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Constitution and law |
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The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Kosovo (SRSG) is appointed by the Secretary-General to lead the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). The Joint Interim Administrative Structure and then the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government held their authority under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, reporting to the Special Representative.
№ | Name | Lifespan | Term of office | State | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Act. | Sérgio Vieira de Mello | 1948–2003 | 11 June 1999 | 14 July 1999 | Brazil |
1 | Bernard Kouchner | 1939– | 15 July 1999 | 12 January 2001 | France |
2 | Hans Hækkerup | 1945–2013 | 13 January 2001 | 31 December 2001 | Denmark |
Act. | Charles H. Brayshaw | 1942– | 1 January 2002 | 14 February 2002 | United States |
3 | Michael Steiner | 1949– | 14 February 2002 | 8 July 2003 | Germany |
Act. | Charles H. Brayshaw | 1942– | 8 July 2003 | 25 August 2003 | United States |
4 | Harri Holkeri | 1937–2011 | 25 August 2003 | 11 June 2004 | Finland |
Act. | Charles H. Brayshaw | 1942– | 11 June 2004 | 16 August 2004 | United States |
5 | Søren Jessen-Petersen | 1945– | 16 August 2004 | 30 June 2006 | Denmark |
Act. | Steven P. Schook | 1953– | 30 June 2006 | 31 August 2006 | United States |
6 | Joachim Rücker | 1951– | 1 September 2006 | 20 June 2008 | Germany |
7 | Lamberto Zannier | 1954– | 20 June 2008 | 30 June 2011 | Italy |
Act. | Robert E. Sorenson | — | 1 July 2011 | 3 August 2011 | United States |
8 | Farid Zarif | 1951– | 3 August 2011 | 31 August 2015 | Afghanistan |
Act. | Simona Miculescu | 1959– | 1 September 2015 | 9 October 2015 | Romania |
9 | Zahir Tanin | 1956– | 9 October 2015 | 4 November 2021 | Afghanistan |
Act. | Barrie Lynne Freeman | — | 4 November 2021 [1] | 19 January 2022 | United States |
10 | Caroline Ziadeh | — | 19 January 2022 | Incumbent | Lebanon |
The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo is the officially mandated mission of the United Nations in Kosovo. The UNMIK describes its mandate as being to "help the United Nations Security Council achieve an overall objective, namely, to ensure conditions for a peaceful and normal life for all inhabitants of Kosovo and advance regional stability in the Western Balkans."
The Kosovo Protection Corps was a civilian emergency services organization in Kosovo active from 1999 until 2009.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1244, adopted on 10 June 1999, after recalling resolutions 1160 (1998), 1199 (1998), 1203 (1998) and 1239 (1999), authorised an international civil and military presence in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and established the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). It followed an agreement by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milošević to terms proposed by President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari and former Prime Minister of Russia Viktor Chernomyrdin on 8 June, involving withdrawal of all Yugoslav state forces from Kosovo.
Søren Jessen-Petersen is a Danish lawyer and civil servant. He was named Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Kosovo and head of UNMIK on 16 July 2004. He held the position until the end of June 2006.
The Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Kosovo or PISG are local administrative bodies in Kosovo that were established by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) during the period that the United Nations was directly responsible for the governance of Kosovo.
The political status of Kosovo, also known as the Kosovo question, is the subject of a long-running political and territorial dispute between the Serbian government and the Government of Kosovo, stemming from the breakup of Yugoslavia (1991–92) and the ensuing Kosovo War (1998–99). In 1999, the administration of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija was handed on an interim basis to the United Nations under the terms of UNSCR 1244 which ended the Kosovo conflict of that year. That resolution reaffirmed the territorial integrity of Serbia over Kosovo but required the UN administration to promote the establishment of 'substantial autonomy and self-government' for Kosovo pending a 'final settlement' for negotiation between the parties.
A special representative of the Secretary-General is a highly respected expert who has been appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to represent them in meetings with heads of state on critical human rights issues. The representatives can carry out country visits to investigate alleged violations of human rights and act as negotiators on behalf of the United Nations.
Parliamentary elections were held in Kosovo on 17 November 2007 alongside Municipal elections. Voters elected the 120 members of the unicameral Assembly, the legislative branch of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government that the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo created. The elections were scheduled by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Joachim Rücker on 1 September 2007.
The Constitution of Kosovo is the supreme law of the Republic of Kosovo, a territory of unresolved political status. Article four of the constitution establishes the rules and separate powers of the three branches of the government. The unicameral Assembly of the Republic exercises the legislative power, the executive branch led by the President and the Prime Minister which are responsible for implementing laws and the judicial system headed by the Supreme Court.
The Joint Interim Administrative Structure (JIAS) was an interim administrative body in Kosovo, established in January 2000 by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) during the period that the United Nations was directly responsible for the governance of Kosovo. The JIAS was replaced by Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) in March 2002 following Kosovo wide elections to the new institutions.
Steven P. Schook is a retired United States Army brigadier general and former United Nations diplomat.
Lamberto Zannier is an Italian diplomat and lawyer.
Abdul Zahir Tanin is an Afghan diplomat who has served as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Kosovo, making him Head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), since October 2015.
The Governance of Kosovo operates in the context of the disputed territory of Kosovo.
Farid Zarif was United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative and head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). In August 2015, he was promoted to the level of United Nations Under-Secretary-General and appointed as Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General to Liberia and Coordinator of the United Nations Operations in Liberia (UNMIL).
Kosovo has a civil law system which is also sometimes known as the Continental European law system. The central source of law that is recognized as authoritative is codifications in a constitution or statute passed by legislature, to amend a code. This system of Kosovo has experienced several changes throughout the years and is currently a system that includes prominent bodies and branches that help Kosovo enact adequate laws and conduct proper legal procedures.
The 2000 unrest in Kosovo was the result of the United Nations Interim Administration adopting Resolution 1244 on 10 June 1999. The unrest was fought between the Kosovo Force (KFOR), Kosovar Albanians, and Kosovar Serbs. It lasted somewhere from February 16, 2000 – June 6, 2000. An unknown number of Kosovar Albanians and Kosovar Serbs died along with an unknown number injured, while 1 Russian KFOR soldier died from shot wounds and UNMIK vehicles were burned during the unrest.
The Interim Administrative Council (IAC) was an interim cabinet for Kosovo established on 15 December 1999 by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) as part of the Joint Interim Administrative Structure. Its purpose was to advise the Special Representative of the Secretary General on policies relating to the other JIAS bodies. It was composed of 10 members, 4 nominated by the United Nations, 3 representatives of Kosovo Albanians, 1 representative of Kosovo Serbs and 2 additional observer members. The IAC was replaced on 3 March 2002 by a cabinet established as part of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government following elections held in November 2021.
United Nations Administered Kosovo refers to the period between 1999 and 2008 when the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo was directly responsible for the governance of Kosovo. This period began on 10 June 1999 with the passing of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and effectively ended on 17 February 2008 with the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo.
The Kosovo Transitional Council,, was an advisory body that existed in Kosovo between July 1999 and November 2001 during the period that the United Nations was directly responsible for the governance of Kosovo. The council was replaced by the Assembly of Kosovo following elections held in November 2001.