The Situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 41 Situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, published in 1999.

What other versions does this mandate have?

11 versions · 1992–2002

Newer documents in this group exist (latest: 2002).

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2002	A/RES/57/10	The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina	1,508	30%Compare
2002	A/RES/56/215	The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina	1,863	25%Compare
2001	A/RES/55/24	The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina	3,368	66%Compare
1999	A/RES/54/119	The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina	3,043	46%Compare
1999	A/RES/53/35	The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina	3,183	61%Compare

What’s in this document?

33 operative paragraphs

Expresses its full support for the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the annexes thereto (collectively the “Peace Agreement”),1 which constitutes the key mechanism for the achievement of a durable and just peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, leading to stability and cooperation in the region and the reintegration of Bosnia and Herzegovina at all levels;

Welcomes the successful implementation of certain aspects of the Peace Agreement, including the establishment of a lasting cessation of hostilities, the introduction of a new flag, passports, common licence plates and a common currency, the implementation of the municipal elections held on 13 and 14 September 1997, and the holding of free and fair elections on 12 and 13 September 1998 throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina;

Reiterates its demands for the full, comprehensive and consistent implementation of the Peace Agreement in Bosnia and Herzegovina;

Supports fully the coordinated efforts of the High Representative in the implementation of the peace process in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in accordance with the Peace Agreement, and calls upon all parties to cooperate fully and in good faith with him;

Reaffirms the conclusions of the Peace Implementation Conference,⁵ held at Bonn, Germany, on 9 and 10 December 1997, and calls upon all parties as signatories to the Peace Agreement and others concerned to implement fully those conclusions, including compliance with the decisions of the High Representative, and to continue to work for a peaceful, reintegrated and stable Bosnia and Herzegovina, in accordance with the Peace Agreement;

⁵See A/52/728–S/1997/979, annex; see Official Records of the Security Council, Fifty-second Year, Supplement for October, November and December 1997, document S/1997/979.

Welcomes the conclusions of the Ministerial Meeting of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council, held in Luxembourg on 9 June 1998,⁶ and demands their full implementation;

⁶See Official Records of the Security Council, Fifty-third Year, Supplement for April, May and June 1998, document S/1998/498.

Calls upon all parties to cooperate fully, and in good faith, in ensuring substantial functioning of all of the common institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Peace Agreement, and urges the relevant international organizations to continue to provide assistance to meet the infrastructural needs of the common institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina;

Recognizes that responsibility for consolidating the peace lies primarily with the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as was confirmed in particular in the joint declaration adopted at Geneva on 14 August 1996;

Also recognizes that the role of the international community remains essential, and welcomes the readiness of the international community to continue its efforts towards a self-sustaining peace;

Underlines that the assistance provided by the international community remains strictly conditional upon compliance with the Peace Agreement and subsequent obligations, including, in particular, cooperation with the International Tribunal and facilitation of the return of refugees and displaced persons;

Welcomes the vital contribution of the multinational Stabilization Force in providing a secure environment for the implementation of civilian aspects of the Peace Agreement, calls upon all parties to cooperate fully with it, and in this context, welcomes the authorization by the Security Council of the extension of the mandate of the Force;

Expresses its full support for the efforts of the United Nations International Police Task Force in carrying out its mandate, and calls for the fullest cooperation by all parties in this regard;

Stresses the importance of the full, comprehensive and consistent implementation of the Peace Agreement, including cooperation and compliance with the International Tribunal, the establishment of the necessary conditions for the voluntary return of refugees and displaced persons and the establishment of the necessary conditions for freedom of movement;

Welcomes the successful implementation of the 1997 municipal elections in the overwhelming majority of municipalities, requests the full implementation of the results, and urges the elected authorities to work in a spirit of reconciliation;

Underlines the importance of establishing, strengthening and expanding throughout all of Bosnia and Herzegovina free and pluralistic media, welcomes the establishment of the Independent Media Commission in order to promote free, independent and fully restructured media, and stresses the importance of continuing the implementation and development of a truly public television broadcasting service throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina;

Insists upon the need to surrender all indictees to the International Tribunal for trial, notes that the Tribunal has the authority to address individual responsibility for the perpetration of the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity and other serious violations of international humanitarian law, including in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and demands that all the parties fulfil their obligations to hand over to the Tribunal all indicted persons in territories under their control and otherwise to comply fully with the orders of the Tribunal and to cooperate with the work of the Tribunal, including with exhumations and other investigative acts, in accordance with article 29 of the statute of the Tribunal, with all relevant Security Council resolutions and in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Peace Agreement, in particular the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina;

