29 December 2003 – United Nations Security Council members today condemned “in the strongest terms” repeated attacks in Iraq against foreign and Iraqi nationals, as well as international and coalition personnel.
29 December 2003 – A United Nations Security Council committee has added the name of an Al-Qaida operative to its list of those subject to international sanctions for their involvement with the terrorist group.
24 December 2003 – Adnan Pachachi, President of the Iraqi Governing Council for January, has agreed to come to New York next month to meet with Secretary-General Kofi Annan for talks on the future role of the United Nations in the country, a UN spokesman said today.
23 December 2003 – Lauding Libya's renunciation of weapons of mass destruction, Security Council members today encouraged Tripoli to cooperate with the United Nations in verifying that the decision is carried out.
22 December 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today reiterated its full support for the nascent peace process in Burundi, approving the Secretary-General's request to renew the mandate of the country's UN peace-building office and increase its resources.
22 December 2003 – The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping force established in 1974 to maintain the ceasefire between Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights.
22 December 2003 – Responding to recent changes in Liberia, where a transitional government has been established, the United Nations Security Council today adjusted its embargoes against the West African country, especially its ban on timber and diamond exports and war materiel imports.
19 December 2003 – The General Assembly today voted for measures aimed at revitalizing its work and enhancing its authority amid concerns from Member States that other United Nations bodies, including the Security Council, are reducing its traditional role.
19 December 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today renewed its appeal for urgent assistance to Guinea-Bissau as the transitional government of the West African country prepares for March elections amid a stagnant economy.
19 December 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today encouraged a grouping of West African countries to come up with preventive measures to deal with conflicts created by governments in the region that violate constitutional norms and flout basic principles of good governance.
19 December 2003 – The principle judicial body of the United Nations today decided to open hearings next February on the legal consequences of Israel's construction of a separation barrier in the occupied Palestinian territory.
18 December 2003 – Iran signed an agreement today with the United Nations nuclear watchdog for enhanced, unannounced and on-the-spot inspections of its atomic facilities.
18 December 2003 – After two years of deliberations, a Security Council panel looking at the use of sanctions has reached consensus on many issues but remains unable to agree on recommendations for how long such punitive measures should be in place, the President of the Council said today.
18 December 2003 – Inadequate support for peacekeeping in Liberia could hamper future missions in Africa, Secretary-General Kofi Annan warns in a new report, urging countries to make good on their pledges of soldiers and support units.
18 December 2003 – Security Council members today welcomed the fact that the majority of Turkish Cypriots have expressed their desire for a solution to the Cyprus problem and for accession to the European Union.
18 December 2003 – Meeting a day after Secretary-General Kofi Annan reported that most if not all Kuwaitis missing in Iraq since 1990 are probably dead, the United Nations Security Council today said the perpetrators must pay for their crimes.
18 December 2003 – An additional $1.4 billion has been approved as compensation for those suffering losses and damage resulting from Iraq's invasion and occupation of Kuwait in 1990-1991, the United Nations panel processing those claims announced today.
17 December 2003 – The United Nations peacekeeping chief today raised the prospect that Kosovo's progress towards reaching the standards of a normal society - necessary before its future status can be determined - could be reviewed by mid-2005.
17 December 2003 – The United Nations wrapped up an expert meeting in Beijing on the question of Palestine today amid widespread praise for the Security Council's support of the Road Map for peace in the Middle East.
17 December 2003 – The United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) has issued an appeal to Member States to expedite the deployment of troops they have offered for the United Nations Mission and to be prepared to provide troops for anticipated future operations in various other parts of Africa.
16 December 2003 – Addressing the Security Council today, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan outlined plans for reconstituting the world body’s work in Iraq while appealing for clear guidance on what role it is being asked to fulfil.
16 December 2003 – In a new report on the fate of Kuwaitis who went missing in Iraq after the 1990 invasion of their country, Secretary-General Kofi Annan says fresh evidence suggests that most if not all were killed.
16 December 2003 – With Iraq facing a crucial crossroads in its history, the country's Foreign Minister today appealed to the Security Council to expand United Nations activities there.
16 December 2003 – Aiming to stem the continued flow of weapons through Somalia, the United Nations Security Council today requested the establishment of an expert group to make recommendations on tightening the arms embargo against the country.
15 December 2003 – Hailing the capture of Saddam Hussein as a "positive development," United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called for international norms of justice to prevail in trials against Iraqi criminals.
15 December 2003 – Hope is emerging for a democratic Burundi, with politics based on peaceful competition rather than ethnic exclusion, but this fragile progress could be undermined by the country's poor living conditions, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today.
15 December 2003 – Calling the brief military coup in Guinea-Bissau "the culmination of an untenable situation," United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called on the international community to recommend ways of preventing democratically elected governments in post-conflict countries flouting the basic practices of governance.
15 December 2003 – Responding to increased stability in Bougainville, the United Nations today proposed replacing its current presence with a smaller observer mission as the island heads towards the establishment of an autonomous government.
15 December 2003 – Seeking to protect innocents caught and even targeted during armed conflict, the United Nations Security Council today updated a list of steps to shield women, children, refugees and other civilians from the ravages of war.
12 December 2003 – The Security Council today issued its support for a set of written standards launched this week to prepare United Nations-administered Kosovo for final status, including free, fair and regular elections, free media and a sound and impartial legal system.
12 December 2003 – A narrow window of opportunity has opened to re-start the Middle East peace process, but the situation remains fragile and the only viable solution is to follow the Road Map, the senior United Nations envoy for the Middle East told the Security Council today.
12 December 2003 – The main United Nations relief agency for Palestinian refugees launched an emergency appeal today for $193 million to relieve suffering in the occupied territories where three years of curfews, closures and conflict have plunged two-thirds of the people into dire poverty and hunger and limited their access to health and education.
12 December 2003 – Meeting under the theme of “After Baghdad: United Nations Workers Under The Gun,” the UN Staff Union’s annual summit on security has been warned by the Security Council President that the UN “is no longer seen by terrorists as a neutral force, but rather as an enemy.”
12 December 2003 – Stability, good governance and development remain out of reach for four West African countries because of inadequate United Nations peacekeeping troop strength, the possible repatriation of ex-combatants, the cross-border movements of foreign fighters and a lack of urgent financial assistance.
11 December 2003 – Welcoming the improvement of relations between post-conflict Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and its neighbours, the United Nations Security Council today called on the DRC Government to turn its attention to promoting domestic human rights and accelerating the integration of irregular forces into military or civilian life.
10 December 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today named veteran relief coordinator Ross Mountain as his acting Special Representative for Iraq to replace Sergio Vieira de Mello, who was among those killed in the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad in August.
10 December 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has asked the Security Council to extend the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Golan Heights, which has monitored the disengagement of Israeli and Syrian forces in the area since 1974, for another six months.
10 December 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says the observance of basic human rights in Iraq has improved, but he notes that the insurgency in Iraq cannot be solved solely by military action and also needs a political response from a more inclusive governing body.
10 December 2003 – The United Nations General Assembly has postponed by a year any decision about an international convention on reproductive human cloning, while it has also adopted 41 resolutions and two decisions on subjects ranging from decolonization to outer space.
10 December 2003 – Senior United Nations and local officials today launched a set of standards designed to prepare UN-administered Kosovo for final status, including free, fair and regular elections, free media and a sound and impartial legal system.
10 December 2003 – The United Nations system celebrated Human Rights Day around the world today, with Secretary-General Kofi Annan paying tribute to human rights defenders who “stand in the front lines of protection, casting the bright light of human rights into the darkest corners of tyranny and abuse.”
9 December 2003 – The United Nations General Assembly yesterday passed 52 resolutions on security and disarmament issues, mostly nuclear, ranging from an attempt to outlaw non-strategic nuclear weapons to a call for a review conference next year on the international convention banning landmines.
9 December 2003 – The United Nations system has the tools, the technical expertise and the logistical capacity to provide faster and better humanitarian relief to civilians caught in armed conflict, but the world's political, military and economic leaders still do not make humanitarian principles a reality, the UN's senior relief official told the Security Council today.
8 December 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today deplored the recent wave of terrorist attacks in Iraq against Iraqi and foreign nationals, and international and Coalition Provisional Authority personnel, which have left many people dead or injured.
5 December 2003 – An international board created to advance the goals set forth by the United Nations Security Council of ensuring transparency in the work of the Development Fund for Iraq, met in New York today for its first meeting, which was opened by Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
4 December 2003 – Burundi has made tremendous advances towards peace and stability over the last year, but now faces challenges from the disarmament and reintegration of combatants and the return of refugees, the facilitator of the country's peace process told the United Nations Security Council today.
4 December 2003 – The United Nations Security Council agreed today to keep, "for the time being," two-year-old sanctions imposed on Liberia to stem arms trafficking during its civil war, but raised the prospect of holding talks soon on how they could eventually be lifted.
4 December 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today expressed grave concern over the attempts of "armed elements" to cross the ceasefire line in Côte d'Ivoire separating the government-held south from the rebel-held north and west and it commended West African and French peacekeeping forces for turning them back.
4 December 2003 – The United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative to Africa’s Great Lakes area met delegates from two dozen countries at the inaugural meeting of the Group of Friends of the Great Lakes Region today to discuss the preparation of next year’s international conference on the area’s peace and security.
3 December 2003 – The United Nations General Assembly today adopted six resolutions to demonstrate its belief that a final, peaceful settlement to the question of Palestine is essential to ensuring there is lasting peace in the Middle East.
3 December 2003 – United Nations weapons inspectors withdrawn from Iraq on the eve of the war in March have continued analyzing biological samples and evaluating Iraqi Al-Samoud 2 missiles in their search for evidence of banned weapons that Saddam Hussein may have possessed, according to their latest report released today.
3 December 2003 – An international board entrusted by the United Nations Security Council with monitoring the United States-led management of funding and revenues in Iraq will hold its first organizational meeting on Friday.
3 December 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today called for greater international support for enhanced implementation of the arms embargo on Somalia after hearing a report that the lack of an effective central government provided opportunities for the activities of international terrorist organizations in the East African country.
2 December 2003 – The United Nations Security Council has agreed, at the request of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, to extend the term of appointment of Mohamed Sahnoun, Mr. Annan’s Special Adviser on Africa.
2 December 2003 – The Security Council President for December, Ambassador Stefan Tafrov of Bulgaria, today outlined its work programme for the month, with Iraq expected to be a prominent source of activity.
1 December 2003 – Al-Qaida's ideology continues to spread, especially in Iraq, raising the fear of more terrorist attacks, according to the second report issued by the monitoring group of the Security Council committee overseeing sanctions against Al-Qaida and the Taliban.
1 December 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan met his advisory group on Iraq for the first time today, a move aimed at persuading countries in the region to support the same approach to the post-conflict country.
1 December 2003 – The United Nations today observed the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People with a series of resolutions and speeches calling for a peaceful settlement of the Middle East conflict.
28 November 2003 – Recent moves by Palestinian and Israeli civil society to promote peace show a settlement can be achieved, but the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority must act now instead of waiting for the other side to move first, according to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
26 November 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan will hold consultations on Iraq on Monday with representatives of the country’s neighbors, Egypt and selected members of the Security Council.
26 November 2003 – The United Nations nuclear watchdog agency today strongly deplored Iran’s past breaches of a safeguards agreement aimed at preventing the development of nuclear weapons and, while welcoming Tehran’s recent cooperation, warned that further serious failures would bring an immediate response.
24 November 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, saying that Côte d'Ivoire could slip back into conflict, told the Security Council today that he would soon send an assessment mission to that country so that he can prepare recommendations for improving the work of the UN's peacekeeping mission (MINUCI) there.
24 November 2003 – The United Nations Security Council decided unanimously today to establish a new committee to continue tracking the financial assets removed from Iraq by persons connected to Saddam Hussein.
24 November 2003 – The Security Council today unanimously extended the mandate of the 40-year-old United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for another six months, and urged the Turkish Cypriot side and Turkish forces to rescind all remaining restrictions on the mission in the divided Mediterranean island.
24 November 2003 – A senior United Nations official today met with the acting president of Georgia and confirmed the continued commitment of the world body to the Georgian-Abkhaz peace process in the north western region of the country.
24 November 2003 – A senior United Nations official, introducing a report on the conflict-plagued Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), called on the Security Council to assist the area in its efforts to stabilize itself and build peace and democracy.
21 November 2003 – The Iraqi Governing Council's announcement last weekend that it had created a political process for choosing a transitional national assembly was a dramatic step in the country's move to full sovereignty in 2004, the United States told the United Nations Security Council today.
20 November 2003 – Iran has committed many breaches of its obligations under a safeguards agreement aimed at preventing the development of nuclear weapons but has already taken or is taking corrective action, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency said today, indicating that he favoured a diplomatic solution.
20 November 2003 – On the eve of its expiry, Secretary-General Kofi Annan today hailed as "unprecedented" the multi-billion dollar United Nations Oil-for-Food programme, which fed most Iraqis for seven years under Saddam Hussein's sanctions-bound regime, and vowed to continue helping Iraq's "long-suffering people."
20 November 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today praised the progress made towards staging an international conference on Africa's Great Lakes region, saying the proposed event should help build lasting peace in the region.
20 November 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today denounced the latest bombings in Istanbul, Turkey, saying the attacks have only hardened its resolve to fight terrorism.
20 November 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today he has received a letter from Iraq's Governing Council suggesting new political arrangements and asking for UN support.
20 November 2003 – The international community has a duty to support the countries of Africa's Great Lakes region as they prepare to stage a major conference on the area's problems, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the Security Council today.
19 November 2003 – The multi-billion dollar United Nations Oil-for-Food programme, which fed most Iraqis for seven years under Saddam Hussein's sanctions-bound regime, will finally wrap up its activities on Friday, on time to meet its expiry deadline and proud of all that it achieved since its inception in 1996.
19 November 2003 – With a new Palestinian Prime Minister in place, all parties involved in peace-building between Israelis and Palestinians should recommit themselves to the process and leave behind the inaction of the past month, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today.
19 November 2003 – The Security Council has extended for another year, on the recommendation of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the mandate of the United Nations office in Guinea-Bissau so that the transitional government will have the time to strengthen democratic institutions.
19 November 2003 – There is a new political momentum in Africa’s Great Lakes region as preparations proceed to stage an international conference on the area, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a new report released today.
19 November 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today condemned the illegal exploitation of natural resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
19 November 2003 – The Security Council today urged United Nations Member States to support projects to clear landmines and other unexploded ordnance from countries emerging from armed conflicts and to help rehabilitate landmine victims.
18 November 2003 – Declaring “no one should die because they lack food and medicine that are available in surplus elsewhere,” Secretary-General Kofi Annan today launched the 2004 annual Consolidated Appeal on behalf of United Nations humanitarian agencies, calling for $3 billion to help 45 million people in 21 countries.
18 November 2003 – The President of Guinea-Bissau, Henrique Perreira Rosa, today appealed to the United Nations Security Council to help his West African country pay its civil servants the salaries owed them and assist his transitional government in preparing peaceful elections.
17 November 2003 – In the global fight against HIV/AIDS, the United Nations is working to ensure that uniformed and civilian peacekeeping personnel become leaders in suppressing the pandemic, senior UN officials told the Security Council today.
17 November 2003 – The United Nations Security Council has agreed, at the request of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, to maintain the current budget of the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) through until 2005 as it works to restore peace to the African country.
17 November 2003 – Members of the United Nations Security Council today condemned the murder over the weekend of a UN aid worker in Afghanistan.
17 November 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Personal Representative for southern Lebanon, Staffan di Mistura, today reiterated his call for Israel to cease its air violations over Lebanon after a fresh round of violations were reported.
17 November 2003 – The heads of the four United Nations' west African peacekeeping and political missions met on Saturday in the Sierra Leone capital, Freetown, to discuss how to better harmonize their work.
14 November 2003 – Although the situation along the ceasefire lines in Cyprus is stable with "a remarkable low number of incidents" in crossings, only a comprehensive settlement will end the problems and the 40-year-old United Nations peacekeeping force there continues to be necessary, Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in his latest report released today.
14 November 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed an Australian judge to serve on the bench of the United Nations International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
13 November 2003 – Mine action is a dynamic component of peacekeeping operations that contributes to the way the United Nations plans and conducts its operations, the UN's chief peacekeeping official said today.
13 November 2003 – Noting that the situation in Côte d’Ivoire “continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security in the region,” the Security Council today unanimously extended the United Nations mission in the West African country for three months and envisaged a possible boosting of the UN presence there.
13 November 2003 – The United Nations has called on the Afghan Government to provide more security for its operations following Tuesday’s car explosion outside UN offices in the southern city of Kandahar “so that we continue to provide the services that we can give to the people of Afghanistan.”
12 November 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today expressed dismay at the car bombing in Nasiriya, Iraq, today, which killed a number of Italians and Iraqis.
12 November 2003 – New and novel threats to world peace and security make it imperative to reinforce the role, authority and credibility of the United Nations, according to a group of prominent statesmen, public figures, diplomats, businessmen and scholars, known as the International Ethical, Political and Scientific Collegium.
12 November 2003 – A senior United Nations official charged with coordinating humanitarian assistance arrived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC) capital today on his way to the country's eastern region to visit the world's biggest humanitarian crisis.
11 November 2003 – Although Afghanistan has so far met the benchmarks set by the Bonn Agreement, it is now entering the most critical phase of the peace process, the head of a Security Council mission told the 15-member body today.
11 November 2003 – The United Nations Security Council held closed-door consultations today on a quarterly report on Côte d'Ivoire from UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, recommending a six-month extension of the UN mission's mandate there in the hope that governmental authority can be restored throughout the country.
11 November 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today welcomed Western Saharan Frente POLISARIO's release of 300 Moroccan prisoners of war and their repatriation on November 8, his spokesman said.
11 November 2003 – The United Nations Security Council’s Sanctions Committee today sent a mission to Somalia and its neighbours to investigate and tighten the arms embargo designed to end more than a decade of Somali civil strife.
10 November 2003 – The peace process in Côte d'Ivoire has encountered serious difficulties in the last three months and the fundamental differences between government and opposition must be urgently addressed if it is to remain on track, Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in his latest report on the United Nations mission there.
7 November 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has postponed a report he was due to make to the Security Council on Liberia's compliance with a resolution that imposed sanctions on it for supporting rebels in Sierra Leone and illegal diamond trading.
7 November 2003 – Major violations of the arms embargo against Somalia have taken place over a six-month period, but the weapons now arrive continuously in many small quantities, while large quantities arrive less often, a monitoring panel has told the United Nations Security Council.
7 November 2003 – Children in war zones have sometimes been murdered or disfigured and many thousands have been recruited into government and rebel fighting forces, according to a new report from United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the UN General Assembly and Security Council.
6 November 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan intends to extend the mandate of his Special Representative for the African Great Lakes Region, Assistant-Secretary-General Ibrahima Fall, until the end of next year, according to a letter released today.
6 November 2003 – The President of the United Nations Security Council today said the security situation in Liberia was too fragile to lift sanctions imposed in 2001.
6 November 2003 – The United Nations Security Council mission to Afghanistan today ended what it described as a “very successful visit,” but warned that security remains the key problem facing the country.
6 November 2003 – Members of the United Nations Security Council today backed recent moves towards ending the civil strife that has plagued Burundi for a decade.
5 November 2003 – The Security Council President for November, Ambassador Ismael Abraão Gaspar Martins of Angola, today outlined its work programme for the month ahead, noting that it would be relatively rich in African topics.
5 November 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has told the Security Council of his intention to extend the expiring mandate of his Representative for Somalia, Winston Tubman, until the end of next year.
5 November 2003 – The Security Council delegation visiting Afghanistan urged factional leaders today to give their full support to reforms made by the country’s central government.
5 November 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today revealed the names of 58 countries that have failed to meet a deadline for submitting reports on how they would tackle terrorism.
5 November 2003 – The United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has "strongly protested" to the transitional government for allegedly blocking its efforts to check out reports that an airplane that crashed in Katanga Province had been carrying weapons, which would be in contravention of the arms embargo imposed against the African country.
4 November 2003 – The Security Council delegation touring Afghanistan spent almost nine hours holding meetings with officials in the capital Kabul today, on the third day of its mission to the country.
4 November 2003 – The United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) today confirmed a report from an Eritrean officer that a shooting took place over the weekend and said it was investigating the incident.
3 November 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued a report today welcoming some positive developments in the situation in Abkhazia, Georgia.
