United Nations Security Council Resolution 1472
Encyclopedia
United Nations
Security Council Resolution
1472, adopted unanimously on March 28, 2003, after recalling all previous resolutions on Iraq
, including resolutions 661
(1991), 986
(1995), 1409
(2002) and 1454
(2002) concerning the provision of humanitarian aid
to the Iraqi people, the Council approved adjustments to the Oil-for-Food Programme
giving the Secretary-General more authority to administer the programme for the following 45 days. The programme had been suspended when the Secretary-General ordered all United Nations staff out of Iraq days before the U.S.
-led invasion.
The resolution was adopted after a week of closed negotiations, with France
, Russia
and Syria
objecting to the use of humanitarian money to fund military operations against Iraq. Nearly 70 countries participated in the discussions, with many voicing their opposition to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
of 1949, the occupying power is responsible for the provision of food and medical supplies, particularly if the resources of the occupied territory are inadequate. It was convinced of the need for a temporary measure to provide humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people throughout the country and to extend such measures to those who left Iraq due to the ongoing war.
Furthermore, it noted the decision of the Secretary-General Kofi Annan
to withdraw all staff working on the implementation of the Oil-for-Food Programme from Iraq on March 17, 2003. It reaffirmed the necessity for the provision of humanitarian relief and the need for further reassessment of the Programme. The right of the Iraqi people to control their natural resource
s and determine their own political future was reaffirmed.
, all parties concerned were urged to abide by their obligations under international law
and the international community
called upon to provide humanitarian relief to the Iraqi people both inside and outside the country. In view of the circumstances in Iraq, the Council recognised the need to temporarily alter the Programme to ensure implementation of funded and non-funded contracts concluded by the Iraqi government to meet the needs of refugee
s and internally displaced person
s. In this regard, the Secretary-General was authorised to:
establish alternative locations for the delivery, inspection and confirmation of humanitarian supplies both inside and outside Iraq; review funded and non-funded contracts to determine priorities of relative supplies for essential civilian needs; contact suppliers of the goods to determine their location; negotiate and agree adjustments to the contracts; negotiate and commence new contracts for essential medical supplies; transfer unencumbered funds between accounts created in Resolution 986 to ensure the delivery of humanitarian supplies; use additional funds to compensate suppliers for additional costs; meet further operational and administrative costs resulting from the adjusted Programme; use funds in the accounts to purchase locally produced goods.
Additional activities would be authorised when the situation in the country improved and further funds would be made available. All applications made outside the Oil-for-Food Programme would be reviewed by the Committee of the Security Council established in Resolution 661, which would also monitor the new provisions in the current resolution. The new provisions would remain in effect for 45 days, subject to further renewal. Meanwhile, all concerned parties were called upon to allow unimpeded access by international humanitarian organisations to the people of Iraq and promote their safety and freedom of movement
and that of the United Nations personnel.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Security Council Resolution
United Nations Security Council Resolution
A United Nations Security Council resolution is a UN resolution adopted by the fifteen members of the Security Council; the UN body charged with "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security"....
1472, adopted unanimously on March 28, 2003, after recalling all previous resolutions on Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, including resolutions 661
United Nations Security Council Resolution 661
In United Nations Security Council Resolution 661, adopted on August 6, 1990, reaffirming Resolution 660 and noting Iraq's refusal to comply with it and Kuwait's right of self-defence, the Council took steps to implement international sanctions on Iraq under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter...
(1991), 986
United Nations Security Council Resolution 986
United Nations Security Council Resolution 986, adopted unanimously on April 14, 1995, after reaffirming all resolutions on Iraq and noting the serious humanitarian situation with the Iraqi civilian population, the Council, acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, established a...
(1995), 1409
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1409
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1409, adopted unanimously on May 14, 2002, after recalling all previous resolutions on Iraq, including resolutions 986 , 1284 , 1352 , 1360 and 1382 concerning the Oil-for-Food Programme, the Council extended provisions relating to the export of Iraqi...
(2002) and 1454
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1454
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1454, adopted on December 30, 2002, after recalling all previous resolutions on Iraq, including resolutions 661 , 986 , 1284 , 1352 , 1360 , 1382 , 1409 and 1447 concerning the Oil-for-Food Programme, the Council adjusted the list of restricted goods ...