Welcomes the support given by Member States so far and urges Member States, taking into account the orders and requests of the International Tribunal, to offer the Tribunal their full support, including financial support, in order to ensure the completion of the purpose of the Tribunal, and to carry out their obligations under the statute of the Tribunal and all relevant Security Council resolutions;

Requests the Secretary-General to provide, by 1 September 1999, a comprehensive report, including an assessment, on the events dating from the establishment of the safe area of Srebrenica on 16 April 1993 under Security Council resolution 819 (1993) of 16 April 1993, which was followed by the establishment of other safe areas, until the endorsement of the Peace Agreement by the Security Council under resolution 1031 (1995) of 15 December 1995, bearing in mind the relevant decisions of the Security Council and the proceedings of the International Tribunal in this respect, and encourages Member States and others concerned to provide relevant information;

Reaffirms once again the right of refugees and displaced persons to return voluntarily to their homes of origin in accordance with the Peace Agreement, in particular its annex 7, and the realization of the same in cooperation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and host countries, calls upon all parties to improve substantially their cooperation with the international community at the State, entity and local levels, in order to establish immediately the conditions necessary for the return of refugees and displaced persons to their homes and for the freedom of movement and communication of all the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina and upon the relevant international organizations to enhance the conditions to facilitate return, in accordance with relevant provisions of the Peace Agreement and its annexes, in particular the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and welcomes continued and new efforts by the United Nations agencies, the European Union, bilateral and other donors and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to establish and implement projects designed to facilitate the early voluntary and orderly return of refugees and displaced persons to all regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, including projects that would help to create a safe and secure environment with increased economic opportunity;

Encourages the acceleration of the peaceful, orderly and phased return of refugees and displaced persons, including to areas where they would be in the ethnic minority, strongly condemns all acts of intimidation, violence and killings, including those acts designed to discourage the voluntary return of refugees and displaced persons, and demands that such acts be investigated and prosecuted;

Reaffirms once again its support for the principle that all statements and commitments made under duress, in particular those regarding land and property, are wholly null and void, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Peace Agreement, and supports the effective engagement of the Commission for Real Property Claims of Displaced Persons and Refugees, in compliance with its mandate;

Urges the adoption and effective implementation of new non-discriminatory property and housing legislation in both entities in order to enable refugees and displaced persons to return to their pre-war homes;

Emphasizes the importance of economic revitalization and reconstruction for the successful consolidation of the peace process in Bosnia and Herzegovina;

Recognizes the important contribution of the international community, and invites it to continue to improve coordination;

Stresses the need for a more comprehensive approach to economic reform, which should contribute to the more homogeneous development of economy and trade in the two entities and across the inter-entity boundary line;

Stresses the importance of establishing an economic programme that should include the creation of a framework for private-sector development, including privatization and improvement of foreign investment conditions, the restructuring of banking and capital markets, the reform of the financial system and adequate social protection;

Welcomes the progress made in implementing the decision of the Brcko Arbitration Board, stresses that the obligation to cooperate fully with the Supervisor for Brcko and his decisions is an essential obligation for both entities, and notes that the outcome of the Arbitration Award will be significantly affected by the degree of compliance shown by the parties;

Also welcomes the progress made in the implementation of articles II and IV of the Agreement on Regional Stabilization and the successful graduation to article V, and urges all parties to continue to pursue the full implementation of their obligations;

Stresses the need for timely information about the level of cooperation and compliance with the International Tribunal and its orders, the status and programme for the return of refugees and displaced persons to and within Bosnia and Herzegovina and the status and implementation of the Agreement on Subregional Arms Control;

Welcomes the efforts of international and regional organizations, Member States and non-governmental organizations, including through the Board of Donors, as well as the efforts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the field of mine action and, in this context, also welcomes the recent transfer of the responsibilities for the national mine-action programme to the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the establishment of the Slovenian International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and invites Member States to continue to support the mine-action activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina;

Commends the efforts of the international community, including the Council of Europe, the European Union, the European Community Monitoring Mission, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Monetary Fund, the multinational Stabilization Force, non-governmental organizations, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Islamic Development Bank, the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Peace Implementation Council and the World Bank, in their roles in the implementation of the Peace Agreement;

Commends in particular the efforts of the International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, the Office of the High Representative for Implementation of the Peace Agreement in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Human Rights of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations International Police Task Force, the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the United Nations Development Programme and the other United Nations agencies in the peace process, and encourages their further engagement in the peace process in Bosnia and Herzegovina;

Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-fourth session the item entitled “The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina”.

The Situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina

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