3 November 2003 – The Security Council mission to Afghanistan today completed a daylong visit to the western city of Herat, meeting with senior leaders and civil society for talks on a number of key issues, including peace and security and human rights.
3 November 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has urged Somali leaders to continue their yearlong search for agreement on a viable and inclusive national government.
3 November 2003 – United Nations officials have opened and inspected a 40-foot container carrying tons of assorted weapons imported, despite a Security Council arms embargo against Liberia, by former President Charles Taylor just days before he went into exile in Nigeria, the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) said.
2 November 2003 – A delegation of the United Nations Security Council touched down at Kabul International Airport today bringing a message of support for the country's central Government.
31 October 2003 – The head of a United Nations committee overseeing sanctions against Al-Qaida and the Taliban, just back from a tour of the Middle East and Asia, said today that Afghanistan was at a "critical juncture" in its battle against "enormous challenges and threats."
31 October 2003 – The United Nations Security Council is studying a draft statement on the plundering of gems and minerals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and intends to discuss it next month, a UN spokesperson said today.
30 October 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan today released an exchange of letters between his office and the Security Council on the status of the United Nations Mission in Côte d'Ivoire (MINUCI).
30 October 2003 – The heads of the six principal organs of the United Nations held their fifth annual meeting in New York yesterday as part of a process to improve the efficiency of the world body.
30 October 2003 – A United Nations Security Council mission is heading to Afghanistan to show support for the reconstruction process there and to check on its progress, according to the delegation's chairman, Ambassador Gunter Pleuger of Germany.
30 October 2003 – An Internet portal offering comprehensive information on the dangers and responsibilities facing women and girls during armed conflicts and women's roles in peace building was unveiled today by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).
30 October 2003 – The top United Nations envoy for Kosovo warned the Security Council today that the province was still plagued by problems as it recovers from the war in 1999.
29 October 2003 – With women making up only 4 per cent of civilian police in United Nations peacekeeping missions, a senior UN official appealed to Member States today to assign more women police and military personnel to international forces.
28 October 2003 – A United Nations committee investigating the plunder of gems and minerals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) published its final report today, listing the names of companies that did – and did not – cooperate with its work.
28 October 2003 – The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), due to expire on Friday, until the end of next January.
28 October 2003 – The United Nations remains on schedule to transfer the running of the Iraq Oil-for-Food programme on 21 November, the operation's chief told the Security Council today.
27 October 2003 – Iran has turned over a list of "suspicious persons" to a United Nations Security Council committee overseeing sanctions against Usama bin Laden, Al-Qaida and the Taliban.
27 October 2003 – The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously today to increase the number of short-term judges on the war crimes tribunal for Rwanda.
27 October 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan today told a meeting in New York of members of parliaments around the world that they must play their part in reform of the United Nations.
24 October 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today offered the world body's collaboration with East Africa's Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), meeting to focus on its quest for peace in Somalia and the Sudan, and said the Security Council would investigate violations of the arms embargo against Sudan.
24 October 2003 – The United Nations' top peacekeeping official told the UN Security Council today the many of the fundamental causes of insecurity in Afghanistan "remain unresolved."
24 October 2003 – An international monitoring panel charged with keeping an eye on expenditures in Iraq was formally established today with the agreement of all parties on the terms of its operation, according to a joint statement released at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
24 October 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called upon both sides in the newly established contacts between Pristina and Belgrade to work together to improve the daily lives of the residents of Kosovo.
23 October 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today urged some 70 nations at a donors’ conference to “give and give generously” to rebuild Iraq.
23 October 2003 – Algeria, Benin, Brazil, the Philippines and Romania were elected today to become the next five non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
23 October 2003 – The United Nations Security Council’s committee charged with keeping an eye on an arms embargo against Somalia will visit the area next month.
23 October 2003 – Despite difficulties in implementing proposed solutions for the question of whether the Western Sahara territory should become independent or not, a political solution was still possible, the chairman of the General Assembly’s Special Political and Decolonization Committee said today.
22 October 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today the Madrid donors' conference on the future of Iraq "is off to a good start," towards helping that country's reconstruction in "a robust and determined manner."
21 October 2003 – Israel has quickened the pace of erecting its separation barrier between itself and Palestinian territories, dividing Palestinian communities and families and threatening to seal off Jerusalem from the West Bank, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today.
21 October 2003 – Troops from the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) have launched a joint border operation with local police and air force units, designed to increase security in the frontier with Liberia, and to enhance Sierra Leone’s armed forces’ capabilities.
21 October 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today said that despite fears of a breakdown in international order, some of which he shares, "I believe profoundly that the United States and the United Nations need one another."
20 October 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today urged Morocco to accept a peace plan for the Western Sahara, but agreed to a Moroccan request for more time to study the proposals. He also recommended an extension for the UN mission there.
20 October 2003 – The United Nations General Assembly today resumed a long-running emergency session, requested mainly by Arab representatives in reaction to a veto by the United States last week in the Security Council, on the Middle East to consider the separation barrier being built by Israel between itself and Palestinian territories.
20 October 2003 – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced today that a record two million tons of food have been delivered to Iraq since its emergency operation started on 1 April.
19 October 2003 – With Liberia currently in the process of selecting members of its transitional government and legislative assembly, the United Nations today underscored the need to choose honest and qualified professionals.
17 October 2003 – A fragile peace in West Africa remains in jeopardy so long as exiled former President Charles Taylor of Liberia, indicted for war crimes, is at liberty in Nigeria and continues to intervene in Liberian politics, the prosecutor for the Special Court for Sierra Leone said today.
17 October 2003 – The UN agency charged with uncovering evidence of an Iraqi nuclear weapons programme has found no such evidence, according to a report issued today.
16 October 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today welcomed the new Security Council resolution on Iraq – approved unanimously at the end of what he said was a “difficult” process of negotiation – and pledged to do his “utmost” to implement the text’s provisions.
16 October 2003 – The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency has received word that Iran will accelerate its cooperation on nuclear issues, the agency said today.
16 October 2003 – Addressing the Security Council after their unanimous vote on a new United Nations resolution on Iraq today, several members of the 15-nation body said that unanimity was important to show the Iraqi people international solidarity for their plight, but also voiced the opinion that the text could have been improved.
16 October 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today welcomed the opening of talks between the Government of Serbia and Montenegro and the Kosovo Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) and called upon both parties to work on technical level problems.
16 October 2003 – After weeks of intensive negotiations, the United Nations Security Council today unanimously adopted a new resolution outlining the roles of the United Nations, the United States-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) and the Iraqi Governing Council in international efforts to bring peace and stability to Iraq.
16 October 2003 – The chairman of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) said today the panel was completing its examination of countries' legislation to see if it was suited to the struggle and was now moving to find out how these laws were being implemented, a more difficult task.
16 October 2003 – The United Nations panel handling compensation for losses suffered as a result of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait today approved awards of more than $196 million, bringing the total made available thus far to just under $18 billion.
16 October 2003 – The senior United Nations official overseeing peacekeeping operations asked a General Assembly committee today whether Member States were comfortable watching the developing world provide the majority of forces for peacekeeping in Africa.
15 October 2003 – Financial transactions of Al-Qaida and the Taliban have become more "sophisticated" to avoid detection, sometimes involving the use of a centuries-old system, according to the head of the United Nations Security Council's committee overseeing sanctions against the two groups.
15 October 2003 – The United States has vetoed a draft resolution before the Security Council that would have declared Israel’s building of a barrier, said to have taken in some Palestinian territory in the West Bank, illegal.
15 October 2003 – Timor-Leste has made tremendous progress in governing itself in the 17 months that the United Nations has been helping the newly independent country, but serious problems of security, order and economic transformation remain, the top UN envoy in the country said today.
15 October 2003 – Rain and poor road conditions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have postponed the planned movement of United Nations troops out of their base in Bunia into four other areas of Ituri province.
14 October 2003 – United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said today the new draft resolution on the future of Iraq is not a “major shift” from the previous one submitted by the United States, but he said that he was “grateful” that the framers had taken into account some of his suggestions.
14 October 2003 – While acknowledging Israel's enduring suicide attacks, Security Council speakers today treated the building of a barrier between itself and the West Bank with some scepticism, saying the wall sometimes went over the 1949 armistice line into Israeli-occupied Palestinian land.
14 October 2003 – United Nations troops have begun to fan out from their base of Bunia in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) towards, among other objectives, the site of a recent massacre, a UN spokesman said today.
13 October 2003 – The latest annual report on the United Nations Security Council shows that an already heavy workload continues to grow, as the 15-member body focuses on regional tensions and the fight against terrorism, the President for October, Ambassador John Negroponte of the United States, said today.
13 October 2003 – The United Nations Security Council gave its approval today for the international troops in Afghanistan to move out from the capital, Kabul, citing the importance of extending the Government's authority throughout the country and providing security for reconstruction and humanitarian efforts.
10 October 2003 – The chairman of the United Nations Security Council's committee on sanctions against Al-Qaida and the Taliban today begins a round of visits in Europe, Asia and the Middle East to coordinate action against the two groups.
10 October 2003 – As the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), responsible for leading the international security force in the Afghan capital of Kabul, mulls the possibility of expanding its operations and moving into other parts of Afghanistan, the head of the alliance said it would first need specific authorization from the United Nations Security Council.
10 October 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today deplored the killing of Palestinian civilians, including two children, by an Israeli Defence Force missile during Israel's incursion today into the Rafah refugee camp on the Gaza Strip.
10 October 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today welcomed security agreements reached between the Sudanese Government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) that would help settle the long conflict.
10 October 2003 – Timor-Leste will need continued international assistance after the United Nations pulls out next year, Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a new report released today.
9 October 2003 – The new prosecutor for the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) told the Security Council today that he has put in place methods of reviewing dozens of cases so that he can soon determine realistic figures for the work to be completed.
9 October 2003 – Maj. Gen. Sajjad Akram of Pakistan has been appointed as the Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL).
9 October 2003 – Members of the United Nations Security Council today said that attempts by former President Charles Taylor to interfere with events in Liberia could threaten the peace agreements in that country.
9 October 2003 – United Nations Security Council members today welcomed the signing of a power-sharing agreement designed to end a 10-year civil war in Burundi and urged the two signatories to negotiate an accord on the outstanding issues without delay.
9 October 2003 – The senior United Nations envoy for the Middle East, Terje Roed-Larsen, said today all parties to the Middle East conflict should allow the international community to work out a solution, instead of taking the kind of unilateral action that has brought a complete standstill to diplomacy in the Israeli-Palestinian confrontation.
9 October 2003 – Citing new indictments, despite restricted cooperation from the governments involved, the President of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the chief prosecutor told the Security Council today that the trials of key suspects were unlikely to be completed by the target date of 2008.
8 October 2003 – The first 80 of some 800 United Nations peacekeepers to be shifted from Sierra Leone to Liberia have crossed over the border, a UN spokesman said in New York today.
8 October 2003 – The senior United Nations envoy for the Middle East, Terje Roed-Larsen, said today that the situation between Israel and its neighbours, Syria and Lebanon, has deteriorated sharply in the last few days and that the recent cycle of attacks would lead only to more violence.
8 October 2003 – The planned Sarajevo War Crimes Chamber within the State-Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina will play a crucial role in ensuring justice in that country, the President of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) said today.
7 October 2003 – The General Assembly’s annual top-level debate, which ended last week, has spotlighted United Nations reform as a high-priority item for the world’s political leaders, Assembly President Julian Hunte said today, adding that he intends to invite comments on “some bold ideas” over the next two months.
7 October 2003 – The senior United Nations envoy for the Middle East, Terje Roed-Larsen, today condemned an attack from Lebanese territory that killed an Israeli soldier across the southern withdrawal line last night and urged Beirut to control the use of force everywhere in its jurisdiction.
6 October 2003 – The new prosecutor of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) has arrived in Arusha, Tanzania, and begun his duties, the court announced today.
6 October 2003 – The United Nations Security Council is planning a visit to Afghanistan later this month to inspect and reinforce the peace and reconstruction process there.
6 October 2003 – The United Nations peacekeeping operation monitoring the demilitarized zone between Iraq and Kuwait for 12 years was phased out today.
5 October 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today strongly deplored the Israeli air strike on Syrian territory, warning that it could inflame violence in the troubled region.
5 October 2003 – Meeting in response to the latest developments in the Middle East, speakers in the Security Council today denounced Israel's attacks on Syrian territory, which were widely viewed as a grave escalation of violence in an already volatile region.
3 October 2003 – United Nations Security Council members today called on all parties in Côte d'Ivoire, particularly the rebel Forces Nouvelles, to adhere to peace agreements reached earlier this year to bring about national reconciliation.
3 October 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today turned its attention to Sudan, studying an agreement reached last week between rebels in the south and authorities in Khartoum, aimed at settling the two-decade old conflict.
3 October 2003 – The United Nations nuclear watchdog is expecting to receive a copy of the recent report by the United States on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (WMD), a spokesman for the agency said today.
2 October 2003 – As the fifty-eighth General Assembly wound up its annual high-level debate today, Assembly President Julian Hunte said the speakers emphasized the vital necessity of the United Nations multilateral approaches to global crises in these unsettled times and asked the 191-member body to focus on such issues as poverty, HIV/AIDS, global economic equity and environmental protection.
2 October 2003 – As the Security Council today began discussing a new United States draft resolution on Iraq, which according to a US representative seeks to enhance the United Nations role in Iraq, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that - at first glance - the draft did not go in the direction he had recommended.
1 October 2003 – With the donning of the blue berets of peace, an exchange of flags and the playing of anthems under the searing Liberian sun, the United Nations embarked today on a major mission to bring stability and democracy to the West African country, torn asunder by nearly 15 years of civil war, brutality, rape, looting and corruption.
1 October 2003 – With the clock ticking towards a “decisive” and “non-negotiable” deadline of 31 October, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency today called on Iran to provide “full transparency and full disclosure” to corroborate its assertions that it is not seeking to produce nuclear weapons.
30 September 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan has announced his intention to appoint generals from Kenya and Nigeria to lead United Nations peacekeepers in Liberia and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
30 September 2003 – Continuing the annual high-level debate of the United Nations General Assembly, world leaders today called for the strengthening of the fight against terrorism, but underscored the centrality of multilateralism and peaceful dialogue in such efforts.
30 September 2003 – Members of the United Nations Security Council committee overseeing sanctions against Somalia will visit the area next month in a bid to boost enforcement of the arms embargo.
30 September 2003 – Establishing the rule of law and a functioning justice system and eliminating impunity for war crimes are vital to United Nations peacekeeping operations in order to retain the confidence of the population of countries that have been torn apart by conflict, a senior UN official told the Security Council today.
29 September 2003 – The civil and military groups in Guinea-Bissau “seem to have pulled back from the brink” but the country will need international assistance to ensure a successful transition to civilian rule following a coup d’état in that country earlier this month, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today.
29 September 2003 – The terrorist bombing of United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, the resulting drastic reduction in international staff and tardy action by the United States-run Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) have dealt a major blow to the timetable for ending the Oil-for-Food programme that fed most Iraqis during Saddam Hussein's regime, the UN official in charge of the operation said today.
29 September 2003 – As the annual high-level debate of world leaders at the General Assembly entered its second week today, leaders stressed international cooperation in addressing global issues and urged the speedy revamping of the United Nations in order to effectively address those challenges.
29 September 2003 – West African troops now in Liberia are set to don the blue helmets of United Nations peacekeepers on Wednesday, according to the UN mission in that country.
26 September 2003 – World leaders today continued to call for multilateralism in addressing global security issues and reform of the United Nations, as the General Assembly's annual high-level debate entered its fourth day.
25 September 2003 – The centrality of the United Nations to solving the world's multiple crises was the keynote theme as the General Assembly's annual high-level debate moved into its third day.
25 September 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan went into a third day of bilateral meetings with world leaders today on the margins of the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate, conferring with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Latin America’s largest country, and President Alfred Moisiu of Albania, one of Europe’s smallest.
25 September 2003 – Insecurity and lawlessness, often as a result of arbitrary rule by local factions and continued drug trafficking, remain top concerns in Afghanistan as the worn-torn country seeks to build national government institutions, according to a statement issued after a high-level meeting at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
25 September 2003 – Some of the world's poorest nations called on the richest today to provide them with the keys to development through fairer trade at the afternoon session of the third day of the United Nations General Assembly's annual high-level debate.
25 September 2003 – United States Secretary of State Colin Powell said today that he and the other four permanent members of the United Nations Security Council have reached "some convergence" of opinions on a new resolution on Iraq, adding that the talks also covered the UN's role in the political process and how it should be reflected in a new text.
24 September 2003 – The problems of Africa, including AIDS, hunger, poverty and underdevelopment, came to the fore of the second afternoon session of the annual high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, with six Heads of State or Government from the continent among the 15 leaders to mount the rostrum.
24 September 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan began a second day of bilateral meetings with world leaders today on the margins of the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate, conferring with Ahmad Chalabi, who currently holds the rotating Presidency of the 25-member Iraqi Governing Council.
24 September 2003 – Saying there were no easy answers to the contradictory pressures of justice and reconciliation in restoring stability to conflict-shattered countries, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called for more resources and greater effort as the world body seeks to enhance the rule of law in its peace operations.
24 September 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today asked a special ministerial meeting of some 20 countries, including some of the world's richest, for renewed help for the Afghan Government and said the support will likely be required into the future because "the need is even greater than we thought and likely to last longer."
24 September 2003 – The primacy of the United Nations, Security Council reform, terrorism, poverty and development continued to dominate the General Assembly on the second day of its annual high-level meeting as Heads of State and Government mounted the rostrum to address the 191-member body's general debate.
24 September 2003 – The Security Council today appealed to all 191 United Nations Member States for input into further enhancing the world body’s efforts to establish justice and the rule of law as essential elements of its peacekeeping operations in countries recovering from the crimes and brutalities of civil war and violence.
23 September 2003 – Calling for wide-ranging United Nations reform in order to win the respect of the peoples of the world, Secretary-General Kofi Annan today exhorted the leaders of the world to grapple resolutely with the issue after a decade of indecision, particularly in reshaping the Security Council.
23 September 2003 – The unilateralism of recent events has called into question the decades-old tradition of global consensus on collective security and brought the international community to a fork in the road, portending a moment “no less decisive than 1945 itself, when the United Nations was founded,” United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today.
23 September 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan held a daylong series of bilateral meetings with world leaders today on the margins of the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate, starting this morning with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and United States President George W. Bush.
23 September 2003 – The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said it was worried about reports that civilians are being forced to work in local farms in Gbarnga, Liberia, 150 kilometres north of the capital Monrovia, for rebel groups.
23 September 2003 – The continued fight against terrorism, multilateralism, dealing with the worldwide ills of poverty and hunger and the debate over reform of the United Nations were among the themes highlighted by world leaders as the General Assembly's annual high-level debate concluded its morning session.
23 September 2003 – As more than 80 Heads of State and Government convened at United Nations Headquarters in New York today for the start of the General Assembly's annual high-level debate, United States President George W. Bush urged the international community to put aside its differences and help Iraq rebuild itself into a democracy with the "great power to inspire the Middle East."
23 September 2003 – Wrapping up the first day of its annual high-level debate, the United Nations General Assembly heard one world leader after another call for concerted action to fight the troubles that plague the international community.
22 September 2003 – More than 4,500 new Liberian refugees have arrived in southern Guinea's forest region in the past week, stretching the United Nations refugee agency's capacity there, raising fears of continued fighting in Liberia and prompting calls for the urgent deployment of peacekeepers throughout the war-scarred West African country.
19 September 2003 – The United Nations General Assembly today demanded that Israel not deport or threaten the safety of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, approving overwhelmingly a resolution by Arab and Non-Aligned countries after the United States vetoed of a similar text in the Security Council earlier this week.
19 September 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today unanimously approved the establishment of a new mission for war-shattered Liberia, where the UN will deploy up to 15,000 military personnel and over 1,000 civilian police officers to bring peace to a country torn by 12 years of conflict.
19 September 2003 – Following a resurgence in the number of Liberian refugees fleeing into Guinea, the United Nations humanitarian affairs office today expressed concern over the early warning signs indicating a lack of compliance with the recent peace agreement signed by the warring factions in Liberia and fears more people will be forced to flee across the border.
19 September 2003 – The Security Council today unanimously agreed to extend for six months the mandate of the United Nations mission in Sierra Leone and stressed the importance of continued support to the West African country’s Government in consolidating stability, reintegrating ex-combatants, repatriating refugees and respecting human rights and the rule of law.
