United Nations Security Council Resolution 1521
Encyclopedia
United Nations
Security Council Resolution
1521, adopted unanimously on December 22, 2003, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situation in Liberia
and West Africa
, the Council established a monitoring body to oversee international sanctions
against Liberia. It was the final Security Council resolution adopted in 2003.
(2001) continue to occur. It welcomed a peace agreement signed by the Liberian government, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy
(LURD) and the Movement for Democracy in Liberia
(MODEL) on August 18, 2003 and that the National Transitional Government of Liberia under Chairman Gyude Bryant
took office on October 14, 2003. States in the region were called upon to build lasting peace through the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS), International Contact Group on Liberia
, Mano River Union
and Rabat Process.
Furthermore, there was concern that the peace agreement was not being implemented throughout the entirety of Liberia, especially in areas where the United Nations Mission in Liberia
(UNMIL) had not been deployed. The Council recognised the connection between the illegal exploitation and trade of natural resource
s and the proliferation of arms trafficking fuelling conflicts in West Africa. It determined that the situation, proliferation of arms
and armed non-state actors including mercenaries
in the region continued to constitute a threat to international peace and security.
thus making its provisions legally enforceable.
(2002), 1478
(2003), 1497
(2003) and 1509
(2003), and noted changed circumstances including the departure of former President Charles Taylor and progress with the peace process in Sierra Leone
. In this regard, the previous Committee was dissolved and prohibitions on the sale or supply of arms, diamond
s, timber
and travel
were terminated.
, demobilisation, reintegration
, repatriation
and restructuring of the security sector have been completed; the peace agreement implemented; a diamond certificate of origin
regime established and stability maintained in Liberia and the subregion. The transitional government was also urged to join the Kimberley Process and establish its authority over the timber producing areas, including through oversight mechanisms, as soon as possible. The international community
was urged to provide assistance to the transitional government during these processes. The measures would be reviewed by June 17, 2004.
The resolution established a new Committee of the Security Council to monitor the implementation of the sanctions, update a list of sanctioned individuals and entities and make recommendations. Meanwhile, the Secretary-General Kofi Annan
was requested to establish a panel of five experts to conduct a follow-up mission to Liberia and neighbouring states concerning the implementation and violations of the restrictions against Liberia, including rebel movements; it had to report by May 30, 2004. It welcomed UNMIL's readiness to co-operate with the Committee and requested the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone
and United Nations Mission in Côte d'Ivoire to assist the Committee and expert panel. The Secretary-General was directed to report by May 30, 2004 on progress made with regard to the implementation of the measures.
Finally, the transitional government was urged to inform the Liberian population as to the contents of the current resolution, including the criteria for the removal of sanctions.
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"....
1521, adopted unanimously on December 22, 2003, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situation in Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
and West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
, the Council established a monitoring body to oversee international sanctions
International sanctions
International sanctions are actions taken by countries against others for political reasons, either unilaterally or multilaterally.There are several types of sanctions....
against Liberia. It was the final Security Council resolution adopted in 2003.
Observations
In the preamble of the resolution, the Council expressed concern at the findings of an expert panel that violations of sanctions imposed by Resolution 1343United Nations Security Council Resolution 1343
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1343, adopted unanimously on March 7, 2001, after recalling resolutions on Sierra Leone and the region, including resolutions 1132 , 1171 and 1306 , the Council demanded that Liberia end its support for rebels in Sierra Leone and threatened the imposition...
(2001) continue to occur. It welcomed a peace agreement signed by the Liberian government, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy
Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy
The Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy was a rebel group in Liberia that was active from 1999 until after the peace accords that ended the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003...
(LURD) and the Movement for Democracy in Liberia
Movement for Democracy in Liberia
The Movement for Democracy in Liberia was a rebel group in Liberia that became active in March 2003, launching attacks from Côte d'Ivoire...
(MODEL) on August 18, 2003 and that the National Transitional Government of Liberia under Chairman Gyude Bryant
Gyude Bryant
Charles Gyude Bryant is a Liberian politician. He served as the Chairman of the Transitional Government of Liberia from 14 October 2003 to 16 January 2006...
took office on October 14, 2003. States in the region were called upon to build lasting peace through the Economic Community of West African States
Economic Community of West African States
The Economic Community of West African States is a regional group of fifteen West African countries. Founded on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, its mission is to promote economic integration across the region....
(ECOWAS), International Contact Group on Liberia
International Contact Group on Liberia
The International Contact Group on Liberia is composed of members from the United Nations, ECOWAS, African Union, World Bank, United States, Ghana, Nigeria, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and Sweden. The ICGL was formed from a need for an international and regional response to the Second Liberian...
, Mano River Union
Mano River Union
The Mano River Union is an international association established in 1973 between Liberia and Sierra Leone. In 1980, Guinea joined the union. The goal of the Union was to foster economic cooperation among the countries...
and Rabat Process.
