Work of the Organization – SecGen report (excerpts)

Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Chapter I

Achieving peace and security

10. The United Nations worked tirelessly around the globe throughout the year to prevent and resolve conflicts and to consolidate peace. From Afghanistan to Burundi, from Iraq to the Sudan, from Haiti to the Middle East, the tools employed were as diverse as the circumstances. My envoys used their good offices in seeking peace agreements or in trying to prevent disputes from violently escalating. Peacekeepers deployed to conflict zones in record numbers and in complex multidimensional operations — working not only to provide security, but also to disarm, demobilize and reintegrate former fighters; to permit the safe and sustainable return of refugees and internally displaced persons; and to help war-torn countries, write constitutions, hold elections and strengthen human rights and the rule of law. United Nations agencies, funds and programmes tailored their assistance to the special needs of post-conflict societies.

Conflict prevention and peacemaking

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15. Violence dropped sharply in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as actions by leaders on both sides generated new hopes for peace. The summit meeting held at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on 8 February 2005 produced a series of commitments — including a halt to violence and military activities — aimed at rebuilding trust and breaking the cycle of bloodshed. Although formal negotiations were not resumed, the two parties agreed to hold direct discussions to coordinate the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and parts of the northern West Bank, scheduled to take place in August.

16. I welcomed the new momentum with cautious optimism, aware there would likely be setbacks and delays. During a visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory in March 2005, I urged the two sides to seek further progress through direct dialogue and negotiations. In May, I appointed a new Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative to the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization. The United Nations has also remained engaged through its participation in the Quartet for Middle East peace, which has met five times in the period since September 2004, and in April 2005 I appointed a Special Envoy for Gaza Disengagement. Despite the improved climate for peace, I continued to express grave concern about the Israeli barrier and its humanitarian impact. In response to a request from the General Assembly, I proposed a framework for a registry of damage caused by the barrier.

17. Lebanon became a focus of international attention following the adoption of Security Council resolution 1559 (2004) in September and the shocking bomb attack that killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 20 others in Beirut in February 2005. I designated a Special Envoy for the implementation of Security Council resolution 1559 (2004), which called, among other things, for the withdrawal of foreign forces from the country and the disbanding and disarmament of militias. A team of military experts I dispatched to Lebanon at the end of April concluded to the best of its ability that Syrian military assets, except in one disputed border area, had been withdrawn fully from Lebanon. I sent the team back in June to clarify allegations that Syrian intelligence operatives continued to operate in the country.

18. The assassination of Mr. Hariri, occurring only months before planned parliamentary elections, raised fears that Lebanon would return to its violent past. In condemning the attack, the Security Council requested that I report to it urgently on its causes, circumstances and consequences. Within days I dispatched a mission of inquiry, which concluded that an international commission should independently investigate the crime. The Council agreed, calling for such a commission to be created to assist the Lebanese authorities in investigating the bombing. By June, the United Nations International Independent Investigation Commission was fully operational. I also responded positively to a request of the Lebanese Government for electoral assistance by deploying a mission to help authorities prepare for the parliamentary elections and to coordinate the work of international electoral observers. The holding of these elections on time and in a credible manner has been a key element in a transition in which the Lebanese people have been expressing their determination to shape their own future, strengthen political institutions and restore their full sovereignty.

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Peacekeeping and peacebuilding

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53. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon continued to monitor the Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon. The past year has seen a limited number of armed exchanges between Hizbollah and the Israel Defense Forces, the worst of which resulted in the death of an Israeli soldier and a United Nations military observer. Israel frequently violated Lebanese airspace and, in a new development, Hizbollah drones twice penetrated Israeli airspace. My representatives in the region and I have continued to urge the parties to respect the Blue Line and to abide fully by their obligations. We have also continued to emphasize the pressing need for the Lebanese Government to exert control over the use of force throughout its entire territory and to prevent attacks from Lebanon across the Blue Line.

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Chapter III

Meeting humanitarian commitments

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Protecting and assisting refugees and displaced populations

151. The consolidation of peace in a number of conflicts during 2004 encouraged the return of refugees and displaced people to their homes. More than 1.5 million refugees were aided in their voluntary repatriation last year, 35 per cent more than in 2003. UNHCR estimates that in 2004 the global number of refugees dropped to 9.2 million, its lowest level since 1980. That number does not, however, include an estimated 4.2 million Palestine refugees, who continued to receive assistance and services from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), among them an estimated 1.6 million living in the occupied Palestinian territory. In spite of the decrease in the number of refugees, the total population of concern to UNHCR increased from 17 million people at the end of 2003 to 19.2 million by the end of 2004. The latter figure includes 4.8 million internally displaced persons, a fraction of the worldwide total. Globally an estimated 25 million people have been displaced internally because of conflict or human rights violations.

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Humanitarian assistance

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165. In the Middle East,  …

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166. In the same region, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is continuing its regular programme of assistance for the 4.2 million Palestine refugees registered in Jordan, Lebanon, the Syrian Arab Republic and the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Agency enrols some 500,000 students in 652 schools, operates 125 health clinics, supports 250,000 poor refugees, works with 102 community-based centres and operates an extensive microcredit programme. UNRWA also continues to provide emergency support to Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory, where poverty rates are as high as 70 per cent. In 2004, for instance, UNRWA provided food aid to more than 1.1 million Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory. The Agency also constructed some 300 new shelters in southern Gaza, where Israeli forces had demolished over 730 shelters. UN-Habitat has also started a special human settlements programme for the Palestinian people. Despite such efforts, developments such as the extension of the Israeli barrier in the West Bank have exacerbated the deteriorating socio-economic conditions of the Palestinian population.

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