18 September 2003 – The United Nations General Assembly will hold a special emergency session tomorrow in a move by Arab and Non-Aligned Movement states to circumvent a United States veto of Tuesday's Security Council resolution demanding that Israel not deport or threaten the safety of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
18 September 2003 – In light of the impending establishment of a new United Nations mission in Liberia, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has decided to close an office that was set up in the war-torn West African country six years ago but whose efforts to bring peace, reconciliation and respect for human rights were hamstrung by renewed fighting.
16 September 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended that the mandate of the United Nations mission in Sierra Leone be extended a further six months, given the need to continue the gradual drawdown of the UN peacekeeping force without jeopardizing the security situation, which has "remained generally stable."
16 September 2003 – Seeking 15,000 United Nations peacekeepers and 900 police to bring war-shattered Liberia back from “hellish limbo,” the top UN envoy for the West African country appealed to the international committee today to commit the resources and personnel needed to end the “cycle of brutality, violence, corruption and instability.”
16 September 2003 – The Security Council has accepted a one-year extension of the United Nations Peace-building Support Office in the Central African Republic (BONUCA), which Secretary-General Kofi Annan had recommended to enable the Office to help shepherd the country through elections next year.
16 September 2003 – The United States today vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution specifically demanding that Israel not deport or threaten the safety of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
15 September 2003 – After a daylong debate on the situation in the Middle East, in which it heard the views of more than 40 countries, the members of the Security Council held informal talks on a resolution proposed by Syria with an eye towards a vote on the text tomorrow, the President of the 15-nation body said today.
15 September 2003 – For the first time in months, a joint United Nations humanitarian mission managed to enter the small port of Harper in southern Liberia and has reported that the "largely deserted" town has suffered extensive looting.
15 September 2003 – The United Nations General Assembly today closed its fifty-seventh session by unanimously condemning the 19 August attack on the UN headquarters in Baghdad, and urgently called on all nations to help find and prosecute the perpetrators of this "vicious act."
15 September 2003 – Declaring that the Middle East now stood at the crossroads between recommitment to peace and descent into major bloodshed, the senior United Nations envoy for the region, Terje Roed-Larsen, today called for determined international engagement and a bold acceleration of the Road Map process to jump start efforts to resolve the crisis.
15 September 2003 – Pushing his efforts to achieve consensus on the next steps in Iraq, Secretary-General Kofi Annan planned to meet today with the remaining members of the United Nations Security Council following his weekend talks with the Foreign Ministers of the 15-nation body's five veto-wielding powers in Geneva.
15 September 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today joined Secretary-General Kofi Annan in condemning the coup d'état in Guinea-Bissau and called for the speedy restoration of constitutional order in that country.
13 September 2003 – Seeking to foster progress on the international approach to Iraq, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan met today in Geneva with senior officials from each of the Security Council's five veto-wielding States - China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States.
12 September 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan discussed security issues in Iraq with senior United Nations officials in Geneva today in the wake of last month’s deadly terrorist attack on UN headquarters in Baghdad, stressing the need to balance assistance to the Iraqi people with safety imperatives for the world body’s staff.
12 September 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the members of the Security Council called on Israel today not to expel Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, warning that such a move would dangerously exacerbate tension and instability in the region.
12 September 2003 – The prosecutor for the United Nations tribunal trying cases stemming from the Balkan wars of the 1990s today outlined her strategy for completing the court's work, with the top priority now to arrest the remaining fugitives in the former Yugoslavia.
12 September 2003 – Concerned by the mounting tensions and insecurity in Kosovo, a senior United Nations official today descried a number of violent attacks in the province during the past two months, primarily targeting Serbs, and said the continued support of the Security Council would be "crucial" to maintaining the rule of law.
12 September 2003 – After several delays in recent weeks, the United Nations Security Council today finally lifted decade-old sanctions imposed against Libya over the deadly bombing in 1988 of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, after Tripoli agreed to pay up to $10 million each to the families of the 270 victims.
12 September 2003 – In New York to press for the massive numbers of troops needed to stabilize and help rebuild Liberia, the top United Nations envoy for the country said today he would ask the Security Council "not to be indifferent" to the West African nation but to do its utmost to support a founding member of the UN "that had fallen on hard times because of poor leadership and exploitation."
12 September 2003 – With an eye towards facilitating the successful demarcation of the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea, while maintaining stability in the region, the United Nations Security Council today extended the mandate of the UN mission in the region for six months, until 15 March 2004.
11 September 2003 – The United Nations Security Council committee monitoring sanctions imposed against Usama bin Laden and his associates has added 20 individuals to the Al-Qaida section of its consolidated list of persons and entities subject to the measures.
11 September 2003 – Today’s second anniversary of the 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States should serve as a clarion call for international cooperation in the fight against terrorism, which continues to threaten the world, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said.
11 September 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan today mourned the death of Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, stabbed in a Stockholm department store yesterday, as a great loss for the United Nations of a strong ally and unapologetic multilateralist.
11 September 2003 – The United Nations Ituri brigade, which has replaced the European Union emergency force policing the troubled northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has now reached 2,500, more than half its total expected strength, according to the UN mission in the country.
11 September 2003 – In preparation for weekend talks with Foreign Ministers of the five permanent members of the Security Council on a speedy restoration of Iraqi national sovereignty, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan met in Geneva today with Adnan Pachachi, a member of the Governing Council of Iraq.
11 September 2003 – As the United Nations prepares to launch a major peacekeeping effort in Liberia - with perhaps 15,000 troops - the world body's chief military adviser declared that a new era of peacekeeping operations is dawning as the nature of conflict had evolved over the years.
10 September 2003 – The United Nations Security Council has scheduled a vote on Friday on a resolution that would lift sanctions applied against Libya following the deadly bombing in 1988 of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, after postponing the issue yesterday in what the Council President described as a need “to act unanimously.”
9 September 2003 – Seeking to further define the role of the United Nations in Iraq and accelerate the early restoration of Iraqi national sovereignty, Secretary-General Kofi Annan will meet with the Foreign Ministers of the five permanent members of the Security Council in Geneva on Saturday, his spokesman announced today.
9 September 2003 – In the most recent of his continuing efforts to improve the safety of United Nations staff in the field, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has urged all nations to sign on to the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel.
9 September 2003 – While talks aimed at shaping United Nations support for Liberia's transitional government got underway today in the capital Monrovia, the country's interior remains gripped by rumours of fresh rebel violence, forcing relief agencies to scale back operations in camps and along roadsides where anxious families await desperately needed aid.
8 September 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today he hoped to meet this weekend with the Foreign Ministers of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council as part of the effort to bridge differences on the way forward in Iraq.
8 September 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called for expanding the membership of the Security Council to make the 15-member body more democratic and more representative and thus give it greater legitimacy, especially in view of recent divisions over Iraq.
8 September 2003 – Launching his latest progress report on goals set in 2000 at the United Nations Millennium Summit, Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called for renewed world unity on security issues after the Iraq war, increased momentum if global development targets are to be met and rededication by rich countries to fulfil their pledges to the poor.
5 September 2003 – The United Nations and its partner relief agencies today reiterated concern for the “worrisome” humanitarian situation in Cote d’Ivoire, where they are working hard to help hundreds of thousands of people overcome insecurity, shortages of food and basic medicines, and other lingering effects of conflict and drought.
5 September 2003 – Some 2,500 United Nations peacekeeping troops are now firmly in place in Bunia, in the war-ravaged northeast province of Ituri in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to the UN Mission in the country.
5 September 2003 – Convinced that peace in Liberia is the key to stability in all of West Africa, the top United Nations envoy for the country said today he will ask the Security Council to authorize 15,000 troops to restore order and make last month's ceasefire agreement between government and opposition forces work.
4 September 2003 – United Nations Security Council members will hold informal talks tomorrow on the thrust of a new United States resolution on Iraq, the Council President for September, United Kingdom Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said today.
4 September 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today appointed a senior Gambian jurist to try cases stemming from the 1994 Rwanda genocide, and reappointed Carla del Ponte to focus on the Balkan wars of the 1990s, after last week's decision to split the prosecutorial duties for the two UN war crimes tribunals.
3 September 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today praised the European Union for deploying the French-led emergency force, which "helped avoid a humanitarian tragedy" in the troubled northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and was instrumental in stabilizing the flashpoint town of Bunia.
3 September 2003 – Despite damage to their Baghdad monitoring centre, United Nations weapons inspectors would be able and ready to resume their search for banned weapons of mass destruction in Iraq at short notice if the Security Council so requests, according to the latest quarterly report on the issue.
3 September 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today welcomed the Frente Polisario's release on Monday of 243 Moroccan prisoners of war, and called on it to immediately release all remaining POWs.
3 September 2003 – A new United Nations resolution on Iraq should emerge within days and its starting point would be the need to achieve the political, security and economic conditions necessary to transfer sovereignty to the Iraqi people as soon as possible, the Security Council president for September said today.
1 September 2003 – Reacting to the latest developments concerning Western Sahara, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today welcomed the release by the Frente Polisario of 243 prisoners of war who were repatriated to Morocco by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
29 August 2003 – Continuing its efforts to enhance the relationships among the top bodies within the United Nations on challenging international issues, the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) today provided the Security Council an update on work underway to assist African countries emerging from conflict.
29 August 2003 – Wrapping up a weeklong regional tour to rally support for the peace in Liberia, the top United Nations envoy for the country returned to the capital Monrovia today to complete his security and humanitarian assessment report for the Security Council.
28 August 2003 – Wrapping up their work for August in the shadow of last week's deadly attack on United Nations headquarters in Iraq, members of the Security Council today focused on ways of providing better support for UN peacekeeping operations in various parts of the world.
28 August 2003 – A separate prosecutor's post was created today for the United Nations war crimes tribunal for Rwanda after the Security Council decided to split the prosecutorial duties of the two UN courts trying cases stemming from the 1994 Rwanda genocide and the Balkan wars of the 1990s, with Secretary-General Kofi Annan nominating a Gambian jurist to the new position.
27 August 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today reaffirmed its readiness to establish a follow-on UN stabilization force to support Liberia's welcome political transition, and joined West African leaders in a pledge to ensure the full implementation of a recent peace accord signed by the parties.
26 August 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan today hailed a Security Council resolution on the protection of United Nations personnel and other workers serving in conflict zones, saying the measure would send an unambiguous message to those who target the "servants of humanity."
26 August 2003 – One week after the terrorist attack against United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, the Security Council today strongly condemned all forms of violence against relief workers and urged countries to ensure that crimes against such personnel did not go unpunished.
26 August 2003 – Seeking to maintain stability in war-torn Bunia, the United Nations Security Council today authorized countries participating in the French-led force currently policing the tense northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to assist UN peacekeepers during the upcoming handover of authority there.
26 August 2003 – Following up on a report by Secretary-General Kofi Annan that the bodies of some of the 605 Kuwaitis missing since Iraq's invasion of 1990 had been found in mass graves in Iraq, the United Nations Security Council today denounced the killings as a "grave violation of human rights" by the ousted regime of Saddam Hussein.
26 August 2003 – Concerned that timber revenues might still be used to fuel conflict in Liberia, the United Nations Security Council today decided to maintain its newly imposed timber embargo but agreed that once the situation on the ground stabilizes, it would consider ways to minimize the possible socio-economic impact of the measures.
26 August 2003 – The members of the Security Council today lauded efforts by countries of the Pacific Islands Forum, especially Australia and New Zealand, for their efforts to restore peace in the Solomon Islands, scene of recent inter-island political and ethnic fighting, and called on all parties there to renounce the use of force to settle their differences.
25 August 2003 – Kicking off a round of regional visits, the United Nations envoy for Liberia has stressed the international community's responsibility to help the promising political changes take hold.
22 August 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan continued his push today for increased security for United Nations operations in Iraq after Tuesday’s deadly terrorist bombing of UN headquarters in Baghdad, meeting with Foreign Secretary Jack Straw of the United Kingdom, main partner of the United States-led coalition running the occupied country.
22 August 2003 – The Spanish Government is set to host a United Nations-organized donor conference on 24 October in Madrid to seek billions of dollars to finance Iraq's reconstruction, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) announced today.
21 August 2003 – Determined to boost the safety of United Nations staff and stay the course in Iraq despite Tuesday’s deadly terrorist bombing, Secretary-General Kofi Annan discussed additional security measures today with United States Secretary of State Colin Powell.
21 August 2003 – The remains of some of the Kuwaitis listed missing for more than 12 years since Iraq's invasion of its southern neighbour have been identified among the bodies found in mass graves, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in his latest report on the repatriation of all Kuwaiti and third-country nationals or their mortal remains.
21 August 2003 – A United Nations assessment team arrived today in Monrovia for a first-hand look at security and humanitarian conditions inside the war-wrecked Liberian capital, aiming to fine-tune requirements for a proposed UN force that would help guide the country's transitional government and support implementation of a new peace accord.
20 August 2003 – Declaring "we shall not be deterred," United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan rushed back to New York today to consult with the Security Council on the terrorist attack in Baghdad that killed top envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello, seeking greater security but determined to continue the world body's mission in Iraq.
20 August 2003 – Condemning the deadly terrorist bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad as "an attack against the international community as a whole," the Security Council today declared that the world body would not be intimidated by such attacks and was determined to see the Iraqi people build peace and justice in their country.
20 August 2003 – United Nations Security Council members today welcomed the mid-term oral report of the panel of experts commissioned to investigate violations of the arms embargo in Somalia and called on all concerned parties to cooperate with the four-person team in discharging its mandate.
20 August 2003 – As humanitarian workers in Monrovia scramble to get desperately needed food, medicine and water to thousands of war-weary people, the United Nations envoy for the country met today with President Moses Blah and toured the outskirts of the shattered capital, looking for ways to get basic services up and running as soon as possible.
19 August 2003 – Describing the situation in the Middle East as "fragile," a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today that both Israelis and Palestinians needed "courage and determination to stay the course" and must not allow themselves to fall back into the senseless cycle of violence and revenge.
19 August 2003 – Members of the United Nations Security Council today condemned in the strongest terms “the terrorist criminal attack” against UN headquarters in Baghdad, resulting in deaths and injuries, and vowed to further intensify its efforts to help the people of Iraq.
19 August 2003 – The top United Nations envoy in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, was killed today when terrorists blew up the UN headquarters in Baghdad, killing at least 14 others and injuring dozens more in what Secretary-General Kofi Annan denounced as an inexcusable “act of unprovoked and murderous violence.”
18 August 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today welcomed the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement for Liberia and called on all parties to seize the opportunity to work together to restore peace and stability in the war-torn country.
18 August 2003 – The United Nations Security Council committee monitoring sanctions imposed against Usama bin Laden and his associates has added a Chechen native to the Al-Qaida section of its consolidated list of persons and entities subject to the measures.
18 August 2003 – In the wake of last week's shooting death of two Kosovo Serb teenagers, and the injuring of four others, the United Nations Security Council today met to consider the situation in Kosovo during which participants condemned the brutal killings and expressed concern at the continued violence.
18 August 2003 – The United Kingdom and United States have told the Security Council they are ready to see sanctions lifted against Libya following the North African country’s compliance with United Nations resolutions passed against it in connection with the deadly bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988.
18 August 2003 – With desperately needed food and medical supplies now trickling into Liberia's capital, Monrovia, the United Nations envoy for that country has secured a pact with the government and two main rebel factions to give humanitarian workers and organizations free and secure access across the war-riven nation.
17 August 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called for the Security Council to formally lift sanctions imposed against Libya in connection with the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.
14 August 2003 – The new head of the United Nations mission in Kosovo today met with leaders of the province and underlined the importance of collaboration to combat inter-ethnic violence, pledging his intention to openly cooperate with all communities.
14 August 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today strongly condemned the deaths of two teenagers and injury to four others after unknown suspects opened fire on a group of Kosovo Serb youngsters, demanding that no efforts be spared to bring the perpetrators to justice.
14 August 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today welcomed the relative calm in Burundi following a series of rebel attacks on the capital Bujumbura in early July, and called on all opposition groups to give up the armed struggle and to respect human rights.
14 August 2003 – In its first resolution on Iraq since it recognized United States-led occupying forces as the provisional authority, the United Nations Security Council today formally welcomed the US-appointed Governing Council as a key step towards restoring the country’s sovereignty and set up a new mission to coordinate UN activities there.
13 August 2003 – The peace process in Côte d'Ivoire has made encouraging progress in the past six months, but according to the first report on the new United Nations mission in the country, the road to true stability is long and fraught with contradictions that must be resolved in order for the new Government to fully implement its promising work plan.
13 August 2003 – Striving to halt the continuing plunder of natural resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations Security Council today unanimously renewed the mandate of a special investigative panel and demanded that all States take immediate steps to end such illegal exploitation.
13 August 2003 – Speaking on a day when clashes and a bus bombing claimed dozens of lives in Afghanistan, the top United Nations envoy to that country told the Security Council today that thousands more international troops were needed to provide vital security if the political pacification process in the war-torn nation was to succeed.
12 August 2003 – The top United Nations envoy in Iraq today warmly welcomed steps taken by the Iraqi Governing Council to draft a new constitution for the country and offered the world body's help.
11 August 2003 – Strongly condemning Hezbollah's shelling of Israel from Lebanon, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has urged all governments with influence over the group to "deter it from any further actions which could increase the tension in the area" and called upon the Israeli Government to exercise utmost restraint.
11 August 2003 – The United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to expand its security presence in the country's volatile northeast with the deployment of 250 Bangladeshi troops attached to its task force in Ituri.
11 August 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today welcomed the decision of Liberian President Charles Taylor to resign office, hoping that it marked the beginning of the end of the "long nightmare" of the people of the war-torn West African country.
9 August 2003 – The top United Nations envoy to Baghdad today held talks in Cairo with senior Egyptian officials who expressed support for the world body's role in the reconstruction of Iraq.
8 August 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today he was "very concerned" at the exchanges of fire across the line of withdrawal in Southern Lebanon, initiated from Lebanese territory - with a barrage at Israeli army posts - and urged the parties involved to avoid increasing tension there.
8 August 2003 – Security Council members today condemned the recent killing of a United Nations police officer in Kosovo, underscoring their support for the work of the UN mission there and appealing for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
8 August 2003 – The Security Council today heard a briefing from the prosecutor for the United Nations war crimes tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia as it met behind closed doors to mull the possibility of creating separate prosecutor's offices for the two courts.
7 August 2003 – The Security Council is scheduled to hold a private meeting tomorrow on the United Nations war crimes tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia amid discussions that the prosecutor’s post would be more effective if there was one for each court.
7 August 2003 – An assessment of the recently imposed timber sanctions on Liberia has determined that the embargo will have an impact on the country only when the security environment does not already preclude logging and timber exports, according to a new United Nations report released today in New York.
7 August 2003 – The top United Nations envoy in Iraq today strongly condemned the deadly attack on the Jordanian diplomatic mission in Baghdad as a “heinous act” which resulted in the deaths of numerous innocent people and for which there could be no possible justification.
6 August 2003 – The United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and a contingent of the UN-authorized peacekeeping force in the country have dispatched a joint assessment team to Nyanda to investigate reports that fresh ethnic violence in the tiny northeastern village claimed the lives of at least nine people.
6 August 2003 – The second stage of weapons disposal in Bougainville is now complete, bringing the island closer to the hope of holding elections to establish an autonomous government, the head of the United Nations mission there told the Security Council today.
5 August 2003 – With the first contingent of Nigerian peacekeepers now on the ground in Liberia, United Nations and other relief agencies are taking advantage of a lull in the violence to rush food and medical supplies to hundreds of thousands of desperate and hungry people crowding the streets of war-ravaged Monrovia.
5 August 2003 – Some 5.5 million Iraqi students and 25,000 teacher trainees will receive textbooks for the next academic year under a funding agreement approved by a United Nations Security Council committee.
5 August 2003 – Pleased with the speedy deployment of a vanguard West African peacekeeping force in Liberia less than three days after its authorization by the United Nations Security Council, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called on all parties in the country to cease hostilities at once and work for a comprehensive peace accord.
4 August 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today expressed concern over the delay in the registration of voters for Guinea-Bissau’s up-coming parliamentary elections and appealed to the government to speed up the process and redouble efforts to restore good governance.
4 August 2003 – Continuing his tour of neighbouring countries to drum up support for the political, humanitarian and economic reconstruction of Iraq, top United Nations envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello held long and “very productive” talks in Ankara today with Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.
4 August 2003 – World hotspots Liberia, Iraq and the Middle East will continue to be high on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council, with briefings and discussions on those topics to be held during August, the President of the 15-nation body for the month said today.
