Security Council

5941^st Meeting (AM)

Security Council grants six-month mandate extension, allowing United Nations

Mission in Nepal to complete monitoring, management of armed personnel

With the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) having already accomplished some elements of its mandate following successful Constituent Assembly elections, the Security Council decided this morning to extend the operation for six months to complete its monitoring and management of arms and armed personnel, in line with the 25 June agreement among the country’s political parties.

Acting on a request from the Government of Nepal and the Secretary-General’s recommendations, which had been discussed in an open meeting last Friday (see Press Release SC\9401), the Council unanimously adopted resolution 1825 (2008), by which it called upon all parties to take full advantage of the expertise and readiness of the special political mission in Nepal to support the peace process and facilitate the completion of outstanding aspects of its mandate.

The Council concurred with the Secretary-General that the current monitoring arrangements should not be necessary for a substantial further period and endorsed his recommendations for a phased, gradual drawdown and withdrawal of the Mission.

By further terms of the resolution, the Council called upon the Government of Nepal to continue to create conditions conducive to the completion of UNMIN’s activities, and on all parties to work together in a spirit of consensus and compromise in order to continue the transition to a peaceful, democratic and prosperous future.

The meeting began at 10:10 a.m. and ended at 10:15 a.m.

Resolution

The full text of resolution 1825 (2008) reads as follows:

“The Security Council,

“Recalling its resolutions 1796 (2008) and 1740 (2007),

“Reaffirming the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of Nepal and its ownership of the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and subsequent agreements,

“Recalling the signing on 21 November 2006 by the Government of Nepal and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement, and the stated commitment of both parties to find a permanent and sustainable peace and commending the steps taken to date to implement the Agreement,

“Acknowledging the strong desire of the Nepalese people for peace and the restoration of democracy and the importance in this respect of the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and subsequent agreements by the relevant parties,

“Expressing its continued readiness to support the peace process in Nepal in the timely and effective implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and subsequent agreements, in particular the 25 June Agreement, as requested by the Government of Nepal,

“Welcoming the successful conclusion of the Constituent Assembly elections on 10 April 2008, and the progress made by the parties since the formation of the Constituent Assembly in working towards a democratic government, including the decision made at the first session of the Constituent Assembly to establish Nepal as a federal democratic republic,

“Welcoming the prospect of the formation of a democratically elected government and institutions in Nepal,

“Echoing the Secretary-General’s call for all parties in Nepal to move forward swiftly in the implementation of the agreements reached; and noting the Secretary-General’s assessment that the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) will be well placed to assist in the management of arms and armed personnel in accordance with the 25 June Agreement between the political parties; and recognizing UNMIN’s willingness to assist the parties in this, as requested, in order to achieve a durable solution,

“Welcoming the report of the Secretary-General of 11 July on the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), in accordance with his mandate,

“Welcoming the completion of two phases of the verification process and continuing assistance with the management of arms and armed personnel of both sides in accordance with resolution 1740 (2007) and in line with the provisions of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, noting the importance of a durable long-term solution in helping to create the conditions for completion of UNMIN’s activities and noting also in this regard the need to address outstanding issues, including the release of minors in cantonment sites and continued reporting on this issue as required under resolution 1612 (2005),

“Noting with appreciation that with the successful holding of the Constituent Assembly elections, some of the elements of the mandate relating to UNMIN as set out in resolution 1740 (2007) have already been accomplished,

“Taking note of the Government of Nepal’s letter to the Secretary-General of 8 July (S/2008/476, annex), which recognizes UNMIN’s contribution and requests an extension of UNMIN at a smaller scale to carry out the remainder of the mandate for six months,

“Recognizing the need to pay special attention to the needs of women, children and traditionally marginalized groups in the peace process, as mentioned in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and resolution 1325 (2000),

“Recognizing that civil society can play an important role in democratic transition and conflict prevention,

“Expressing appreciation for the efforts of the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and his team in UNMIN, and the United Nations Country Team, including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights which is monitoring human rights at the request of the Government, and stressing the need for coordination and complementarity of efforts between the mission and all the United Nations actors in the mission area, particularly in order to ensure continuity, as the mandate comes to an end,

“1.   Decides in line with the request from the Government of Nepal and the Secretary-General’s recommendations, to renew the mandate of UNMIN as established under resolution 1740 (2007) until 23 January 2009, taking into account the completion of some elements of the mandate, the ongoing work on the monitoring and the management of arms and armed personnel in line with the 25 June Agreement among the political parties, which will support the completion of the peace process;

“2.   Calls upon all parties to take full advantage of the expertise and readiness of UNMIN, within its mandate, to support the peace process to facilitate the completion of outstanding aspects of UNMIN’s mandate;

“3.   Concurs with the Secretary-General’s view that the current monitoring arrangements should not be necessary for a substantial further period and expects to see them concluded within the period of this mandate;

“4.   Endorses the Secretary-General’s recommendations for a phased, gradual, drawdown and withdrawal of UNMIN staff, including arms monitors;

“5.   Requests the Secretary-General to keep the Security Council informed of progress towards implementation of this resolution and to submit a report on this and the implications for UNMIN no later than 31 October 2008;

“6.   Calls upon the Government of Nepal to continue to take the necessary decisions to create conditions conducive to completion of UNMIN’s activities by the end of the current mandate, including through implementation of the 25 June Agreement, in order to facilitate UNMIN’s withdrawal from Nepal;

“7.   Calls upon all parties in Nepal to work together in a spirit of cooperation, consensus and compromise in order to continue the transition to a durable long-term solution to enable the country to move to a peaceful, democratic and more prosperous future;

“8.   Requests the parties in Nepal to take the necessary steps to promote the safety, security and freedom of movement of UNMIN and associated personnel in executing the tasks defined in the mandate;

“9.   Decides to remain seized of the matter.”

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For information media • not an official record