The UNTAC period

In one of its most complex operations, the United Nations in Cambodia oversaw a
transition that led to the restoration of civil rule after years of civil war and foreign intervention.

After the intervention in Cambodia by Viet Nam in December 1978, the General
Assembly in 1979 called for the withdrawal of all foreign forces, non-interference by other
States in the country's internal affairs and self-determination for the Cambodian people. It also
appealed to all States and national and international organizations to render humanitarian relief
to the civilian population.

In 1981, the Assembly requested the United Nations Secretary-General to exercise his
good offices to contribute to a comprehensive political settlement. It also appealed for continued
relief assistance to Cambodians still in need, especially those along the Thai-Cambodian border
and in holding centers in Thailand.

Over the years, the Secretary-General developed his good offices among the
Governments and parties involved. After a visit to the region in 1985, he listed a series of
objectives on which there was convergence, thus detailing for the first time the main elements of
a comprehensive political settlement. These included: withdrawal of all foreign forces from
Cambodia; non-return to the universally condemned policies of the recent past; promotion of
national reconciliation; exercise by the Cambodian people of the right to determine their own
destiny; respect for the country's independence, territorial integrity and non-aligned status; and
international guarantees for supervising the implementation of the agreements reached. He then
sought to identify how this settlement could be achieved.

In 1988, the Secretary-General reported to the General Assembly that he had formulated
a number of specific ideas for a settlement framework, and that he had asked his Special
Representative to visit the region and present those ideas to the four Cambodian parties and
States concerned.

The Secretary-General's proposals gave momentum to the negotiations. Also in 1988, the
first face-to-face talks among the four Cambodian parties took place in Jakarta. In April 1989,
Viet Nam announced the withdrawal of its troops from Cambodia. In July-August 1989, the
parties and 17 countries attended the Paris Conference on Cambodia also attended by the
Secretary-General. In September, Viet Nam announced that the troop withdrawal had been
completed.

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 At the same time, the United Nations ran a programme of humanitarian assistance to the
Cambodian people, in Cupertino since 1980, funded by voluntary contributions from Member
States, and consisting of three major components -- the operations within Cambodia, at the
border and within Thailand. Assistance was provided by the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR), and by the United Nations Border Relief Operations (UNBRO), set up
in 1982. Other bodies, such as the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Food Programme
and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, also contributed.

In January 1990, the five permanent members of the Security Council -- China, France,
the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States -- started a series of high-level
meetings on Cambodia. They called for a major United Nations role in bringing peace to the
country, including peacekeeping forces, supervision of free elections and an administrative
structure in the period leading up to the elections.

In August, the five permanent members announced agreement on the main elements of a
political settlement to end the conflict in Cambodia. The plan called for the control and/or
supervision by the United Nations of the country's administrative structures, followed by United
Nations -- supervised elections. The plan was accepted by all Cambodian parties and by Viet
Nam, and was endorsed in September by the Security Council

In November, the "Five" agreed on a draft text on Cambodia which covered a proposed
mandate for a United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia; withdrawal, ceasefire and
related measures; elections; repatriation of refugees; and principles for a new constitution.

On 1 May 1991, a ceasefire went into effect in Cambodia, following an appeal by the
Secretary-General and the Foreign Ministers of France and Indonesia. The Secretary-General
sent a team to the area to review the situation.

In June, the Cambodian parties discussed the November 1990 draft agreements and other
pending issues at a meeting in Jakarta convened by the French and Indonesian Foreign Ministers.
Later on, they decided to implement an unlimited ceasefire and to stop receiving military
assistance.

In October, the Security Council established an advance mission, the United Nations
Advance Mission in Cambodia (UNAMIC), to assist the Cambodian parties in maintaining the
ceasefire.

On 23 October, the parties signed in Paris the Agreements on the Comprehensive

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Cambodia (UNTAC), which would: supervise the ceasefire, the end of foreign military
assistance and the withdrawal of foreign forces; regroup, canton and disarm all armed forces of
the Cambodian parties, and ensure a 70 per cent level of demobilization; control and supervise
the activities of the administrative structures, including the police; ensure and respect of human
rights; and organize and conduct free and fair elections.

In February 1992, the Security Council authorized the establishment of UNTAC. The Council
stressed that it was vital that elections be held by May 1993, and called on all parties to comply
scrupulously with the Paris Agreements. UNTAC was to comprise between 15,000 and 20,000
United Nations personnel, including human rights, civil administrative and military components,
as well as a police component of some 3,600 police monitors.

The deployment of UNTAC began officially on 15 March 1992, with the arrival in the
capital city of Phnom Penh of the Head of UNTAC, the Secretary-General's Special
Representative for Cambodia. The first contingent of UNTAC's military component had also
arrived, and by early May, some 4,000 United Nations personnel, including some 3,600 troops,
were in place.

UNTAC assumed control of key sectors of the country's administrative structures --

A major step towards normalization occurred with the elections of May 1993. Twenty
parties took part in the elections. UNTAC oversaw the electoral campaign and registration of
voters, as well as the elections. Over 4.2 million people -- nearly 90 per cent of the registered
voters -- cast their ballots to elect a Constituent Assembly. The head of UNTAC declared the
elections free and fair. In September, the Constitution was proclaimed and a new government,
led by two prime ministers, was inaugurated.

After the withdrawal of UNTAC, several United Nations agencies have remained in the
country to support reconstruction and development. In 1993, in conformity with the Paris
Agreements, the Secretary-General appointed a Special Representative for Human Rights to
assist the Government in promoting and protecting human rights. Working closely with the
Special Representative, a Cambodia Office of the United Nations High Commissioner on Human
Rights sought to strengthen civil society and build institutions and legal structures for human
rights and democracy. In 1994, the Secretary-General appointed a Representative for Cambodia
to serve as a liaison with the Government, monitor the political situation and report on
developments relating to peace and security.

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