4 August 2003 – The United Nations today transported the first of two battalions from Nigeria to Liberia’s main airport to set up a forward headquarters for West African troops that will help restore order in the war-torn country.
4 August 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today renewed for six months authorization given to States participating in the West African and French forces policing a peace agreement in Côte d’Ivoire.
1 August 2003 – Lack of direct communication between Ethiopia and Eritrea could endanger the peace process between the two countries that fought a bitter two-year long border war, and the international community must persuade them to start normalizing their relations, according to the top United Nations envoy in the region.
1 August 2003 – The United Nations Security Council this evening authorized the establishment of a multinational force - welcomed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who had called for speedy action by the Council - to support implementation of a recent ceasefire agreement between the Liberian Government and the country's two main rebel factions.
31 July 2003 – As lack of security continues to cause deep concern among United Nations humanitarian agencies in Iraq, while not as yet hampering their efforts, the world body is stepping up its political assistance to the new Iraqi Governing Council in writing a new constitution and holding elections.
31 July 2003 – Stressing the critical need for a political solution to settle the dispute over Western Sahara, the Security Council today extended by three months the mandate of the United Nations mission there, and called on all the parties to work with the UN, and each other, towards acceptance and implementation of a new peace plan.
31 July 2003 – Two United Nations reports on human rights violations occurring late last year and earlier this year in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) point to instances of cannibalism, systematic killing, rape and looting, and unprecedented violence arising from the proliferation of rival factions.
31 July 2003 – As members of the United Nations Security Council consider a draft resolution that may soon send a multinational force to quell the violence in Liberia, UN relief workers inside the country’s war-ravaged capital warned today that conditions are critical, with food and water supplies running dangerously low, and fuel and equipment shortages continuing to hamper aid distribution.
31 July 2003 – Condemning all acts of violence and expressing great concern about the serious breaches and violations along the withdrawal line between Lebanon and Israel, the United Nations Security Council today extended for six months the mandate of the UN force monitoring the situation in southern Lebanon.
30 July 2003 – Saying he is deeply concerned at the “dramatic deterioration” of the situation in Liberia, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called on the Security Council to send a multinational peacekeeping force to the war-torn West African country as quickly as possible and to give it a robust mandate to ensure it is a credible deterrent.
30 July 2003 – Many countries feel the internationalization of overall operations in Iraq under a United Nations umbrella is important, but a new Security Council resolution giving the world body a broader mandate is not imminent, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today.
30 July 2003 – The United Nations Security Council has extended the mandate of the UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) for another six months, until 31 January 2004, and endorsed Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s recommendation to add a civilian police component to strengthen its capacity.
30 July 2003 – The President of the United Nations General Assembly, Jan Kavan, ended his tour of Timor-Leste today, saying he was “personally convinced” the tiny island-nation – the world’s first in the new millennium – was heading in the right direction.
30 July 2003 – With United Nations humanitarian officials calling the situation in war-torn Liberia critical, Secretary-General Kofi Annan renewed his appeal today for urgent action to deploy peacekeeping forces in the West African country, where tens of thousands of people have been displaced by the fighting and food stocks are dwindling.
29 July 2003 – The battle against the Al-Qaida terrorist organization leaves no room for complacency and countries must seek out operatives trained in making crude forms of weapons of mass destruction as well as vet charitable foundations used as conduits for money, the United Nations Security Council was told today.
28 July 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan met today with the prosecutor for the United Nations war crimes tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda amid renewed discussions in the Security Council that the post would be more effective if there was one for each court.
28 July 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today extended the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for another year, increased its military strength to 10,800 from 8,700, and instituted an arms embargo against all foreign and Congolese armed groups in the east of the country.
28 July 2003 – Top United Nations envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello, back in Baghdad after updating the Security Council on the situation in Iraq, met with a visiting team from Human Rights Watch today to discuss ways of improving human rights in the country.
28 July 2003 – The war on terrorism has not been won, and although both committees established by the United Nations Security Council to fight it have made “significant contributions,” individuals are becoming complacent and countries more casual, the panels’ chairmen said today.
25 July 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in a report released today, laments that the core political issue to the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict – the future status of Abkhazia – has not yet been addressed despite the opportunities provide by interested parties.
25 July 2003 – The United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has strongly denounced the reported transport of a cache of ammunition seized on a plane that landed in Beni and said it has launched a thorough investigation into the origins of the flight, the material and the intended destination.
25 July 2003 – While welcoming progress made towards ending strife in Côte d’Ivoire, the United Nations Security Council today voiced concern at the continued existence of regional factors of instability, particularly the use of mercenaries and child soldiers, and the spread of small arms and light weapons which prevent a lasting solution to the crisis in the region.
25 July 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today endorsed recommendations made by its recent missions to Central and West Africa, and emphasized the importance of a sub-regional approach to issues such as small arms, mercenaries, child soldiers and humanitarian access.
24 July 2003 – Reacting to the latest developments in Cyprus, members of the United Nations Security Council today urged the parties to restart talks in a bid to reach a comprehensive settlement to the issue based on a plan put forward by Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
24 July 2003 – Concerned about the worsening situation in Liberia, members of the United Nations Security Council today welcomed the pending deployment of a West African force to the war-torn nation, including troops from Nigeria.
24 July 2003 – Responding to persistent appeals for the deployment of an international force in war-riven Liberia, Nigeria has agreed to send two battalions to the West African nation to be the vanguard of a broader engagement by the international community, the senior United Nations envoy to the country said today.
24 July 2003 – Israel and Lebanon have by and large “exercised restraint,” resulting in a relative calm along the line of withdrawal, but tension between the two parties remains high, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a new report that also recommends a six-month extension of the UN force monitoring the situation in southern Lebanon.
23 July 2003 – The United Nations Security Council held an open meeting today to hear the latest 90-day report from its Counter-terrorism Committee (CTC), which called for increased cooperation with international organizations to keep nuclear, chemical, biological and other deadly materials out of terrorists' hands.
22 July 2003 – Welcoming the first Iraqis to address the United Nations Security Council since the fall of Saddam Hussein, Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called Baghdad’s new Governing Council “an important step towards the full restoration of Iraqi sovereignty” and laid out five guiding principles for international action.
22 July 2003 – The United Nations Security Council heard its first full update report on Iraq today since it recognized the United States-run Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), with many members applauding the new Iraqi Governing Council as a step towards the restoration of sovereignty and also stressing a prominent UN role.
22 July 2003 – The top United Nations envoy for Iraq and a member of the newly established Iraqi Governing Council both called today for a speedy end to the United States military occupation and the full restoration of the country’s sovereignty.
21 July 2003 – The day when Iraqis govern themselves must come quickly, and a clear timetable for the restoration of sovereignty with specific steps for the end of United States military occupation is essential if the growing impatience in the country is to be stemmed, according to a new report by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
18 July 2003 – As the international community welcomed the inauguration of a new power-sharing government in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), top United Nations officials told the Security Council today that immense challenges remain as the volatile, war-torn central African country edges toward peace and reconciliation.
18 July 2003 – Recognizing the continuing fragile security situation in Africa's Mano River region, the Security Council today approved Secretary-General Kofi Annan's recommendation for a modified, four-stage reduction in military strength of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMISL), which would culminate in complete withdrawal by December 2004.
18 July 2003 – The main United Nations anti-terrorism body will strengthen its cooperation with international organizations in the drive to keep nuclear, chemical, biological and other deadly materials out of terrorists' hands, according to its latest 90-day report.
17 July 2003 – The top United Nations envoy for Iraq heard more calls for broadening the world body's role there while visiting neighbouring Iran today even as major governments, including the United States, which runs the current ruling Provisional Authority in Baghdad, are raising that possibility with Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
17 July 2003 – Multi-million dollar contracts for heavy equipment and spare parts for Iraq’s oil and electricity sectors have been prioritized for immediate delivery after talks this month with United Nations agencies, the United States-run Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) and Iraqi representatives, the UN Office of the Iraq Programme (OIP) announced today.
17 July 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today welcomed Ethiopia's and Eritrea's acceptance as final and binding an agreement on the delimitation of the border between the two countries, and urged them to cooperation fully with the commission responsible for demarking the boundary.
17 July 2003 – With recent progress in the Middle East peace process affording a glimmer of hope, both sides must now build momentum and mutual trust, with the Palestinians disarming terrorists, and Israel easing the daily lives of Palestinians and releasing more prisoners, the top United Nations Middle East envoy told the Security Council today.
16 July 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan met today with a senior envoy from Myanmar, voicing his concern about the safety and well being of democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and calling on the government to meet with her.
16 July 2003 – Uranium compounds dispersed in the reported looting of nuclear and radioactive material at the Tuwaitha complex in Iraq pose no danger from the point of view of proliferation, the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency has determined.
16 July 2003 – Reiterating their commitment to a lasting settlement of the conflict in Somalia, members of the United Nations Security Council today encouraged all concerned parties to "pursue sincerely" their efforts aimed at achieving sustainable peace and reconciliation.
16 July 2003 – The United Nations is sending an electoral team to Baghdad early next month to help the newly constituted Iraqi Governing Council organize elections for next year "hopefully as early as possible," the top UN envoy to Iraq said today.
15 July 2003 – Noting with satisfaction that Central African authorities had opted to involve all political factions and civil society actors in managing the country's transition, the United Nations Security Council today invited them to fulfil their obligations to bring about a constitutional order that will lead to national elections by the end of 2004.
14 July 2003 – Two top United Nations envoys have returned to the besieged Liberian capital of Monrovia to begin paving the way for the return of UN agencies and personnel providing humanitarian assistance to the people of the war-torn West African nation.
14 July 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan today appointed a prominent Pakistani jurist and civil litigator to the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).
14 July 2003 – Members of the Security Council today agreed to "respond quickly" to Secretary-General Kofi Annan's recent proposal for a modified, four-stage reduction in the military strength of the United Nations mission in Sierra Leone, the President of the 15-nation body said today.
13 July 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan's senior envoy to Iraq today hailed the formation of the country's new Governing Council and pledged the United Nations' full support on the long road to recovery.
12 July 2003 – Meeting with Secretary-General Kofi Annan's chief envoy to Baghdad, Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia today voiced his full support for United Nations efforts to foster peace in Iraq.
11 July 2003 – Expanding his consultations on efforts to help Iraqis create a stable, democratic and sovereign country, United Nations envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello will travel to Taif, Saudi Arabia, tomorrow for talks with Crown Prince Abdullah and other senior Saudi officials.
11 July 2003 – The President of the United Nations Security Council today announced measured progress in efforts to help resolve the situation in Western Sahara now that one of the main parties has said it will accept the most recent settlement option recommended by Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
11 July 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today unanimously extended for another 12 months the mandate of the 13,000-strong multinational peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina, set up in 1996 under the framework of the Dayton accords that ended fierce fighting between Serbs, Croats and Muslims.
10 July 2003 – The first group of soldiers expected to take over for the Interim Multinational Force in the volatile northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is set to arrive in war-torn Bunia on Monday, the United Nations reported today.
10 July 2003 – Strongly condemning a series of deadly rebel attacks in and around the Burundian capital of Bujumbura, the United Nations Security Council today expressed deep concern over the latest resumption of hostilities and the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the troubled central African nation.
9 July 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed a senior American diplomat and former top UN official in the Balkans as his new special envoy for Liberia, in light of the rapidly unfolding political events in the war-torn West African nation.
9 July 2003 – The report of the United Nations Security Council's recent special mission to West Africa - carried out at a time when the stability of the sub-region appeared "particularly precarious"- recommends that the 15-nation body urgently consider authorizing an international stabilization force to quell the violence in Liberia.
8 July 2003 – The new head of the United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has met in Bunia with the commander of the multinational Force, local relief workers and regional leaders, to discuss a range of ongoing security and humanitarian concerns aimed at preventing chaos when the force pulls out in September.
8 July 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Special Representative in Kosovo, Michael Steiner, ended his assignment today after a year and a half’s tenure, during which he reported improvements in security in the ethnically-riven province but warned that huge challenges still remained in bringing Albanians and Serbs together.
7 July 2003 – The Liberian peace talks resumed in Accra, Ghana, today as government officials met with rebel groups after a week-long adjournment to pick up discussions on ways to reach a comprehensive settlement, according to a United Nations spokesperson.
7 July 2003 – Two senior United Nations officials stressed today that while installation of a transitional government in Kinshasa may help return law and order to war-ravaged northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), real progress - and lasting peace - would take hold only when perpetrators committing crimes in the region were brought to justice.
3 July 2003 – After three years of preparation and five months of intensive negotiation, the United Nations General Assembly today adopted by consensus a resolution on the prevention of armed conflict, hailed as a landmark in efforts to move the world body from a culture of reacting to crises to one of preventing them from reaching critical mass.
3 July 2003 – A United Nations Security Council delegation met in Guinea with the leader of Liberia’s main rebel faction on the final leg of an eight-day mission exploring new opportunities for peace and stability in the troubled West African sub-region.
3 July 2003 – Stressing that huge challenges remain in Kosovo, particularly the return of minorities, the top United Nations official there briefed the Security Council today on a new initiative by Kosovo Albanian leaders urging the mainly Serb refugees to come home.
3 July 2003 – The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously today to phase out by 6 October the UN peacekeeping operation that for nearly 12 years monitored the demilitarized zone between Iraq and Kuwait.
2 July 2003 – The President of the United Nations Security Council for July said today that while tackling volatile developments in Africa would be a major focus throughout the month, the 15-nation body was also set to hold the first review of the implementation of its resolution on arrangements for post-war Iraq.
2 July 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today discussed Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s recommendation to phase out by 6 October the UN peacekeeping operation that for nearly 12 years monitored the demilitarized zone between Iraq and Kuwait, and is set to vote tomorrow on a draft resolution approving the measure.
2 July 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today welcomed the announcement that President Joseph Kabila has signed a decree setting up a new power-sharing government in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
2 July 2003 – A United Nations Security Council delegation on a seven-country assessment mission in conflict-plagued West Africa, arrived in Ghana today for a briefing on the status of the Liberian peace talks underway in Accra.
1 July 2003 – Calling the situation in Liberia "urgent, tragic," United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today renewed his appeal for a prompt decision by the Security Council on his request to deploy a multi-national force in the country.
1 July 2003 – A United Nations Security Council delegation in West Africa exploring opportunities for regional peace and stability, has wrapped up a series of discussions with top officials in Côte D'Ivoire on ways to fully implement a six-month old power-sharing accord.
30 June 2003 – In the Central African Republic (CAR) - where chronic instability has been aggravated by a security situation "not fully under control" either before or after the latest coup - a temporary adjustment of United Nations programmes and agencies in the country could provide support for a smooth transition, Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a new report out today.
30 June 2003 – Hans Blix, the head of United Nations weapons inspectors in Iraq, concluded his term of office today, receiving expressions of “profound gratitude” from Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who voiced his admiration for Mr. Blix’s ability to handle the intense demands of his tasks.
30 June 2003 – The Ethiopian-Eritrean peace process continues to be at a critical stage and lasting peace cannot be based on temporary arrangements, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a new report released today.
30 June 2003 – The United Nations Security Council held closed-door consultations today to discuss Secretary-General Kofi Annan's call for the deployment of a multi-national force in Liberia to prevent the volatile situation in the war-torn West African country from deteriorating into a massive humanitarian catastrophe.
30 June 2003 – A United Nations Security Council delegation hoping to deepen the partnership between the international community and the countries of West Africa, has met with top officials and regional players in Nigeria to discuss the problems facing Guinea-Bissau, Côte' d'Ivoire and Liberia.
30 June 2003 – With many children gravely impacted by the conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Liberia over the last several weeks, a United Nations envoy today called on the parties involved to cease activities affecting children and warned that they risk being held accountable.
28 June 2003 – The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, has welcomed the agreement reached on Friday by the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority and underscored the important role played by the United States in bringing about the accord.
28 June 2003 – Warning that the volatile situation in Liberia could deteriorate into a massive humanitarian catastrophe, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today urged the Security Council to mandate the deployment of a multinational force to the west African nation.
27 June 2003 – Expressing "grave concern" over the situation in Liberia, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Ruud Lubbers, again today called for an immediate end to hostilities and for deployment of an international peacekeeping force to fill the current security vacuum in the war-ravaged nation.
27 June 2003 – The United Nations Security Council committee monitoring sanctions imposed against Usama bin Laden and his associates has added 17 individuals to the Al-Qaida section of its consolidated list of persons and entities subject to the measures, including the former President of Chechnya, Selimkhan Ahmedovic Yandarbiev.
27 June 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has sent a letter to the Security Council underlining the importance of the deployment of a brigade-sized UN contingent in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to ensure that the precarious situation in the region does not deteriorate further.
27 June 2003 – A United Nations Security Council delegation arrived in Guinea-Bissau today on the first stop of a planned seven-country mission to West Africa to explore opportunities for regional peace and stability.
27 June 2003 – The extended presence of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) has assured a stable environment and enabled steady progress in national reconstruction efforts, but sustained peace in the country is "inconceivable" without peace in neighbouring States, Secretary-General Kofi Annan warns in a new report.
26 June 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan left London today for Geneva, where he will meet with senior UN officials as well as address the high-level segment of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) next week.
26 June 2003 – The United Nations General Assembly has elected 18 short-term judges to help expedite the work of the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).
26 June 2003 – Deeply concerned over the continuation of hostilities in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in particular in the province of North Kivu, the Security Council today extended the United Nations mission in that country for another month.
26 June 2003 – Forcefully condemning the recent escalation of violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), members of the United Nations Security Council today called on all the parties in the area to fully commit to the political process and to "completely and decisively" renounce the military path.
26 June 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today extended through December the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force known as UNDOF, which was established in 1974 to monitor the disengagement of Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights.
26 June 2003 – Despite significant progress in the fight against Al-Qaida, the terrorist group blamed for the 11 September 2001 attacks against the United States still poses a significant threat to international peace and security, including possible use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), according to a United Nations draft report released today.
25 June 2003 – Stressing that there is "valuable and necessary work to do all the time" in places like West Africa, the leader of a United Nations Security Council delegation heading to the conflict-plagued sub-region said today the trip was part of a wider effort not only to promote peace and stability, but to heighten visibility of situations badly in need of international attention.
24 June 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan recommended today that the United Nations peacekeeping operation that for nearly 12 years monitored the demilitarized zone between Iraq and Kuwait should be closed down by the beginning of October in view of the new situation in the region.
24 June 2003 – A former Bosnian Croat militia commander has been transferred to the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to face charges of crimes against humanity for ordering an attack on Muslim civilians in 1993, the court said today.
24 June 2003 – Searching for new opportunities for progress towards peace and stability in West Africa, members of the United Nations Security Council are set to leave tomorrow for a special mission to seven countries in the conflict-plagued sub-region.
23 June 2003 – Having just wrapped up a special mission to Central Africa, the United Nations Security Council says it considers that the installation of the transitional government in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the successful conclusion of a ceasefire in Burundi could clear the way for a possible international conference aimed at addressing long-term peace and security issues in the wider Great Lakes region.
23 June 2003 – Declaring the world at a crossroads between a return to the horrors of the first half of the twentieth century or the burgeoning hopes of the second, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on the international community today to rise to the challenge of his vision of a new century blessed with a caring humanity, cooperation and free and fair markets.
23 June 2003 – The Middle East conflict, the situation in Iraq and peace in Africa were the focus of a series of bilateral meetings United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan held today in the margins of the World Economic Forum in Jordan, where he delivered a major address.
21 June 2003 – The Security Council plans to meet Monday on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a United Nations spokesman announced today.
20 June 2003 – With much of the world's attention focused on Iraq, the United Nations Security Council must remain vigilant to the plight of civilians caught in the cross-fire of armed conflict in other parts of the world, particularly with fighting raging across the African continent and tensions smouldering in other hot spots, a senior UN relief official warned today.
20 June 2003 – With Central Asia turning into a hotspot for international heroin trafficking following the return of massive opium cultivation in Afghanistan, the United Nations anti-drug agency launched five new major projects totalling more than $17 million this week in a bid to cut off the narcotics flow from the region into Europe.
19 June 2003 – The political, economic and security situation in Guinea-Bissau has worsened, raising questions of the feasibility of proceeding with next month's elections, a top United Nations envoy told the Security Council today.
19 June 2003 – An Iraqi Kurdish leader told United Nations envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello today that the world body should play a role not only in the humanitarian field but also in assisting in establishing democratic institutions in the country.