Furthermore, there was concern that the peace agreement was not being implemented throughout the entirety of Liberia, especially in areas where the United Nations Mission in Liberia
United Nations Mission in Liberia
The United Nations Mission in Liberia is a peace-keeping force established in September 2003 to monitor a ceasefire agreement in Liberia following the resignation of President Charles Taylor and the conclusion of the Second Liberian Civil War....
(UNMIL) had not been deployed. The Council recognised the connection between the illegal exploitation and trade of 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 the proliferation of arms trafficking fuelling conflicts in West Africa. It determined that the situation, proliferation of arms
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
and armed non-state actors including mercenaries
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
in the region continued to constitute a threat to international peace and security.
Acts
The resolution was divided into two sections, both enacted 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...
thus making its provisions legally enforceable.
A
The Security Council recalled resolutions 1343, 1408United Nations Security Council Resolution 1408
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1408, adopted unanimously on May 6, 2002, after recalling resolutions 1132 , 1171 , 1306 , 1343 , 1385 , 1395 and 1400 on the situation in Sierra Leone, the Council extended sanctions against Liberia for its support of rebels in the civil war in Sierra...
(2002), 1478
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1478
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1478, adopted unanimously on May 6, 2003, after recalling resolutions 1132 , 1171 , 1306 , 1343 , 1385 , 1395 , 1400 , 1408 , 1458 , 1467 and others on the situation in Liberia, the Council extended sanctions against the Liberian government for an...
(2003), 1497
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1497
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1497, adopted on August 1, 2003, after expressing concern at the situation in Liberia, the Council authorised a multinational force to intervene in the civil war to support the implementation of a ceasefire agreement using "all necessary measures".The...
(2003) and 1509
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1509
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1509, adopted unanimously on September 19, 2003, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situation in Liberia, including Resolution 1497 , the Council established the 15,000-strong United Nations Mission in Liberia to assist in implementing a...
(2003), and noted changed circumstances including the departure of former President Charles Taylor and progress with the peace process in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
. In this regard, the previous Committee was dissolved and prohibitions on the sale or supply of arms, diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
s, timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
and travel
Persona non grata
Persona non grata , literally meaning "an unwelcome person", is a legal term used in diplomacy that indicates a proscription against a person entering the country...
were terminated.
B
At the same time, the restrictions were reimposed for a period of twelve months and relevant exemptions were made relating to the United Nations. The measures would end once the Council determined that the Liberian ceasefire was fully respected; disarmamentDisarmament
Disarmament is the act of reducing, limiting, or abolishing weapons. Disarmament generally refers to a country's military or specific type of weaponry. Disarmament is often taken to mean total elimination of weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear arms...
, demobilisation, reintegration
Social integration
Social integration, in sociology and other social sciences, is the movement of minority groups such as ethnic minorities, refugees and underprivileged sections of a society into the mainstream of societies...
, repatriation
Repatriation
Repatriation is the process of returning a person back to one's place of origin or citizenship. This includes the process of returning refugees or soldiers to their place of origin following a war...
and restructuring of the security sector have been completed; the peace agreement implemented; a diamond certificate of origin
Certificate of origin
A Certificate of Origin is a document used in international trade. It traditionally states from what country the shipped goods originate, but "originate" in a CO does not mean the country the goods are shipped from, but the country where the goodtion problem in cases where less than 100% of the...
regime established and stability maintained in Liberia and the subregion. The transitional government was also urged to join the Kimberley Process and establish its authority over the timber producing areas, including through oversight mechanisms, as soon as possible. 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...
was urged to provide assistance to the transitional government during these processes. The measures would be reviewed by June 17, 2004.
The resolution established a new Committee of the Security Council to monitor the implementation of the sanctions, update a list of sanctioned individuals and entities and make recommendations. Meanwhile, 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...
was requested to establish a panel of five experts to conduct a follow-up mission to Liberia and neighbouring states concerning the implementation and violations of the restrictions against Liberia, including rebel movements; it had to report by May 30, 2004. It welcomed UNMIL's readiness to co-operate with the Committee and requested the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone
United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone
The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone was a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Sierra Leone from 1999 to 2005. It was created by the United Nations Security Council in October 1999 to help with the implementation of the Lomé Peace Accord, an agreement intended to end the Sierra Leonean...
and United Nations Mission in Côte d'Ivoire to assist the Committee and expert panel. The Secretary-General was directed to report by May 30, 2004 on progress made with regard to the implementation of the measures.
Finally, the transitional government was urged to inform the Liberian population as to the contents of the current resolution, including the criteria for the removal of sanctions.
See also
- List of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1501 to 1600 (2003 – 2005)
- Second Liberian Civil WarSecond Liberian Civil WarThe Second Liberian Civil War began in 1999 when a rebel group backed by the government of neighbouring Guinea, the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy , emerged in northern Liberia. In early 2003, a second rebel group, the Movement for Democracy in Liberia, emerged in the south, and...