Yearbook of the United Nations, 2002. Part 1, Political and security questions. Chapter 1, International Peace and Security

Abstract

The United Nations strengthened efforts in 2002 to respond to new and continuing global, regional and national challenges to Africa, particularly the threat of international terrorism. Through the activities of its Counter-Terrorism Committee, the Security Council monitored the implementation of the measures it had adopted in 2001 to counter international terrorism and assisted many States in developing their capacity to do so. The Council held a high-level meeting of remembrance on the anniversary of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States to review progress in that regard. Steps were also taken by the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice and the International Atomic Energy Agency to address the criminal and nuclear implications of international terrorism, while the General Assembly strengthened the Secretariat's Terrorism Prevention Branch. Those efforts were however overshadowed by new terrorist acts in the latter part of the year in several parts of the world. The Security Council, in separate resolutions, condemned terrorist attacks in Indonesia, Kenya and the Russian Federation and urged Member States to assist those countries to find and bring the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors to justice. In December, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to study ways to promote further, in the context of implementing the Millennium Declaration, a more comprehensive and coherent response to the global threats and challenges of the twenty-first century. To help the Council deal with regional and national threats to Africa, the Secretary-General examined the role of the United Nations in conflict prevention and made a number of proposals for bolstering national, regional and international conflict prevention capacities and efforts at conflict management. In that regard, the Council addressed the issue of preventing armed conflict, the role of diamonds in fuelling conflict in Africa, food aid in conflict settlement and the role regional organizations could play in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. United Nations efforts in conflict prevention and peace-building continued to be supported by its political and peace-building missions, which rose in number to 14 during 2002. The Organization also took steps to further streamline and strengthen the management of its peacekeeping operations through the implementation of the recommendations made in 2000 in the Brahimi report by the Panel on United Nations Peace Operations. As part of those efforts, it enhanced the Department of Peacekeeping Operations standby arrangement and rapid deployment capacity, including the creation of strategic deployment stocks at the United Nations Logistics Base in Brindisi, Italy. During the year, the United Nations created one new peacekeeping mission and three missions completed their mandates. The total number of missions in operation at the end of the year dropped to 13. The number of military personnel and civilian police serving under United Nations command fell to 39,652 at the end of 2002 compared to 47,000 the year before. The Assembly designated 29 May as the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, to be observed annually to pay tribute to all those who had served and continued to serve in UN peacekeeping missions and to honour the memory of those who had lost their lives in the cause of peace. The Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, the body responsible for reviewing UN peacekeeping operations in all their aspects, met in February. It made recommendations on additional mechanisms for consultations with troop-contributing countries and on action to enhance UN peacekeeping capacity, as well as for increased cooperation with regional arrangements. The financial situation of UN peacekeeping operations improved during the financial period 1 July 2001 to 30 June 2002. Although the cost of those operations increased from $2,378.7 million during the previous financial period to $2,578.1 million, unpaid assessed contributions decreased to $1.2 billion, compared to $2.3 billion. The Assembly considered various aspects of peacekeeping financing, including the peacekeeping support account and the financing of the United Nations Logistics Base in Brindisi. The Assembly also had before it recommendations for improving the conditions of the field service category of staff and for improving recruitment policies and procedures.