(2002) concerning the provision of humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises including natural disaster and man-made disaster. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity...
to the Iraqi people, the Council approved adjustments to the Oil-for-Food Programme
Oil-for-Food Programme
The Oil-for-Food Programme , established by the United Nations in 1995 was established with the stated intent to allow Iraq to sell oil on the world market in exchange for food, medicine, and other humanitarian needs for ordinary Iraqi citizens without allowing Iraq to boost its military...
giving the Secretary-General more authority to administer the programme for the following 45 days. The programme had been suspended when the Secretary-General ordered all United Nations staff out of Iraq days before the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-led invasion.
The resolution was adopted after a week of closed negotiations, with France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
objecting to the use of humanitarian money to fund military operations against Iraq. Nearly 70 countries participated in the discussions, with many voicing their opposition to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
Observations
The Security Council noted that, according to the Fourth Geneva ConventionFourth Geneva Convention
The Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, commonly referred to as the Fourth Geneva Convention and abbreviated as GCIV, is one of the four treaties of the Geneva Conventions. It was adopted in August 1949, and defines humanitarian protections for civilians...
of 1949, the occupying power is responsible for the provision of food and medical supplies, particularly if the resources of the occupied territory are inadequate. It was convinced of the need for a temporary measure to provide humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people throughout the country and to extend such measures to those who left Iraq due to the ongoing war.
Furthermore, it noted the decision of the Secretary-General Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
to withdraw all staff working on the implementation of the Oil-for-Food Programme from Iraq on March 17, 2003. It reaffirmed the necessity for the provision of humanitarian relief and the need for further reassessment of the Programme. The right of the Iraqi people to control their natural resource
Natural resource
Natural resources occur naturally within environments that exist relatively undisturbed by mankind, in a natural form. A natural resource is often characterized by amounts of biodiversity and geodiversity existent in various ecosystems....
s and determine their own political future was reaffirmed.
Acts
Acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations CharterChapter VII of the United Nations Charter
Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter sets out the UN Security Council's powers to maintain peace. It allows the Council to "determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression" and to take military and nonmilitary action to "restore international peace...
, all parties concerned were urged to abide by their obligations under international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
and the international community
International community
The international community is a term used in international relations to refer to all peoples, cultures and governments of the world or to a group of them. The term is used to imply the existence of common duties and obligations between them...
called upon to provide humanitarian relief to the Iraqi people both inside and outside the country. In view of the circumstances in Iraq, the Council recognised the need to temporarily alter the Programme to ensure implementation of funded and non-funded contracts concluded by the Iraqi government to meet the needs of refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s and internally displaced person
Internally displaced person
An internally displaced person is someone who is forced to flee his or her home but who remains within his or her country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the current legal definition of a refugee. At the end of 2006 it was estimated there were...
s. In this regard, the Secretary-General was authorised to:
establish alternative locations for the delivery, inspection and confirmation of humanitarian supplies both inside and outside Iraq; review funded and non-funded contracts to determine priorities of relative supplies for essential civilian needs; contact suppliers of the goods to determine their location; negotiate and agree adjustments to the contracts; negotiate and commence new contracts for essential medical supplies; transfer unencumbered funds between accounts created in Resolution 986 to ensure the delivery of humanitarian supplies; use additional funds to compensate suppliers for additional costs; meet further operational and administrative costs resulting from the adjusted Programme; use funds in the accounts to purchase locally produced goods.
Additional activities would be authorised when the situation in the country improved and further funds would be made available. All applications made outside the Oil-for-Food Programme would be reviewed by the Committee of the Security Council established in Resolution 661, which would also monitor the new provisions in the current resolution. The new provisions would remain in effect for 45 days, subject to further renewal. Meanwhile, all concerned parties were called upon to allow unimpeded access by international humanitarian organisations to the people of Iraq and promote their safety and freedom of movement
Freedom of movement
Freedom of movement, mobility rights or the right to travel is a human right concept that the constitutions of numerous states respect...
and that of the United Nations personnel.
See also
- Gulf WarGulf WarThe Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
- Invasion of KuwaitInvasion of KuwaitThe Invasion of Kuwait, also known as the Iraq-Kuwait War, was a major conflict between the Republic of Iraq and the State of Kuwait, which resulted in the seven-month long Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, which subsequently led to direct military intervention by United States-led forces in the Gulf...
- Iraq sanctionsIraq sanctionsThe Iraq sanctions were a near-total financial and trade embargo imposed by the United Nations Security Council on the nation of Iraq. They began August 6, 1990, four days after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, stayed largely in force until May 2003 , and certain portions including reparations to Kuwait...
- List of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1401 to 1500 (2002 – 2003)
- Iraq War