elections, followed by the smooth formation of a new
Government. Well over 70 per cent of the population went to the polls to
vote in both the presidential and parliamentary elections. Through a
quota system, women comprised 38 per cent of the parliament, the highest
representation of women in parliament in the Asia-Pacific region.
Beyond its borders, Timor-Leste had transitioned from receiving
peacekeeping assistance to contributing personnel to United Nations
operations in other parts of the world. The country assumed a leadership
role with the g7+ and was a key contributor to the New Deal for aid
effectiveness.
By its
resolution 2037
of 23 February 2012, the Security Council extended the mandate of UNMIT
for a final period until 31 December 2012. The departure of the
Mission, however, does not mean the end of the United Nations engagement
in the country as Timor-Leste continued to face many challenges. The
United Nations has been determined to embrace the Government’s proposal
for the global body to continue to be an important partner in the new
phase of the country’s development and to establish an innovative
working relationship of cooperation for the post-UNMIT phase focusing on
institutional strengthening and development.
As UNMIT was completing its mandate, the Security Council, in its
statement
of 19 December 2012, commended the remarkable achievements made by
Timor-Leste over the past decade and recognized the important
contribution of UNMIT in promoting peace, stability and development in
the country.
19 December 2012 – As the United Nations winds down its peacekeeping operation in Timor-Leste, the Security Council today applauded the “remarkable achievements” made by the small south-east Asian country as it transitioned over the past decade from a colonial enclave to an independent and democratic State.