19 June 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today expressed concern over the fragile political situation in Guinea-Bissau and urged the country's leaders and the international community to work more purposefully together to ensure humanitarian and peace-building agendas are quickly put back on track as parliamentary elections draw close.
19 June 2003 – With the situation in the Middle East still "very tense and likely to remain so" pending a comprehensive settlement, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended extending for six months the United Nations operation supervising the ceasefire between Syrian and Israeli forces.
18 June 2003 – Murder and rape are increasing in the war-ravaged eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and children are slowly dying of starvation, with nearly two-thirds of the population estimated to suffer from food shortages, United Nations officials reported today even as the Security Council was being briefed on the latest peacekeeping efforts.
18 June 2003 – A special Security Council mission and several regional players today called for reinforcing the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), especially in the eastern region where factional fighting has recently killed hundreds and sent thousands fleeing their homes.
17 June 2003 – Divisions among Somali leaders persist, even as the reconciliation process gears up for its third and final phase of negotiating the formation of an all-inclusive government, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a new report.
17 June 2003 – With insecurity threatening to derail Afghanistan's entire political process and the country's drug production turning the old Silk Road into a new "opium-paved road," two top United Nations officials called on the international community today to beef up deployment of security forces there and provide other vital assistance.
17 June 2003 – The Security Council today strongly backed efforts in Afghanistan to reign in lawlessness, with a particular emphasis on curbing the illicit drug trade emanating from that country.
16 June 2003 – Prominent Argentinean litigator Luis Moreno Ocampo was sworn in today as the chief prosecutor of the world’s first permanent war crimes court.
16 June 2003 – Iran has failed to report certain nuclear material and activities and needs to quickly implement an additional international agreement in order to provide credible assurances regarding the peaceful nature of its nuclear activities, the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency reported today.
16 June 2003 – The United Nations Security Council met in closed session today to discuss two Iraq-related reports from Secretary-General Kofi Annan – one on missing Kuwaiti property, the other on the budget for phasing out the Oil-for-Food programme, on which 60 per cent of Iraqis were totally dependent for rations during Saddam Hussein’s regime.
16 June 2003 – A United Nations Security Council delegation has stressed cooperation among Central Africa’s leadership, and urged close neighbours – particularly nations bordering the troubled Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) – to play a “positive role” in ending the violence and civil conflict that has destabilized much of the Great Lakes region.
13 June 2003 – Saying that "the alternative is no alternative," a senior United Nations official today urged Israel and the Palestinians to "stay the course" of the latest peace initiative in the face of a recent upsurge of violence, and he exhorted the international community to do everything possible to help them do so.
13 June 2003 – Voicing "serious concern" at the upsurge of Israeli-Palestinian violence, members of the United Nations Security Council today demanded "an immediate cessation to all acts of violence, including all acts of terror, provocation, incitement and destruction."
13 June 2003 – A United Nations Security Council delegation has arrived in Burundi with praise for all the parties working towards a peaceful and successful political transition, and an invitation to all armed groups that have not done so, to join the peace process.
12 June 2003 – As the Security Council met today to consider extending immunity for United Nations peacekeepers from prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC), Secretary-General Kofi Annan voiced concern that it might become an annual routine that could undermine the tribunal’s and the Council’s authority, as well as the legitimacy of UN peace operations.
12 June 2003 – Contrary to earlier expectations, the political, economic and security situation in Guinea-Bissau has worsened and the country’s leaders should make every effort to ensure peace-building agendas can be put back on track, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a new report.
12 June 2003 – United Nations Security Council diplomats are expected to arrive in the ravaged northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo town of Bunia today on a mission to revive a political process and end violence in the resource-rich region of Ituri.
12 June 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today approved a 12-month extension of immunity that effectively shields UN peacekeepers from potential prosecution by the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal.
11 June 2003 – Gravely concerned at the rapidly deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Liberia, members of the United Nations Security Council today urged all combatants in the strongest terms to end hostilities immediately and agree to a ceasefire.
11 June 2003 – Four members of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) taken hostage last week have been released unharmed, the mission said today.
11 June 2003 – Ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s government failed to return most of the Kuwaiti property seized during its 1990–91 occupation of its neighbour despite some “limited cooperation” prior to the recent hostilities, according to the latest United Nations report on the issue.
11 June 2003 – Acting on the recommendation of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) until 15 December.
11 June 2003 – A United Nations Security Council delegation met today with President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in Kinshasa in a bid to jump-start a solid political process for peace in Africa's troubled Great Lakes region.
10 June 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed an expert panel to undertake a five-month assessment mission to Liberia and neighbouring countries to investigate compliance with - and possible socio-economic impacts of - international sanctions levied against Monrovia.
10 June 2003 – Aiming to help launch a "solid political process," the United Nations Security Council's mission to central Africa has arrived in Kinshasa, the capital of war-weary Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
10 June 2003 – Four years into the United Nations mission's mandate in Kosovo, there have been some successes, but much remains to be done in developing provisional democratic self-governing institutions and ensuring conditions for a peaceful and normal life for all inhabitants, a top UN official told the Security Council today.
9 June 2003 – Deeply concerned by developments in Liberia – where weekend violence once again rocked the capital city of Monrovia – the United Nations Security Council today appealed to all the parties to give the current peace process a chance to succeed.
9 June 2003 – The top United Nations official in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, continued his efforts to consult with the widest possible spectrum of Iraqi society today, meeting with a top Muslim official who asked that the world body play an independent role in helping the Iraqi people.
9 June 2003 – Following a stop in South Africa over the weekend, the United Nations Security Council's mission to Central Africa is set to arrive in Angola shortly.
6 June 2003 – The first unit of French troops from the United Nations-authorized multinational force landed in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today in a bid to help restore stability to the war-torn town of Bunia, the United Nations Organization Mission in the country (MONUC) said.
6 June 2003 – A seven-member United Nations inspection team arrived in Baghdad today to determine how much nuclear material, if any, is missing following reports of looting at an Iraqi site that had been under seal of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
6 June 2003 – The members of the United Nations Security Council today strongly condemned the murder of three members of a Serb family in Kosovo, underscoring that such acts undermined international efforts to foster ethnic reconciliation in the country.
6 June 2003 – On the eve of a United Nations Security Council mission to Central Africa, Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s top adviser on women’s issues has reminded the delegation of its commitment to put women and girls at the centre of peace efforts and to ensure that women played a greater role in the region’s overall reconciliation processes.
6 June 2003 – A senior United Nations official is set to lead a two-week inter-agency evaluation mission to Central Africa this weekend as part of the Security Council’s efforts to help strengthen cooperation between the UN system and countries in the region.
5 June 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today demanded the immediate, unconditional release of four personnel from the UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) taken hostage earlier in the day by unknown armed elements.
5 June 2003 – Citing the Government of Sierra Leone’s increased efforts to control its diamond mining areas and industry, the United Nations Security Council today dropped its ban on precious stones from the West African country imposed in a bid to prevent illicitly traded rough diamonds being used to finance armed conflict.
5 June 2003 – Voicing disappointment at the international community for letting Liberian President Charles Taylor evade arrest while in Ghana, the prosecutor of the United Nations-backed tribunal that indicted him for war crimes in Sierra Leone vowed today to continue the fight until the fugitive leader was brought to justice.
5 June 2003 – The top United Nations weapons inspector for Iraq warned today against jumping to the conclusion that weapons of mass destruction existed just because they were unaccounted for, but cautioned also against concluding that such programmes had ended in cases where the previous regime had not accounted for them.
5 June 2003 – United Nations relief agencies in Iraq, which have long been alarmed at the lawlessness hampering their activities, today reported “a significant improvement,” but still warned that public security remained a top concern.
5 June 2003 – As the fiscal year for United Nations peacekeeping operations heads to a close, the world body’s administrative and budgetary committee has approved some $2.17 billion to finance 11 active peacekeeping missions for the next 12 months.
4 June 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan has decided to appoint a Brigadier-General from Bangladesh to lead the United Nations military observer contingent in the new UN Mission in Côte d'Ivoire (MINUCI).
4 June 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in his latest report on the dire situation in Liberia that clearly the single most burning issue, on which Liberians all agree, is the need for a binding ceasefire to stop the bloodshed and facilitate a peaceful resolution of the conflict in that country.
4 June 2003 – A United Nations Security Council mission to Central Africa this week will seek to launch a “solid political process,” without which there can be no solution to the region’s conflicts no matter how many UN emergency forces are deployed there, the delegation’s leader said today.
4 June 2003 – Praising the relatively small and severely overmatched United Nations military force on the ground in war-torn Bunia, a senior UN official said today that the stand those troops had made against violent militia was a challenge to the international community to spare no effort to help end the atrocities being committed throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
4 June 2003 – A United Nations-backed court in Sierra Leone announced today that it has indicted Liberian President Charles Taylor for war crimes and issued an international warrant for his arrest.
4 June 2003 – With the United Nations Oil-for-Food programme for Iraq finally winding down after “serving as lifeline to a large segment of the population” for seven years, Secretary-General Kofi Annan calls in a new report for the United States and its partners to ensure that the Iraqi people are provided with essential food and medicine.
3 June 2003 – The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) needs to be tackled on two fronts – taking steps to calm war-ravaged Bunia and pressing forward on the political side with the formation of a transitional government, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today.
3 June 2003 – Though conditions in Cyprus have improved somewhat – with continued calm along ceasefire lines and the easing of restrictions at some Turkish Cypriot crossing points – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has requested that the mandate of the UN mission in the country be extended until the end of the year.
3 June 2003 – While welcoming recent progress in the implementation of the Linas-Marcoussis peace accord for Côte d’Ivoire, members of the United Nations Security Council today stressed again their concern at the humanitarian situation in the country.
3 June 2003 – The top United Nations official in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, met with his counterparts from the United Kingdom and United States today to discuss the world body’s role in the country’s reconstruction.
2 June 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today welcomed the Security Council’s approval of a robust multinational force to work alongside the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to restore stability to the troubled town of Bunia and help improve the humanitarian situation there.
2 June 2003 – With the parties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the United Nations standing at the intersection of peace and war, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended that the mandate of the UN mission in the country be extended until next June and that its military strength be boosted to nearly 11,000 troops.
2 June 2003 – The top United Nations envoy for Iraq arrived in Baghdad today pledging to assist in the “critical efforts” to quickly establish a representative Iraqi government, as UN-supplied food rations again began reaching the civilian population.
30 May 2003 – The top United Nations human rights official today applauded the unanimous decision by the Security Council to authorize the deployment of an international emergency force to the Ituri district of in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
30 May 2003 – Signalling its “utmost concern” at the fighting and atrocities in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations Security Council today authorized the deployment of an international emergency force to help stabilize the situation in the country’s volatile north-east, where ethnic fighting has killed more than 400 people.
30 May 2003 – Faced with the conflicts and complex crises plaguing Africa, the United Nations Security Council today discussed ways to refine prevention and containment strategies by involving regional and global organizations and exploring the links between peace and security on the one hand and social and economic development on the other.
30 May 2003 – In order to further consider the best way forward on a new plan proposed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to resolve the situation in Western Sahara, the Security Council today extended by two months the mandate of the United Nations mission responsible for organizing a referendum in the territory.
28 May 2003 – While the situation in troubled north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains tense - with sporadic fighting reported in around the town of Bunia - a senior United Nations humanitarian official said today the only way to quell the violence is to send a multinational force to the region to pressure rival factions to reopen peace talks.
28 May 2003 – The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) had "key contributions" to make in safeguarding the interests of the Iraqi people, bringing peace to the Middle East, rebuilding Afghanistan and healing the breach between faiths opened by terrorism, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a message issued today to a meeting of the 56-member body.
28 May 2003 – In strong support of United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s call for “decisive action,” the Security Council is expected to endorse – possibly as early as Friday – the deployment of an emergency force to help stabilize the volatile situation in the town of Bunia, in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
28 May 2003 – United Nations Legal Counsel Hans Corell is preparing to travel to Cambodia to finalize an agreement with the government on establishing special courts to try the former leaders of the Khmer Rouge, a UN spokesman said today.
28 May 2003 – The total value of priority items from the United Nations Oil-for-Food humanitarian pipeline that can be shipped to Iraq for emergency needs continues to climb, reaching $1.1 billion, the UN Office of the Iraq Programme (OIP) announced today.
27 May 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has chosen Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN’s top human rights official, to serve as his Special Representative in Iraq for a four-month period, according to a letter released today at UN Headquarters in New York.
27 May 2003 – With a primary goal of emphasizing that all parties in the wider Great Lakes region continue pressing for peace - particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) - the United Nations Security Council today released details of its upcoming mission to the region.
27 May 2003 – The members of the United Nations Security Council today welcomed the positive steps recently underway to advance the peace process in Burundi and further encouraged the political actors and armed groups there to opt for dialogue and to eschew violence.
27 May 2003 – In order to give the Security Council time to consider the best way forward on a plan to resolve the situation in Western Sahara, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today proposed a two-month extension, until 31 July, for the UN mission responsible for organizing a referendum in the territory.
27 May 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his newly appointed Special Representative for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, both stressed today that the top priority for the United Nations in the war-shattered country would be to work with the Iraqi people in establishing a sovereign state with full respect for human rights.
23 May 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan is expected to announce his choice for the United Nations special envoy for Iraq at a press conference on Tuesday, a spokesman for Mr. Annan said today.
23 May 2003 – The top investigator at the United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone has charged that authorities in Liberia have failed to comply with an official request for the transfer of the body of indicted war criminal Sam Bockarie for positive identification.
23 May 2003 – Ten years after the Security Council set up a tribunal to prosecute war crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia, it can be "justly proud" of the important achievements in recording the crimes that scarred the Balkans in the 1990s, the president of the United Nations court said today.
22 May 2003 – Once again stressing the “indispensable” need for Security Council unity in order to maintain peace, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today the world body would use the role granted it by a new resolution on interim arrangements in Iraq to ensure that the Iraqi people regain full national sovereignty as soon as possible.
22 May 2003 – As the United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to work out a plan with militia leaders to confine their combatants in the Ituri region, fighting has been reported in the northern part of that district in the area of Aru.
22 May 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today adopted a new resolution on Iraq, granting wide interim governing powers to the United States and its coalition partners, including a role for a UN Special Representative working with this provisional authority, and lifting sanctions imposed almost 13 years ago following the invasion of Kuwait.
22 May 2003 – United Nations Security Council members who approved a new resolution on interim post-war arrangements for Iraq today praised the spirit of rediscovered unity and consensus that made the compromise possible and emphasized the important role the world body now had in the Middle Eastern country's future.
22 May 2003 – Top United Nations officials went before the Security Council today to deplore the breakdown of law and order in Iraq, which they said was severely undercutting the world body's ability to bring humanitarian aid to a needy civilian population.
21 May 2003 – Representatives of the United Nations sole forum on indigenous issues said today that they had received allegations of atrocities, including mass murder and cannibalism, carried out by the military and other armed groups against the indigenous pygmy minority in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
21 May 2003 – The United Nations Security Council has scheduled a vote for Thursday on a new draft resolution on interim arrangements for Iraq, including the role of a UN Special Representative working with the United States and its coalition partners towards restoring full Iraqi national sovereignty.
20 May 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today he would move “very quickly” to appoint a Special Representative for Iraq as soon as the Security Council passes a resolution to that effect.
20 May 2003 – The total value of priority items from the United Nations Oil-for-Food humanitarian pipeline that can be shipped to Iraq has more than doubled to $949 million thanks to the Security Council’s three-week extension of the programme, on which 60 per cent of Iraqis depend as their sole source of sustenance.
19 May 2003 – The Road Map peace plan may be the last chance to achieve a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict for a very long time, since ongoing Palestinian terror radicalizes both communities while Israeli settlement expansion makes creation of a viable Palestinian state ever more difficult, the senior United Nations envoy to the region, Terje Roed-Larsen, told the Security Council today.
19 May 2003 – A year after Timor-Leste gained independence, the Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations mission there for another 12 months, until 20 May 2004.
19 May 2003 – The Security Council today extended the terms of office of four permanent judges at the United Nations International Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in order to allow them to dispose of a number of ongoing cases.
19 May 2003 – The United Nations Security Council has scheduled more consultations for Tuesday on a draft resolution concerning the post-war future of Iraq, the President of the 15-member body said today.
19 May 2003 – The Security Council today amended the rules of the United Nations International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) so that its pool of short-term judges - each formally assigned to one specific case - might also participate in pre-trial proceedings in other cases during the period of their appointment.
16 May 2003 – With Congolese parties signing a ceasefire agreement today for the northeastern region of Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged the Security Council to consider quickly deploying a multinational emergency force to help stabilize the volatile situation in the town of Bunia.
16 May 2003 – The United Nations Security Council welcomed the ceasefire agreement signed today for the volatile Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as well as the efforts by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to address the urgent humanitarian situation in Bunia.
15 May 2003 – The top United Nations humanitarian official in Liberia - a country caught in the grip of ongoing violence and civil unrest - today called on the Security Council to quickly reschedule a planned mission to the volatile West African region where hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people are "desperate" for help.
14 May 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan has decided to continue for another year the activities of the United Nations office in Tajikistan in order to support the country's post-conflict peace-building efforts, particularly in light of the various problems that contribute to a "fragile political equilibrium."
14 May 2003 – The United Nations Security Council held lengthy discussions today on a draft resolution from the occupying powers on interim arrangements and the UN’s role in Iraq, and the United States said it hoped to present a modified version of the text for a vote next week on lifting sanctions, funding and other issues.
14 May 2003 – The top United Nations relief official in Iraq met with the top United States civilian official there today to discuss the lack of security hampering UN relief efforts, and the use of money from the UN Oil-for-Food programme to pay Iraqi farmers for the upcoming spring harvest.
14 May 2003 – Gravely concerned by reports of indiscriminate killings and ethnic violence in the war-riven town of Bunia, the top United Nations human rights official today called on countries to heed Secretary-General Kofi Annan's request for an international response to help bring peace to the troubled northeastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
13 May 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on the Security Council today to exercise imagination and influence in its key role of pre-empting volatile issues before they erupt into full-fledged threats to peace.
13 May 2003 – As United Nations relief agencies continued to increase their presence in Iraq, with more than 250 international staff now back in the country, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today he believed the Security Council would be able to produce a "helpful" resolution on the UN's role there.
13 May 2003 – Determining that the situation in Côte d'Ivoire is a threat to international peace and security in West Africa, the Security Council today decided to establish a United Nations Mission in that country.
13 May 2003 – The United Nations Security Council rededicated itself today to seeking the peaceful settlement of conflicts with a triple firewall strategy: preventing disputes from arising, preventing existing disputes from escalating into conflicts, and containing and resolving conflicts when they occur.
13 May 2003 – Violence erupted again in the north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as Lendu militia, who were driven out of Bunia yesterday by rival Hema fighters, have regrouped and launched a counter-offensive to regain control of the town, the United Nations said today.
12 May 2003 – After sporadic weekend firefights between rival militia in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), two Hema groups joined forces and retook the town of Bunia today, according to the United Nations mission in the country.
12 May 2003 – A United Nations Security Council mission to conflict-plagued West Africa this week was given added urgency today by a report that the number of internal refugees displaced by fighting in Côte d'Ivoire had now reached as many as 750,000.
10 May 2003 – Warning that rising violence in the Congolese town of Bunia could lead to massive civilian deaths, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today urged action by the Security Council and Uganda to calm the situation.
9 May 2003 – Thousands of students and militia stormed a United Nations mission headquarters in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) today, slightly injuring the UN sector commander in a machete attack, destroying UN property and causing grave concern at UN headquarters in New York.
9 May 2003 – United Nations relief agencies expressed concern today over a potential cholera epidemic in Iraq's second largest city, Basra, and a growing eviction of Palestinian refugees that could eventually leave up to 90,000 people homeless.
9 May 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the 15-member Security Council are set to hold a weekend retreat beginning this evening on the topic of "New Challenges to International Peace and Security."
9 May 2003 – The United States, United Kingdom and Spain presented the United Nations Security Council today with a draft resolution for interim arrangements in Iraq and the UN role there, and the Council President said experts would consider technical aspects on Monday before a full-fledged ambassadorial session on Wednesday.
9 May 2003 – Amid spiralling violence and widespread insecurity throughout much of West Africa, the top United Nations envoy in the region was set to meet with the heads of area UN offices today to discuss new ways to tackle the grave, "life and death" issues of the complex crisis.
8 May 2003 – The top United Nations official in Kosovo said today the UN mission there had entered “what is perhaps its most critical and delicate phase” with the transference of competencies to local provisional institutions.
