Asia and the Pacific

The UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) successfully conducted the presidential elections in April for East Timor—since renamed Timor-Leste—and handed over administrative powers to a newly independent country on 20 May. The country was formally admitted to the United Nations on 27 September. UNTAET was replaced by a smaller-scale peacekeeping operation—the UN Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET). The UNMISET mandate does not entail full-scale administrative responsibilities. The mission has responsibility for executive policing, but retains a number of civilian advisers in areas crucial to the continued stability and viability of the new government. It also maintains a substantial military component to ensure security.

UNHCR Photo: Luke Powell, 2001

Afghan refugees find shelter in a camp in Pakistan, December 2001

In Afghanistan, the Bonn Agreement, which the UN helped negotiate, led to the establishment of an Interim Authority and a Transitional Administration. The integrated UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan provided critical support in coordination with donors and other partners.

The escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan—neighbouring nations with nuclear capacity—created considerable anxiety in the international community. Meanwhile, the second oldest UN peacekeeping operation, the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan continued to monitor the ceasefire and the volatile situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

In Tajikistan the political situation improved considerably. However, the root causes that led to the devastating civil war, including regionalism, religious extremism and political exclusion of ethnic minorities,were not yet eradicated. Therefore, the UN Tajikistan Office of Peacebuilding continued to work with the UN country team to facilitate democratic institution-building, promotion of human rights and strengthening of the rule of law and civil society.

The UN Political Office in Bougainville (UNPOB) continued to work with parties to the Bougainville Peace Agreement. At their request, UNPOB took the lead in weapons disposal. A joint UN mission was dispatched to Bougainville in May 2002 to identify ways of enhancing disarmament efforts.