8 May 2003 – The United States is expected to present a draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council tomorrow calling for the lifting of sanctions on Iraq and dealing with the UN role there, with consultations on the text to possibly begin early next week.
7 May 2003 – After meeting with Secretary-General Kofi Annan today in New York, Secretary of State Colin Powell of the United States said a new resolution lifting sanctions against Iraq would be presented this week to the members of the Security Council, one that would also give the United Nations a vital role in the reconstruction of the war-ravaged country.
7 May 2003 – Keen to explore new opportunities for progress towards peace and stability in West Africa, the United Nations Security Council today released details of its upcoming mission to seven countries in the conflict-plagued sub-region.
6 May 2003 – Defeating terrorism - which threatened peace and security at every level - required the active commitment and broad-based cooperation on the part of all countries, Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar of Spain told the United Nations Security Council today.
6 May 2003 – The top United Nations official in Afghanistan today told the Security Council that deteriorating security conditions continue to cast a long shadow over the peace process and future of the country, and called for the creation of Afghan security forces capable of ensuring lasting tranquillity.
6 May 2003 – Citing Liberia's "active support" of rebel groups which are having a destabilizing effect on West Africa, the United Nations Security Council today renewed sanctions against that country, extending the measures to include a ban on timber exports in addition to existing arms and diamond embargoes.
6 May 2003 – After hearing a briefing by the top United Nations envoy in Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, the members of the Security Council today expressed serious concern at the deterioration of security in many areas of the country and the recent attacks on UN and other personnel of aid organizations, and called on all concerned to work towards peace.
6 May 2003 – The United Nations stepped up its relief work in Iraq today, meeting in Baghdad with 30 non-government organizations (NGOs) to coordinate humanitarian operations between them and with the United States-run Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Affairs (ORHA) as well as with the relevant Iraqi ministries.
5 May 2003 – Reiterating "strong concern" at the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Liberia and its effects on the West African sub-region, the United Nations Security Council today expressed its intention to renew the sanctions levied against Monrovia for another 12 months and to extend them to include a ban on timber exports.
5 May 2003 – A United Nations Security Council expert panel has returned from a three-month investigation in West Africa - a volatile region "awash in weapons" - convinced that perhaps sanctions against Liberia alone are not sufficient, when rebels and governments in as many as five neighbouring countries share responsibility for the region's spiralling violence and chaos.
5 May 2003 – The members of the United Nations Security Council today voiced concern about the situation in the Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), calling on all sides in the conflict to end actions that might undo a fragile ceasefire plan in the area.
2 May 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed a four-person expert panel to investigate violations of the arms embargo against Somalia.
2 May 2003 – Hailing the peaceful transfer of the Presidency in Burundi from the Tutsi minority to Hutu majority as a "major milestone" towards full implementation of the 2000 Arusha Agreement, the United Nations Security Council today urged all the parties to keep working together to successfully resolve other "pressing" transitional issues.
2 May 2003 – The United Nations Security Council has scheduled four meetings this month on Iraq to discuss humanitarian issues and the Oil-for-Food programme which provided the sole source of food for 60 per cent of the population of the sanctions-bound country, the Council's President for the month of May said today.
2 May 2003 – More than 150 student leaders met today with members of the United Nations diplomatic community and UN officials for a unique dialogue to better understand issues related to conflict resolution, particularly the world body's role in Iraq, and other matters of global concern.
1 May 2003 – The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq led a team of senior UN officials across the border from Jordan into Iraq today to re-establish a permanent presence of international personnel in Baghdad for relief operations for the first time since being withdrawn on the eve of hostilities in March.
30 April 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today appealed to the Security Council to set aside its past differences over Iraq and find a new unity that will allow the Iraqi people to take charge of their own destiny.
30 April 2003 – The head of the United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has condemned the spate of violence in the country's volatile northeast, which threatened to eclipse an historic meeting between rebel leaders and Government officials in the capital, Kinshasa.
30 April 2003 – Wrapping up its work for the month with a session devoted to the role of the United Nations in post-conflict situations, the Security Council heard appeals today from fraternal bodies for a full UN role and an overall vision that looked beyond bringing peace and aid to one that encouraged economic and social development and respect for diversity.
30 April 2003 – The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is negotiating with the United States on sending an assessment mission to Iraq early next month as part of its efforts to recover the priceless antiquities looted from Baghdad and other museums, the head of the agency said today.
29 April 2003 – With important steps finally underway to secure durable peace in Côte d'Ivoire, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today appealed to the Security Council for the urgent, necessary financial and logistical support needed for the West African peacekeeping force to continue playing its essential role in promoting regional reconciliation.
29 April 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today he hoped the world body would play an "effective role" in the process of establishing a new Iraqi Government.
29 April 2003 – The value of priority supplies that can be shipped to Iraq from the United Nations Oil-for-Food pipeline has surged nearly $100 million, to $548.6 million thanks to a three-week extension granted the already adjusted programme, on which 60 per cent of Iraqis depend as their sole source of sustenance.
29 April 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today forwarded to the General Assembly for final approval a list of 35 judges nominated for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).
29 April 2003 – Striving to recover priceless antiquities looted from Iraq's museums, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced today that it was sending an expert team to Baghdad to help establish a database and prevent international trafficking in the stolen artefacts.
29 April 2003 – As part of its ongoing bid to tackle new challenges to international peace and security and reinforce broad cooperation with regional groups, the United Nations Security Council today met with a high-level delegation from West Africa to discuss ways to ensure genuine peace in Côte d'Ivoire.
28 April 2003 – The President of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) has asked that the expiring term of office of four permanent judges be extended to allow them to complete cases they are currently hearing.
28 April 2003 – A former rebel commander during Sierra Leone's decade-long civil war has pleaded innocent to 17 counts of crimes against humanity - including four attacks against United Nations peacekeepers.
28 April 2003 – The head of the United Nations mission in Timor-Leste told the Security Council today that the new timetable for the gradual withdrawal of UN peacekeepers was critically important in addressing the criminally and politically motivated threats to security in that country.
28 April 2003 – United Nations relief agencies reported today that a fleet of food ships was converging on the Middle East in the race to ensure rations for Iraq's 27 million people next month while local health teams were fanning out inside the country to deliver essential medical supplies.
27 April 2003 – The United Nations is preparing to assume a central role coordinating international efforts aimed at providing aid to war-ravaged Iraq, a spokesman for the world body said today.
25 April 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appealed to the Security Council to extend for another year the mandate of the United Nations mission in Timor-Leste, where he says the security environment continues to deteriorate.
25 April 2003 – Amid reports of brazen mercenary activities, political finger pointing and failing social services, the security situation has deteriorated so badly in Liberia that it is virtually impossible to reach desperate refugees and internally displaced persons, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a report out today.
24 April 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the top United Nations human rights body today that its mission was more important than ever in an era when “war, terror and the threat of political violence have become a much greater part of many peoples’ lives,” an era when “inaction is not an option.”
24 April 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan has submitted to the Security Council 35 nominations for short-term judges to serve on the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).
24 April 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today called on all countries, organizations and individuals to help in resolving the fate of 605 Kuwaitis and other nationals missing since Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
24 April 2003 – The Security Council today extended for another three weeks the authority of Secretary-General Kofi Annan to run the United Nations programme that is the only source of food for 60 per cent of Iraq's population so that supplies already in the pipeline can be delivered.
23 April 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today he expected to see some considerable improvements in the coming weeks in streamlining the United Nations Oil-for-Food programme, which is the only source of rations for 60 per cent of Iraq's population.
23 April 2003 – A senior United Nations official today urged the Security Council to reject calls to end the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), stating that the mission has, and will continue to encourage dialogue and multi-ethnicity in the province, which still has some way to go in establishing independent functioning institutions.
22 April 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan today appealed for a healing of the rifts within the United Nations Security Council that marked the run-up to the war in Iraq as the international community now seeks to help that country return to normalcy and rejoin the family of nations.
22 April 2003 – In his first meeting with the Security Council since the war in Iraq, top United Nations weapons inspector Hans Blix made the case today for the return of his inspections teams as a guarantor of independence and credibility in the search for suspected weapons of mass destruction.
22 April 2003 – The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog body told the Security Council today that the agency should restart its work in Iraq as quickly as possible and that it was waiting for new instructions for its return.
22 April 2003 – The United Nations office overseeing the humanitarian Oil-for-Food programme said today it had identified a further $60 million worth of supplies that can be shipped to Iraq within the 45-day timeline adopted last month by the Security Council, bringing the total to $454.6 million.
22 April 2003 – The official in charge of the United Nations programme that is the only source of food for 60 per cent of Iraq's population today urged the Security Council to extend the authority of Secretary-General Kofi Annan to run it for another three weeks so that supplies already in the pipeline can be delivered.
21 April 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan voices hope in a new report to the Security Council that the fate of Kuwaiti and third-country nationals missing since Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990 will now be solved quickly after the end of the current conflict in Iraq.
21 April 2003 – The countries charged with shaping the world's first permanent war crimes court gathered at United Nations Headquarters in New York today, unanimously electing a prominent Argentinean litigator as the tribunal's first chief prosecutor.
21 April 2003 – The top United Nations official in Kosovo has announced a series of emergency measures to deal with the province's electricity problems, including €17.3 million (euros) to repair power plants.
21 April 2003 – Top United Nations weapons inspector Hans Blix is scheduled to address the Security Council tomorrow for the first time since the eve of hostilities in Iraq as Council members joust over what the UN's post-war role should be.
17 April 2003 – Addressing the assembled leaders of the 25 states of the enlarged European Union (EU), United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today it was vital to heal the rifts in the international community caused by the war in Iraq, declaring that the EU and UN must work together for the good of the world.
17 April 2003 – The United Nations Security Council, already engaged "in intense dialogue" over resolutions on Iraq, has not yet received a proposal for lifting sanctions, but the issue could come up next week, the President of the 15-nation body said today.
17 April 2003 – Acknowledging the political progress thus far in the Central African Republic (CAR), the members of the United Nations Security Council today stressed that it was essential that authorities in Bangui now elaborate a plan for the national dialogue, including a timeframe, and to hold elections as soon as possible.
17 April 2003 – In continuing ongoing efforts to strengthen cooperation between the United Nations system and central African countries, members of the Security Council today reaffirmed the importance of a comprehensive, integrated, resolute and concerted approach to the issues of peace, security and development in that region.
17 April 2003 – Although an important step in the process towards transferring further responsibilities from the United Nations to local authorities had been launched last three months ago, Kosovo still has some way to go in establishing representative and functioning institutes, Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a report issued today.
17 April 2003 – The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), called today for comprehensive worldwide emergency measures to recover Iraq’s looted antiquities, including a temporary Security Council embargo on the acquisition of any Iraqi artefacts.
16 April 2003 – Paying tribute again to the upcoming political transition in Burundi, the United Nations Security Council today underscored the importance of President Pierre Buyoya's commitment to handover office by 1 May, and recommended that all the country's political leaders continue working in the spirit of consensus.
16 April 2003 – New proposals and bilateral agreements have injected fresh momentum into efforts to reactivate the Georgian-Abkhaz peace process despite the continued lack of progress on the core political issue of the future status of Abkhazia within the State of Georgia, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan says in a report released today.
16 April 2003 – The Israelis and Palestinians, along with the international community, must be prepared to stay the course on a plan to settle the Middle East crisis, however strewn with obstacles that course may be, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today.
16 April 2003 – United Nations food convoys were advancing on Iraq from four directions today as relief agencies continued to report issues of major humanitarian concern.
15 April 2003 – A high-level United Nations delegation – including a top envoy of Secretary-General Kofi Annan and representatives of the Security Council – today gathered in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to welcome the creation of a power-sharing local administration that will manage the region until a new post-war national government takes over.
15 April 2003 – In support of international efforts to break the link between the illegal trade of rough diamonds and its fuelling of armed conflict, the United Nations General Assembly today welcomed the decision to implement a global certification scheme for the valuable gems.
15 April 2003 – Commending the "proactive" approach taken by its committee monitoring sanctions imposed against Usama bin Laden, the Taliban and Al Qaida, the Security Council today strongly encouraged Member States to submit, whenever they are able, implementation reports on entities and persons subject to the measures because of their links to the group or other terrorist operatives.
15 April 2003 – While welcoming the progressive efforts of the parties in Côte d'Ivoire towards the formation of a new government, the United Nations Security Council today nevertheless voiced concern for the continuing violence in the country, calling for an immediate end to attacks aimed at undermining the peace and reconciliation process.
15 April 2003 – The United Nations office overseeing the humanitarian Oil-for-Food programme said today it had so far identified $395 million worth of supplies that are "shippable" within the 45-day timeline adopted last month by the Security Council.
14 April 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s top adviser on developing a framework for United Nations involvement in post-conflict Iraq, is meeting with top United States government officials in Washington, D.C., today.
14 April 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today strongly supported the decision by the top UN official in Kosovo to declare without legal effect the enactment of legislation on higher education by the Kosovo Assembly on 3 April.
14 April 2003 – Calling it a “unique basis” for further talks, the United Nations Security Council today gave its full support to Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s plan for an overall political settlement on Cyprus and urged all concerned to use the blueprint in their negotiations on reaching a comprehensive solution within the framework of Mr. Annan’s “Good Offices.”
14 April 2003 – The top United Nations human rights official said today it was in the interests of Coalition forces to carry out the post-war reconstruction of Iraq under a UN mandate and that in the meantime they had a duty to protect hospitals and humanitarian facilities there.
14 April 2003 – Concerned at the continued violations of the arms embargo on Somalia, the United Nations Security Council today exchanged views on how to better implement the ban.
11 April 2003 – The United Nations Security Council held a high-level meeting today with the heads of major international regional organizations in a bid to reinforce global cooperation in safeguarding international peace and security against threats ranging from conventional conflict to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism.
11 April 2003 – Declaring that people and states look to the United Nations for security in an era of ever greater global insecurity, Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called for the world body and regional organizations to work together with redoubled vigour to fulfil their “cardinal mission” of ensuring peace based on international law.
11 April 2003 – An international panel convened to support the political transition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has held its first meeting with the participation of the United Nations mission in that country.
10 April 2003 – The inability to reach agreement on a plan that would enable a united Cyprus to accede to the European Union could be ascribed to failings of political will rather than to the absence of favourable circumstances, the senior United Nations official dealing with the issue told the Security Council today.
10 April 2003 – Timor-Leste filed an indictment against five Indonesian soldiers today for crimes against humanity, bringing to more than 20 the number of Indonesian personnel charged this week, a United Nations spokesman said.
10 April 2003 – Noting that there appeared to be no functioning government in Iraq, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today recalled that the Security Council had reaffirmed that the coalition had the responsibility for the welfare of the people in the areas of Iraq under its control.
9 April 2003 – On the eve of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the Security Council held talks today to consider the situation in that country.
8 April 2003 – Amid reports of persistent violence and human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), members of the United Nations Security Council today strongly condemned the recent activities of rebel groups in the volatile northeast of the country and called for the immediate withdrawal of foreign troops from the territory.
8 April 2003 – A senior United Nations adviser said today that the current crisis surrounding the restart of the nuclear programme in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) might in the end pave the way for a permanent settlement to the issue.
8 April 2003 – Recognizing the important need to improve the implementation and monitoring of the arms embargo against Somalia, the United Nations Security Council today re-established for six months a panel of experts to investigate any violations of the ban.
8 April 2003 – Reacting to statements by the leaders of the United Kingdom and United States today that the United Nations would play a "vital role" in post-war Iraq, a UN spokesman welcomed such suggestions but stressed that any potential involvement of the world body could come only at the direction of the Security Council.
8 April 2003 – The United Nations office overseeing the humanitarian Oil-for-Food programme said today it had identified four new locations for the bulk shipment of emergency food and other items to Iraq once security conditions allow.
7 April 2003 – With international attention focused on the humanitarian situation arising from the conflict in Iraq, the head of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today urged the Security Council not to forget the 40 million Africans in greater peril of starvation.
7 April 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a new report released today that his plan to enable a united Cyprus to join the European Union remains on the table but that he will not undertake any new initiatives to reach a deal until he sees that the political will necessary for a successful outcome exists.
7 April 2003 – Saying he expected the United Nations to play an important role in post-conflict Iraq to bring "necessary legitimacy," with Iraqis controlling their own political future, Secretary-General Kofi Annan today named a special adviser to draw up a framework for UN involvement and also prepared to visit key players in the crisis.
6 April 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has invited members of the Security Council to meet with him on Iraq on Monday morning, a spokesman for the world body announced today.
5 April 2003 – The senior United Nations envoy to Kosovo and the new Prime Minister of Serbia have discussed issues key to the stability of the region, the UN Interim Administration Mission in the province (UNMIK) reported today.
4 April 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today wrapped up his weeklong briefings of all UN Member States on the current humanitarian situation in Iraq.
4 April 2003 – The Security Council has endorsed a recommendation by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to retain in Kuwait City for a further three months a small logistics headquarters of the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM) to support UN activities in the region, where the world body is currently concentrating on humanitarian relief.
4 April 2003 – After hearing a report from its Counter-terrorism Committee (CTC) that the fight against the scourge had now gone global with the United Nations at its centre, the Security Council today called on UN Member States to urgently submit outstanding reports on their part in the battle.
4 April 2003 – Despite the welcome progress Timor-Leste has achieved since its independence last year, persistent security and stability concerns prompted the Security Council today to adjust the composition and strength of the police component of the United Nations mission in the country and to slow the downsizing of the UN peacekeeping force.
3 April 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said he does not see any immediate prospect for a ceasefire in the war in Iraq.
3 April 2003 – After hearing an update on the humanitarian situation in Iraq by Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette today, the members of the Security Council expressed their concern regarding the Iraqi population's access to relief help.
3 April 2003 – Members of the United Nations Security Council today welcomed the announcement by President Pierre Buyoya of Burundi that he will hand over power to his deputy on 1 May, as agreed in a peace deal.
2 April 2003 – As the various factions in Côte d'Ivoire grapple with the challenges of rebuilding their nation in the aftermath of sixth months of conflict, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has proposed the creation of a new United Nations mission in the country to help smooth progress towards implementation of a crucial power-sharing peace accord.
2 April 2003 – While the Security Council will continue to be deeply involved with the situation in Iraq, it will also add the issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to its agenda, the President of the 15-nation body for the month of April said today.
1 April 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said he is "happy" that the diplomatic Quartet - comprising the United Nations, European Union, Russian Federation and United States - is determined to move ahead with a plan to resolve the Middle East crisis.
1 April 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today he hoped United Nations weapons inspectors would eventually return to Iraq, noting that their work had merely been suspended.
1 April 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended retaining in Kuwait City for a further three months a small logistics headquarters of the United Nations mission monitoring the Iraq-Kuwait border to support UN activities in the region, where the world body is currently concentrating on humanitarian relief.
1 April 2003 – The United Nations office overseeing the humanitarian Oil-for-Food programme today said it has identified over $1 billion worth of goods and supplies as potential priorities for delivery to Iraq over the next 45 days.
31 March 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan today met with Arab countries to brief them and to hear their views about the situation in Iraq before starting a series of meetings this week with the regional groupings of UN Member States.
31 March 2003 – After finding a consistent pattern of breaches of the arms embargo against Somalia, a United Nations expert panel has recommended that the Security Council send a clear signal that all future violators will be sanctioned.
31 March 2003 – United Nations relief agencies along Iraq's borders are looking at ways to bring in humanitarian aid, and the first UN food consignment to enter the country since the outbreak of hostilities has already crossed over from Turkey into northern Iraq.
28 March 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan today wrote to United Nations staff conveying his appreciation for the devotion and loyalty they continue to show during "trying times."
28 March 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today the UN must move speedily to bring humanitarian aid to Iraq and welcomed the unanimous Security Council approval of adjustments to the suspended Oil-for-Food programme giving him more authority to administer the operation for the next 45 days.
28 March 2003 – Despite the remaining obstacles, the Bougainville peace agreement can be fully implemented before the end of the year, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, stressing that international support to the island will be more critical than ever.
28 March 2003 – Deeply concerned that incidents such as a recent public demonstration could hamper the overall peace process and endanger the lives of innocent people in Côte d'Ivoire, the members of the United Nations Security Council today called on all Ivoirian parties to measure up to their responsibilities under the Linas-Marcoussis and Accra peace agreements.
28 March 2003 – The Security Council today decided to extend the deadline for nominating ad litem judges to the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) after the number of candidates nominated for the posts fell short of the required minimum.
28 March 2003 – The Security Council today unanimously approved a resolution adjusting the suspended Oil-for-Food programme to give United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan more authority to administer the operation for the next 45 days.
28 March 2003 – Recognizing that the United Nations must continue to play its central and impartial role in efforts to assist the Afghan people to consolidate peace and rebuild their country, the Security Council today decided to extend the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for another 12 months.
28 March 2003 – Concerned at the continuing fragile security situation in the Mano River region, the Security Council today extended for six months, until 30 September, the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL).
27 March 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today wrapped up its first debate on Iraq since hostilities began on 19 March, with speakers making an overwhelming appeal for humanitarian relief for the civilian population despite their differences over the military action now being waged.
27 March 2003 – While Afghanistan had made definite gains over the past year and the Government was determined to take a lead role in rebuilding the country and economy, the persistent lack of security still threatened the peace process at all levels, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today.
27 March 2003 – Expressing increasing concern for the welfare of the people of Iraq, the top United Nations human rights official issued a fresh appeal today to all parties to respect fundamental civil liberties and observe meticulous precautions in protecting civilians.
26 March 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan today voiced increasing concern over civilian casualties of the conflict in Iraq, and met with his top humanitarian officials to discuss contingency plans for United Nations relief agencies to return to the country as soon as the military action permits.
26 March 2003 – Invoking “the terrifying impact” of war on Iraq, grief for the dead and anguish for the living, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealed today to a divided Security Council to unite on a common purpose, and to the international community to respond swiftly and generously to a new “flash appeal” for humanitarian aid for the Iraqi people.
26 March 2003 – Fulfilling a responsibility United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has described as "crucially important," the countries charged with shaping the newly-inaugurated International Criminal Court (ICC) have selected a prominent Argentinean litigator as the tribunal's chief prosecutor.
26 March 2003 – With military action in Iraq moving into its second week, the Security Council today held its first debate on the situation since the start of hostilities as it began hearing the views of non-members in an open meeting requested by the Arab League and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
25 March 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan met today with United States National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice to discuss the situation in Iraq, including the humanitarian conditions and the requirements for providing assistance to the Iraqi people.
25 March 2003 – In an effort to give the parties more time to consider a United Nations proposal outlining a political solution to the situation in Western Sahara, the Security Council today extended the mandate of the UN mission responsible for organizing a referendum for the territory by two months.
25 March 2003 – The United Nations Security Council will hold on Wednesday its first open debate on Iraq since hostilities broke out and will also seek to reach a consensus on providing humanitarian assistance to the country since the suspension of the UN Oil-for-Food Programme, which allows Baghdad to use part of its petroleum sales to buy relief supplies.
24 March 2003 – While the peace process in Bougainville is stronger than ever, it still needs nurturing, the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a report issued today on progress made by the United Nations mission to the island in Papua New Guinea.
24 March 2003 – Pledging again that the United Nations will do whatever it can to aid the Iraqi people, Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called for urgent measures to restore water and electricity to Basra following reports that the southern city may face a humanitarian disaster and urged the parties to the Iraqi conflict to treat prisoners of war humanely.
22 March 2003 – In a bid to prepare for a new humanitarian relief effort in Iraq, diplomats today began negotiating a Security Council measure which would adapt the work of the United Nations in the country to meet emerging needs.
21 March 2003 – Backing Secretary-General Kofi Annan's recommendation for a gradual withdrawal of United Nations peacekeepers in Sierra Leone, the Security Council today agreed that the rate of evacuation should take into account the capacity of the country's police and army to maintain security.
21 March 2003 – A group of experts will begin discussing plans tomorrow for adjustments to the United Nations humanitarian Oil-for-Food programme based on suggestions submitted by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the President of the Security Council said today.
21 March 2003 – Security remains the most serious challenge facing Afghanistan, the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan says in a report issued today on progress made in the reconstruction efforts and transition towards a fully representative national government.
20 March 2003 – Seeking to give the parties more time to consider a proposal for a political solution to the situation in Western Sahara, Secretary-General Kofi Annan postponed his latest report on the matter and proposed a two-month mandate extension for the United Nations mission responsible for organizing a referendum for the territory.
20 March 2003 – With the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continuing to pose a threat to international peace and security in the region, the Security Council today asked Secretary-General Kofi Annan to boost the number of United Nations military observers and humanitarian staff throughout the country to help monitor developments on the ground.
20 March 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today forcefully condemned the coup d’état and accompanying violence and pillaging that took place last weekend in the Central African Republic (CAR).
20 March 2003 – Concerned about the humanitarian situation in Iraq, the Security Council is scheduled to discuss a letter from Secretary-General Kofi Annan suggesting possible adjustments to the “oil-for-food” programme, the President of the 15-nation body said today.
19 March 2003 – With the prospect of war in Iraq looming over Security Council deliberations on the key remaining disarmament issues for Baghdad to resolve, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealed to the international community today to do "everything we can to mitigate the imminent disaster" of the humanitarian crisis facing the Iraqi people.
19 March 2003 – In the shadow of imminent war, the Security Council today discussed reports from the two top United Nations arms inspectors on key tasks for ridding Iraq of weapons of mass destruction and also emphasized the importance of humanitarian aid to that country in the event of armed conflict.
19 March 2003 – Top United Nations arms inspector Hans Blix today presented a work programme to the Security Council on the key remaining tasks for disarming Iraq, expressing also his sadness that inspections had run out of time and that it appeared war was "imminent."
19 March 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended a gradual withdrawal of the United Nations peacekeepers in Sierra Leone and a six-month extension of their mandate, noting that the country still is not able to maintain security without UN help.
19 March 2003 – The appointment by the Palestinian Authority of an empowered Prime Minister, the decision to present the diplomatic Quartet’s “road map” to the parties and the Israeli Government’s willingness to return to the negotiating table were among the steps under way pointing to a small window of opportunity for pulling the Middle East out of the “abyss” of violence and suffering, the senior United Nations envoy for the region told the Security Council today.
19 March 2003 – The withdrawal of United Nations personnel from Iraq was completed today, with workers that had been monitoring Iraqi oil exports evacuated with the full cooperation of the country's authorities, according to a UN spokesman.
18 March 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today urged the international community to spare no effort to help rein in the phenomenon of mercenary activity that drives the uncontrolled spread of small arms in West Africa.
18 March 2003 – Even as the United Nations withdrew its last weapons inspectors from Iraq today, several Foreign Ministers were planning to attend an open meeting of the Security Council tomorrow to hear from the two top inspectors on the key remaining disarmament issues for Baghdad to resolve.
18 March 2003 – Speaking on the day the last United Nations weapons monitors were withdrawn from Iraq, the top inspector, Hans Blix, today said he feels the inspections should not have been stopped at this stage.
18 March 2003 – Voicing deep concern at the effect the spread of small arms and light weapons, as well as mercenary activities, has had on peace and security in West Africa, the United Nations Security Council today called on countries there to strengthen their cooperation in order to identify individuals and entities engaged in the trafficking of such weapons and who support mercenary activities.
17 March 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced today he will withdraw United Nations staff from Iraq following the failure of efforts to achieve united action in the Security Council in ridding the country of weapons of mass destruction.
17 March 2003 – Despite an inability to reach a united decision on how to proceed with the disarmament of Iraq, the United Nations Security Council has scheduled a meeting for Wednesday to hear from the two top UN weapons inspectors on the key remaining disarmament issues for Baghdad to resolve.
17 March 2003 – The United Kingdom, United States and Spain today announced they will not pursue a vote in the United Nations Security Council on a draft resolution presenting an ultimatum to Iraq and said they reserved the right to take their own steps to secure that country's disarmament.
17 March 2003 – Even as United Nations weapons inspectors were about to be withdrawn from Iraq, they supervised the destruction of two more Al Samoud 2 missiles today, bringing to 72 the total destroyed since the 1 March deadline for beginning the process.
16 March 2003 – The United Nations Security Council will hold a closed-door meeting on Monday to discuss a text being put forward on Iraq.
14 March 2003 – Welcoming the first meeting of the Government of National Reconciliation in Côte d’Ivoire, United Nations Security Council members today called on all the parties to participate in subsequent meetings.
14 March 2003 – Reaffirming its unwavering commitment to the peace process in Ethiopia and Eritrea, the Security Council today extended for six months the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping mission to the two countries.
14 March 2003 – The members of the United Nations Security Council today welcomed the indictments handed down by the Special Court for Sierra Leone as the start of a judicial process aimed at bringing to justice those individuals who bear the greatest responsibility for the suffering inflicted on the people of the country throughout 10 years of conflict.
14 March 2003 – United Nations weapons teams supervised the destruction of four more banned Iraqi Al Samoud 2 missiles today, bringing to 65 – more than half the estimated total – the number destroyed since the 1 March deadline set for starting the process.
13 March 2003 – United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan made yet another appeal today for united Security Council action in ridding Iraq of weapons of mass destruction as the 15-member body continued to wrestle over whether to give UN inspectors more time or to declare Baghdad in default by next Monday.
13 March 2003 – An expert panel investigating the illegal exploitation of natural resources and other forms of wealth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has gathered at United Nations Headquarters in New York for consultations before heading to the Great Lakes region to begin its work.
13 March 2003 – United Nations arms inspectors supervised the destruction of three more banned Iraqi missiles and seven warheads today as they continued to scour food plants for possible evidence of biological or chemical weapons.
13 March 2003 – The governing council of the United Nations panel set up to process claims and pay compensation for losses and damage suffered as a result of Iraq's invasion and occupation of Kuwait in 1990-1991 awarded a further $223.2 million today, bringing to $44 billion the total awarded so far.
12 March 2003 – United Nations arms inspectors supervised the destruction of three more banned Iraqi missiles today, continued their search of food plants for possible evidence of biological weapons and checked factories and a medical centre for chemical and nuclear evidence.
12 March 2003 – Secretary General Kofi Annan and other officials throughout the United Nations system today deplored the assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
12 March 2003 – Expressing strong regret at the continued fighting in Somalia despite peace agreements, the United Nations Security Council today condemned the factions involved in the conflict and called for an immediate end to all acts of violence and safe access for all humanitarian personnel.
12 March 2003 – As members of the United Nations Security Council continued private talks on the way forward in ridding Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, the 15-nation body concluded its open debate among non-members today.
11 March 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan made a new appeal today for Security Council unity in the face of differing approaches to ridding Iraq of banned weapons of mass destruction, repeating earlier statements that war should only be a last resort.
11 March 2003 – Following marathon talks in The Hague, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today that the "end of the road" has been reached after Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders failed to agree on a plan that would enable a united Cyprus to join the European Union later this year.
11 March 2003 – United Nations inspections teams supervised the destruction of three more banned Iraqi missiles today and visited a food plant, three factories and a construction facility for possible evidence of proscribed biological, chemical or nuclear weapons programmes.
11 March 2003 – As United Nations Security Council members wrestled with widely differing approaches to ridding Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, the 15-nation body today gave the floor to non-members to voice their views at the request of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
11 March 2003 – As the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal was inaugurated today in The Hague with the swearing-in of its judges, top United Nations officials hailed the occasion as an historic day for international justice and a reaffirmation of the global commitment to protect and promote fundamental freedoms.
11 March 2003 – The governing council of the United Nations panel set up to process claims and pay compensation for losses and damage suffered as a result of Iraq's invasion and occupation of Kuwait in 1990-1991 opened its 47th session in Geneva today.
10 March 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today appealed for a peaceful solution to ridding Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, stressing that war must "always be a last resort" and that the UN has "a duty to search till the very end for the peaceful resolution of conflicts."
10 March 2003 – While progress has been made, the Ethiopia-Eritrea peace process is now at a critical stage and the international community should continue lending its support in order to finalize the border demarcation, according to a report by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan released today in New York.
10 March 2003 – While welcoming the recent peace agreement reached among Congolese parties in Pretoria, members of the United Nations Security Council today expressed their deep concern about the fighting in Bunia and demanded an immediate end to the continuing hostilities in the north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
10 March 2003 – Sounding “a warning bell at a critical time,” the top United Nations peacekeeping official urged the Security Council today to delay cutbacks in UN military and police forces in Timor-Leste and to enhance support for local authorities in the face of recent civil disturbances and the increase in the number of armed groups in rural areas.
7 March 2003 – Top United Nations weapons inspector Hans Blix told the Security Council today that over the past month Iraq has displayed "active" or even "proactive" cooperation, which has allowed the inspection process to make significant progress, although a number of key disarmament tasks remained to be resolved.
7 March 2003 – Monitors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have made important progress over the last three months in identifying what nuclear-related capabilities remain in Iraq, the head of the Agency told the Security Council today, noting that the last three weeks in particular have seen Baghdad being more forthcoming it its cooperation with the Agency.
7 March 2003 – The United Nations has moved a step closer to handing over substantial responsibilities for autonomy in Kosovo to the local government with the establishment of a transfer council.
7 March 2003 – Several Security Council members today called for the continuation, enhancement and acceleration of inspections in Iraq after hearing reports from two top United Nations disarmament officials on efforts to rid the country of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
7 March 2003 – The United Kingdom, along with Spain and the United States, today introduced a revised draft of a resolution that presents Iraq with a 17 March deadline to cooperate fully with Security Council demands to rid itself of weapons of mass destruction.
7 March 2003 – As the Security Council met today to hear an update of the inspection process in Iraq and wrestled with how to proceed with the disarmament of the country, United Nations monitors continued their activities on the ground.
6 March 2003 – The United Nations Security Council committee monitoring sanctions imposed against the Taliban has added three more organizations to its extensive list of entities and persons subject to the measures because of their links to the group or other terrorist operatives.
6 March 2003 – Although positions in the Security Council are “hard,” Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today, the 15-nation body will have a chance to discuss how to proceed with the disarmament of Iraq “calmly” at a meeting on Friday to hear an update by top United Nations weapons inspector Hans Blix.
6 March 2003 – Representatives of some 60 international, regional and sub-regional organizations attending a special meeting of the United Nations Counter-terrorism Committee (CTC) today agreed to share more information and avoid duplicate efforts in a bid to strengthen global cooperation in the fight against the menace.
6 March 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on the world to unite to prevent weapons of mass destruction from falling into the hands of terrorists.
5 March 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has written to Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom inviting their leaders to be represented at The Hague next week when he meets with the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot parties on a plan that would enable a united Cyprus to join the European Union.
5 March 2003 – United Nations Security Council members, deeply concerned at the humanitarian situation in Liberia, called on all West African states today to refrain from any interference in the affairs of their neighbours, particularly through the movement of arms or mercenaries.
5 March 2003 – Reacting to media reports of an internal United Nations document about proposals for Iraq, Secretary-General Kofi Annan today said there was no UN plan for administering post-conflict Iraq and stressed that the world body has been focusing instead on dealing with the humanitarian side of a potential conflict.
5 March 2003 – Members of the United Nations Security Council today expressed their concern at the political instability in Guinea-Bissau and appealed to the government to ensure that upcoming legislative elections are conducted in a fair, transparent and credible manner.
5 March 2003 – Top United Nations weapons inspector Hans Blix said today that he expects to release by the end of the week a list of 29 "clusters" of issues that Iraq needs to resolve in order to be in compliance with UN demands that it rid itself of banned weapons of mass destruction.
4 March 2003 – The most "delicate question" currently before the Security Council - that of Iraq - will be taken up on Friday with an open briefing by the chief United Nations weapons inspectors, the current President of the 15-nation body said today.
4 March 2003 – Less than a week before he is to meet with the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders in The Hague, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today voiced optimism that a solution can be found to enable a united Cyprus to join the European Union later this year.
4 March 2003 – Citing "significant deterioration" in Timor-Leste's security environment, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called for a freeze in planned cutbacks of UN military and police forces that helped guide the territory to independence last year.
4 March 2003 – The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has initiated talks with groups controlling parts of the country's Ituri region in hopes of dispatching a mission to investigate reports of violence and killings in the area.
4 March 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called Iraq's destruction of banned Al Samoud 2 missiles and its offer to provide more details on its VX nerve gas and anthrax a "positive development" but repeated the views of UN weapons inspectors that "there's much more to be done."
4 March 2003 – The United Nations Security Council will seek to boost the global fight against terrorism this week at a special meeting of its Counter-terrorism Committee (CTC) expected to be attended by more than 50 international, regional and sub-regional organizations.
3 March 2003 – Iraq destroyed six more banned Al Samoud 2 missiles today, bringing the total to 16 since the 1 March deadline set by United Nations chief weapons inspector Hans Blix for starting the destruction.
1 March 2003 – Representatives of countries concerned about the situation in Liberia have issued a statement urging ceasefire talks between the country's Government and the rebel Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD).
28 February 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in a report issued today, calls on Somalia’s faction-ridden leadership to cease “serious hostilities” and urges international donors to contribute generously and speedily to humanitarian and peace-building programmes there.
28 February 2003 – Iraq's promised destruction of its Al Samoud 2 missiles is "a very significant piece of real disarmament," chief United Nations weapons inspector Hans Blix said today, as a written report by UN monitors on the inspection process was distributed to Security Council members late Friday.
28 February 2003 – Liberia is at a critical crossroads between peace and conflict, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a report issued today, warning that continued support for Liberian rebels could engulf the whole of West Africa in an economic and humanitarian crisis.
27 February 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has re-appointed an expert panel investigating the illegal exploitation of natural resources and other forms of wealth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
27 February 2003 – Iraq agreed in principle today to a United Nations demand to destroy its Al Samoud 2 missiles, the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) announced late Thursday in New York.
26 February 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today expressed concern at serious human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), called for the punishment of those responsible and urged all parties to the conflict to maintain law and order in the areas under their control.
26 February 2003 – The United Nations Security Council committee monitoring sanctions imposed against the Taliban has added an organization in the Kurdish-controlled area of north-eastern Iraq to its extensive list of entities and persons subject to the sanctions because of their links to the group or other terrorist operatives.
26 February 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealed to the Frente POLISARIO today to speed up the release of all remaining prisoners of war as 100 freed POWs were repatriated to Morocco.
25 February 2003 – While the all-inclusive power-sharing agreement signed last December was an important step towards national reconciliation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the parties have yet to take steps to implement the accord and instead remain engaged in military confrontations, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a report released today.
25 February 2003 – United Nations disarmament official Hans Blix said today he has received new letters from Iraq containing some "positive elements" for his search for evidence of banned weapons of mass destruction, but cautioned that the correspondence needs to be explored further.
25 February 2003 – United Nations Security Council members today welcomed targeted sanctions as a useful tool to focus pressure on specific states and entities while minimizing the unintended impact on civilian populations and non-targeted states and entities.
24 February 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan made a new appeal to Iraq today to disarm and cooperate proactively with United Nations inspectors in their search for banned weapons of mass destruction, saying that even now war was not inevitable.
24 February 2003 – The United Nations board that provides guidance to UN disarmament official Hans Blix is meeting today with him to review his upcoming quarterly report to the Security Council on the work of the UN weapons inspectors in Iraq.
24 February 2003 – Citing "recent and worrying trends," the top United Nations peacekeeping official today called for immediate measures to improve security in Afghanistan, where international assistance agencies have come under threat of kidnapping and other hostile action.
24 February 2003 – The Security Council today was presented with two plans on how to proceed with the disarmament of Iraq, with one calling for bulked up and continued inspections by the United Nations while the other would find that Iraq has failed to take the “final opportunity” afforded to it in resolution 1441.
24 February 2003 – A diverse team of experts dispatched to Côte d'Ivoire by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in the war-torn country today to begin its work amid mounting international concern that a recent peace agreement has failed to quell hostilities or ease ethnic tensions.
21 February 2003 – Expressing deep concern at the humanitarian and economic consequences of the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire for the whole West African region, members of the United Nations Security Council today called again on all Ivoirian political forces to immediately implement the peace agreement signed and adopted last month in France.
21 February 2003 – The chief United Nations weapons inspector, Hans Blix, is expected to order Iraq, possibly as early as today, to destroy its Al Samoud 2 missiles because they could exceed the 150 kilometre-range limit mandated by Security Council resolutions.
20 February 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan met with several African leaders in Paris today, including South African President Thabo Mbeki and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, to discuss top world and regional issues.
20 February 2003 – The United Nations Counter-terrorism Committee (CTC) has agreed on a three-point action plan to bolster member countries’ abilities to fight the menace, its chairman told the Security Council today.
19 February 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today appointed four members of an expert panel that will undertake a three-month follow-up assessment mission to Liberia and neighbouring countries to investigate compliance with international sanctions levied against Monrovia.
19 February 2003 – Concluding its latest debate on the next steps in the disarmament of Iraq, the United Nations Security Council today heard the views of some 30 more countries.
19 February 2003 – The top United Nations envoy for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) said today he would seek Security Council action if a rebel group did not stop blocking peace efforts in the Ituri region, where half a million people have been displaced, women raped and many children enlisted as soldiers.
19 February 2003 – The Security Council has referred a letter from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to its experts for further consultations before beginning any discussion of the matter, the President of the 15-nation body said today.
18 February 2003 – United Nations inspectors will carry on with their work until the Security Council decides otherwise, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today in Rome, stressing that there is no time limit in the Council's resolutions and that a debate is going on in the 15-nation body about how much more time is needed.
18 February 2003 – The ongoing debate over how to proceed with the disarmament of Iraq continued today as the Security Council convened an open meeting to hear the views of some 60 non-Council members on the matter.
17 February 2003 – Continuing the search for evidence of Baghdad's nuclear arms programme, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today privately interviewed a Senior Engineer in connection with Iraq's procurement history related to key aluminum tubes.
14 February 2003 – After being updated by the chief United Nations monitors on the weapons inspection process in Iraq, the Security Council held an open meeting today to debate the next steps for dealing with the disarmament of that country.
14 February 2003 – As the Security Council met in New York to hear an update on the inspections process in Iraq, UN monitors on the ground continued to carry out visits today to various facilities around the country.
14 February 2003 – Reiterating that no evidence of prohibited nuclear activities has been found in Iraq so far, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) told the Security Council today that a number of issues still remain under investigation and that no conclusions could be drawn about them.
14 February 2003 – After 11 weeks of inspections, United Nations monitors have not found any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but Baghdad still needs to show "credible" evidence that such arms do not exist, a top UN disarmament official told the Security Council today.
13 February 2003 – Deeply concerned by the continuous heavy fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), despite the signing of ceasefire agreements, two top United Nations officials today briefed the Security Council on the military situation and the deteriorating human rights conditions in that country.
13 February 2003 – The best path towards achieving a comprehensive regional peace in the Middle East remains moving forward with the road map of the diplomatic Quartet, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today.
13 February 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today strongly condemned last weekend's bomb attack in Bogotá, Colombia, saying that it regards such acts, like any act of terrorism, as a threat to international peace and security.
13 February 2003 – Underscoring the belief of Secretary-General Kofi Annan that war in Iraq is not inevitable, a senior United Nations relief official today outlined the world body's plans for humanitarian assistance to that country in the event of armed conflict.
13 February 2003 – A top United Nations envoy for Western Sahara today welcomed the announcement by the Frente POLISARIO of its decision to release 100 Moroccan prisoners of war to mark the day of Eid-al-Adha.
12 February 2003 – Ahead of his briefing the Security Council on Friday, a top UN weapons inspector, Hans Blix, met in New York today with the College of Commissioners of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC).
12 February 2003 – Expressing deep concern that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has rejected efforts at dialogue and is now in further non-compliance with international nuclear safeguards, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today decided to report the matter to the United Nations Security Council and the General Assembly.
12 February 2003 – Iraqi oil revenues for the week ending 7 February totalled $320 million based on the export of 11.8 million barrels, according to the United Nations office overseeing the humanitarian "oil-for-food" programme, which allows Baghdad to use a portion of its petroleum sales to buy relief supplies.
12 February 2003 – The United Nations Security Council decided today that an upcoming briefing on Iraq by the UN's top weapons inspectors will be open to non-Council members.
12 February 2003 – Members of the United Nations Security Council today welcomed the steps taken by the Government of Angola towards the full implementation of the Lusaka Protocol.
10 February 2003 – Despite a history of unsuccessful attempts at achieving durable peace, Angola is now firmly placed on the path of political, social and economic recovery, according to a report by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan released today in New York.
10 February 2003 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan will brief the members of the Security Council later this week on the status of contingency planning by the United Nations for humanitarian assistance for Iraq in the event of war.
10 February 2003 – Just days before the top United Nations disarmament officials are to give an update to the Security Council, UN monitors in Iraq continued their inspections of various sites around the country today.
9 February 2003 – The top United Nations weapons inspector, Hans Blix, today said he saw signs the Iraqi authorities were taking the disarmament issues “more seriously,” reporting that a number of documents concerning biological weapons and missiles have been turned over to UN officials for analysis.
8 February 2003 – Stressing the importance of a united Security Council as it ponders the next steps in dealing with the disarmament of Iraq, Secretary-General Kofi Annan today reiterated his belief that all possibilities of a peaceful settlement should be exhausted before resorting to the use of force.
7 February 2003 – The top United Nations human rights official today expressed grave concern over the growing violence in Côte d'Ivoire, condemning the propaganda carried by some national media aimed at inciting war, hatred and xenophobia.
6 February 2003 – With Côte d'Ivoire reeling from the aftershocks of a five-month civil war, the United Nations has decided to pull its non-essential staff out of the country.
6 February 2003 – The top United Nations envoy in Kosovo today told the Security Council that the priorities for the UN's mission this year will focus on the standards that are required for a decent life, such as reducing the crime rate, improving the economy and encouraging the formation of a multi-ethnic society.
6 February 2003 – Backing the individual benchmarks and targets set by the United Nations, the Security Council today welcomed the progress made in the province in 2002 and voiced its support for the UN's continued efforts in improving the economy and reducing the level of crime.
6 February 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today reappointed for another year, the five experts monitoring implementation of UN sanctions imposed on Al-Qaida and their associates.
5 February 2003 – Armed with satellite images, transcripts of intercepted telephone conversations and other intelligence data, United States Secretary of State Colin Powell today presented the United Nations Security Council with what he called "solid" evidence that showed Iraq still has not complied with resolutions calling for it to disarm.
5 February 2003 – Addressing the Security Council after United States Secretary of State Colin Powell presented evidence of Iraq’s failure to disarm, the Iraqi representative to the United Nations today refuted the US charges and reaffirmed his country’s readiness to continue to fully cooperate with UN inspectors.
5 February 2003 – After United States Secretary of State Colin Powell presented to the Security Council US evidence of Iraq's failure to destroy illicit weapons, several members of the Council voiced their strong support for the continuation of United Nations inspections and urged Baghdad to cooperate proactively in the process.
5 February 2003 – Warning that time was running out for Iraq to comply with resolutions calling for the dismantling of its weapons of mass destruction, some members of the United Nations Security Council said today that the 15-nation body needed to uphold its responsibility for maintaining international peace and security.
5 February 2003 – The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, said today that he still believed war in Iraq was not inevitable but stressed that Baghdad must comply fully and proactively with Security Council demands.
4 February 2003 – As the top United Nations disarmament officials prepare for another round of talks with Iraqi authorities this weekend, Hans Blix said today it is essential for Baghdad to actively produce any prohibited items or show "credible evidence" for their absence as a show of cooperation with the inspection process.
4 February 2003 – Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of Côte d'Ivoire, the United Nations Security Council today called on all Ivoirian political forces to fully implement, without delay, the peace agreement signed and adopted last month in France.
4 February 2003 – On the eve of a Security Council meeting to hear a briefing by the United States on its evidence of Iraq’s suspected arms programme, United Nations monitors on the ground pressed forward with their inspections today.
4 February 2003 – Tomorrow's briefing by United States Secretary of State Colin Powell will be the first big event on the Security Council's calendar for the month of February, the President of the 15-nation body said today.
3 February 2003 – The United Nations today voiced deep concern that air violations by Israel across the line of withdrawal in southern Lebanon are continuing and seem to have increased in the past few days.
31 January 2003 – The top United Nations envoy for Afghanistan told the Security Council today that while impressive gains had been made over the past year, the country still faced tough challenges and the peace process was "far from secure" amid worrying reports that support for the remnants of the Taliban might be growing in some areas.
31 January 2003 – With demobilization programmes under way and elections imminent in Angola, the United Nations top envoy has called for a "spirit of new partnership" to help the war-torn country overcome any new challenges that lie ahead.
30 January 2003 – Strongly supporting continuing efforts to promote the achievement of a comprehensive political settlement to the status of Abkhazia, the Security Council today unanimously extended the mandate of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) for an additional six months, until 31 July.
30 January 2003 – Members of the United Nations Security Council today welcomed the recent moves in Burundi by the Government and rebel leaders towards settling the nation's ongoing conflict.
30 January 2003 – Emphasizing the responsibilities of States to end impunity and prosecute those responsible for egregious crimes perpetrated against children, the United Nations Security Council this morning called on all parties to armed conflict who are recruiting or using children in violation of their international obligations to halt such practices immediately.
30 January 2003 – The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for another six months, until 31 July.
30 January 2003 – With the Security Council planning to hold a meeting next week to discuss the situation in Iraq, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today said anticipation was high for the visit of United States Secretary of State Colin Powell.
30 January 2003 – In a bid to give the parties time to consider Secretary-General Kofi Annan's proposal for a political solution to the situation in Western Sahara, the Security Council today extended by two months the mandate of the United Nations mission responsible for organizing a referendum for the territory.
29 January 2003 – The United Nations Security Council committee monitoring sanctions imposed against the Taliban has added two more individuals to its list of persons and entities subject to the sanctions because of their links to the group or other terrorist operatives.
29 January 2003 – As the Security Council met in New York behind closed doors to discuss the next steps forward on Iraq, United Nations inspectors continued their visits today to various facilities around the country.
29 January 2003 – Côte d'Ivoire urgently needs peace if it is to avoid the slide into an abyss of further human rights atrocities and all-out war, according to the report of a United Nations mission dispatched to the country late last month.
29 January 2003 – The Security Council, which had been briefed on Monday by the chief United Nations weapons inspectors, met behind closed doors today to continue their discussions on the situation in Iraq.
28 January 2003 – Just back from Paris where factions in Côte d'Ivoire signed an accord aimed at ending the months-long civil strife in the country, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today briefed the Security Council on the progress achieved and the current situation on the ground.
28 January 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today decided to re-establish an expert panel to monitor compliance with international sanctions levied against Liberia.
28 January 2003 – Iraqi oil revenues for the week ending 24 January totalled $324 million based on the export of 11.4 million barrels, according to the United Nations office overseeing the humanitarian "oil-for-food" programme, which allows Baghdad to use a portion of its petroleum sales to buy relief supplies.
28 January 2003 – A planned interview of an Iraqi by United Nations officials did not take place today after the individual insisted on having a witness present during the questioning, a spokesman for the UN said in Baghdad.
28 January 2003 – Concerned by the link between the illicit trade in rough diamonds and the fuelling of armed conflicts around the world, the United Nations Security Council today gave its backing to a global certification scheme for the precious stones.
28 January 2003 – Voicing satisfaction at the agreement to end nearly four months of civil strife in Côte d’Ivoire, members of the United Nations Security Council today urged the parties to implement the peace accord constructively, without delay and to avoid further violence.
27 January 2003 – The United Nations Security Council, which was briefed today by the chief UN weapons inspectors on their work in Iraq over the past two months, will consult on the matter again on Wednesday, the Council President said on Monday.
27 January 2003 – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has so far found no evidence that Iraq has revived the nuclear weapons programme it had eliminated in the 1990s, the head of the UN agency told the Security Council today, while stressing that more time was needed for a conclusive assessment.
27 January 2003 – While Iraq has cooperated in allowing United Nations inspectors into various sites, the top UN arms expert, Hans Blix, told the Security Council today that Baghdad should be more forthcoming with information and allow greater access to key personnel with knowledge of the country's weapons programmes.
27 January 2003 – The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, said today that UN weapons inspectors should be given the necessary time to do their job in Iraq, but stressed the need for a proactive approach by Baghdad in cooperating with the UN.
26 January 2003 – Côte d'Ivoire's leaders and people hold the key to lasting peace in their country, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today in Paris, where the parties have signed an accord aimed at ending their months-long conflict.
26 January 2003 – On the eve of a key report to the Security Council on United Nations weapons inspections in Iraq, UN experts on the ground continued their probe into the country’s illegal arms programmes.
25 January 2003 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today urged the factions in Côte d'Ivoire to make good on pledges in an agreement aimed at ending the country's civil strife, and called for international support to bolster the effort.
25 January 2003 – Exercising powers granted by the Security Council, United Nations officials in Iraq tried to interview several individuals privately, but were unable to do so after they declined, a UN spokesman in Baghdad reported today.
24 January 2003 – The United Nations Security Council today unanimously decided to ask for a new six-month mandate for a panel of experts investigating the illegal exploitation of natural resources and other forms of wealth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
23 January 2003 – The College of Commissioners of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) met today at UN Headquarters in New York with Executive Chairman Hans Blix to review the work of the inspectors on the ground in Iraq.
23 January 2003 – Reacting to charges of bias and partiality levelled by a rebel faction operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations peacekeeping mission in that country today strongly reaffirmed its objectivity.
23 January 2003 – Stressing that the responsibility for a solution to the situation in Western Sahara rested solely with the parties, the members of the United Nations Security Council today said they agreed to extend the mandate of the UN mission there to give the parties time to consider the proposal presented to them recently by the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, James A. Baker III.
23 January 2003 – Reacting to attacks on Israeli positions across the withdrawal line in southern Lebanon, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Terje Roed-Larsen, has voiced concern at the pattern of repeat violations.
22 January 2003 – The aid pipeline on which six million to eight million people in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) depend is drying up, a United Nations envoy who just returned from that country warned today.
22 January 2003 – Citing reinvigorated peace efforts in Somalia and the Sudan, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has decided that his top adviser on Africa should remain in the region through the end of the year to continue providing advice on the UN's role as the pace of negotiations accelerates.
21 January 2003 – With his Personal Envoy having just gone to the region to present a new plan to settle the conflict over Western Sahara, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended a two-month extension of the United Nations mission in order to give the parties time to consider the proposal.
20 January 2003 – Foreign Ministers meeting at the United Nations Security Council today called for all countries to take urgent action to prevent and suppress all active and passive support to terrorism, and to comply fully with Council resolutions dealing with the scourge.
20 January 2003 – The top United Nations envoy for Kosovo, Michael Steiner, said today he is ready to hand over all competencies that he legally can to Kosovo's provisional institutions on one condition - that they work more seriously.
20 January 2003 – As the United Nations Security Council met this morning for a high-level debate on combating terrorism, Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the attending foreign ministers that the UN must play an increasing role in dissuading would-be-perpetrators of terror by setting effective international norms.
17 January 2003 – Stressing the obligation of all States to work together urgently to prevent and suppress terrorist acts, the United Nations Security Council moved unanimously today to improve implementation of the sanctions regime imposed on Usama bin Laden, Al-Qaida, the Taliban and their associates.
17 January 2003 – Members of the United Nations Security Council today urged the Government of Liberia and a rebel group to end their current conflict and to work towards holding peaceful elections.
16 January 2003 – There is a clear consensus within the international community of support for the diplomatic Quartet’s efforts to reach a permanent settlement to the situation in the Middle East based on two sovereign states, living side-by-side in peace and security, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today.
16 January 2003 – After submitting a revised mandate for the United Nations Peace-building Support Office in Liberia (UNOL), Secretary-General Kofi Annan says that he is still waiting to hear from Freetown about the proposed changes.
16 January 2003 – After meeting with European officials today in the first of a series of talks before heading to Baghdad, the top United Nations weapons inspector said Iraq must offer more “proactive” cooperation with UN monitors in order to avoid military conflict.
16 January 2003 – The United Nations humanitarian envoy for the crisis in Côte d’Ivoire arrived in Abidjan today with a mandate to focus international attention on the crisis unfolding in the country, and to ensure that all affected populations – including nearly 1 million internally displaced persons – receive the help they so desperately need.
16 January 2003 – The top United Nations envoy guiding negotiations to end the conflict over Western Sahara has met with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to discuss proposals for a peaceful solution.
15 January 2003 – The situation in southern Lebanon has returned to one of general stability with sporadic incidents of hostility between Lebanon and Israel, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in his latest report on the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
15 January 2003 – Members of the United Nations Security Council today stressed the need for all parties claiming a role in the future of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to demonstrate their respect for human rights, international humanitarian law, and the security and well-being of civilian populations in areas under their control.
15 January 2003 – A United Nations investigation has confirmed reports of serious human rights abuses perpetrated by soldiers and armed groups operating in the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN mission in the country said today.
14 January 2003 – Stressing that United Nations inspectors in Iraq were only now getting up to full speed, Secretary-General Kofi Annan today said he believed it was premature to talk about war before the monitors report to the Security Council again later this month.
14 January 2003 – Although recent statements by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on its nuclear programme pose a "grave" threat to peace and security, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today said he remained optimistic that a diplomatic solution to the crisis could be found.
14 January 2003 – As the United Nations Security Council today debated measures to protect children in armed conflict, top UN officials stressed that "naming and shaming" parties that continue to recruit and use child soldiers will send a clear signal that perpetrators will be held accountable for their actions.
14 January 2003 – The top United Nations envoy guiding negotiations to end the conflict over Western Sahara began his four-day visit to the region today, a United Nations spokesperson said today in New York.
13 January 2003 – The Presidency of the United Nations Security Council has announced a ministerial-level open meeting next week on combating terrorism.
13 January 2003 – The Special Adviser to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Cyprus is back in the island nation today for meetings with the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders as part of the UN's efforts to help the parties reach a comprehensive agreement before the country joins the European Union.
10 January 2003 – The United Nations humanitarian envoy for the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire today said that a major focus of her upcoming mission to the country would be to negotiate humanitarian access to vulnerable populations.
10 January 2003 – Members of the United Nations Security Council today voiced concern that the Government of Sierra Leone has not yet fully re-established control in parts of the country, including the diamond-producing areas, and urged authorities in Freetown to make rapid progress with this, including by adopting a policy for the diamond sector.
10 January 2003 – The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has sent a letter informing the Security Council of its decision to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the President of the 15-nation body said today.
9 January 2003 – A coalition of international anti-drug experts has vowed its readiness to support Afghanistan's efforts to build the strong government infrastructure needed to curb illicit drugs in the country and combat drug trafficking in the region, the United Nations mission said today.
9 January 2003 – The top United Nations weapons inspectors today said there were still many unanswered questions in Iraq's arms declaration although investigations on the ground so far have not uncovered any "smoking guns."
9 January 2003 – After hearing a briefing from the chief United Nations weapons inspectors on the international probe into evidence of Iraq's weapons programme, Security Council members today voiced their full support for the work of the arms experts, the current President of the 15-nation body said today.
9 January 2003 – As the chief United Nations inspectors briefed the Security Council today in New York, UN arms experts in Iraq pressed forward with their probe on the ground.
8 January 2003 – Members of the United Nations Security Council today welcomed the decision by Chad and the Central African Republic to quickly convene a joint commission in Gabon and urged them to use it to make substantial progress in their bilateral relations.
8 January 2003 – Just a little more than one month after Iraq handed over a 12,000-page dossier on its weapons programme, the top United Nations arms inspectors are preparing to give the Security Council a preliminary assessment of their investigations on the ground.
7 January 2003 – The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has just weeks to begin complying with a resolution adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) before the matter is referred to the Security Council for action, a spokesperson for the watchdog body said today.
7 January 2003 – Members of the Security Council today urged Ethiopia and Eritrea to continue to extend their full cooperation to the United Nations mission in the region and the independent Boundary Commission in order to ensure the smooth demarcation of the border between the two countries.
7 January 2003 – The current situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) continues to be a source of concern, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a new report, warning that the presence of an armed rebellion in the northern part of the country, together with the insecurity and depravations suffered by the local populations, are all destabilizing factors that raise tensions and hamper efforts to restore peace.
6 January 2003 – As the United Nations steps up the complex and delicate troop-reduction programme for its peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone, ongoing tensions in Liberia and the emergence of a new conflict in Côte d'Ivoire continue to pose threats to peace and security in the region, Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a new report released today.
6 January 2003 – Warning the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) that its continued defiance would render it in non-compliance with international nuclear safeguards, the governing board of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency today adopted a resolution calling for Pyongyang to cooperate and readmit international inspectors.
6 January 2003 – Previewing the Security Council's agenda for the month of January, France's Ambassador to the United Nations and the current President of the 15-nation body said today that Iraq, the Middle East and Africa would continue to figure prominently in upcoming deliberations.
6 January 2003 – The top United Nations envoy guiding negotiations to end the conflict over Western Sahara is set to visit the region next week for talks with the parties involved, a United Nations spokesperson said today in New York.
2 January 2003 – Angola, Chile, Germany, Pakistan and Spain have joined the United Nations Security Council as non-permanent members, beginning their two-year terms on 1 January.
