Historical Dictionary of the Kurds

UNITED NATIONS

United Nations: translation

The United Nations is an international organization that was established at the end of World War II to, according to UN Charter Article 1, "maintain international peace and security." Since it is an international organization made up of sovereign independent states, however, the Kurds have no legal standing as members. Indeed, the states in which the Kurds live (Turkey,Iran,Iraq, andSyria) have a vested interest in keeping the Kurdish question out of the United Nations in order to preserve their own respective territorial integrities. This they—and others who have similar interests in keeping the lid on their own minority problems—have largely done. Until the end of the firstGulf Warin 1991, therefore, the United Nations had had almost nothing to do with the Kurdish question. Ironically, however, more than half the members of the United Na-tions—who by definition have legal standing in the world organiza-tion—also have populations less than that of the Kurds.
Those who would seek an entry for the Kurdish issue onto the UN agenda might point out that UN Charter Article 1 also lists as its purposes "to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples" and "to achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect forhuman rightsand for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex,language, orreligion." In addition, UN Charter Article 14 declares that "the General Assembly may recommend measures for the peaceful adjustment of any situation, regardless of origin, which it deems likely to impair the general welfare or friendly relations among nations."
One of very few early attempts to bring the Kurdish question to the United Nations occurred in January 1946, when Rizgari Kurd, an Iraqi Kurdish predecessor of theKurdistan Democratic Party(KDP), unsuccessfully made a formal appeal to the world body for Kurdish self-determination and sovereignty.Following Iraq's use ofchemical warfareduring theIran-Iraq War(1980-1988) and against the Iraqi Kurds inHalabjain March 1988, UN Security Council Resolution 620, of 26 August 1988, finally condemned the use of such weapons. At the same time,Massoud Barzaniappealed to the United Nations to stop Iraq'sAnfalcampaign with its usage ofchemical weaponsagainst the Kurds. The overall international response, however, was largely one of deafening silence, as few wanted to offendSaddam Husseinand Iraq in those days.
The first Gulf War in 1991 partially changed this neglect. UN Security Council Resolution 688, of 5 April 1991, condemned "the repression of the Iraqi civilian population . . . in Kurdish populated areas" and demanded "that Iraq . . . immediately end this repression." This was by far the most important specific recognition of the Kurds that the United Nations had ever made. In the succeeding years, theUnited Statesused this Security Council Resolution to justify first its temporary creation of asafe havenfor the Kurds in northern Iraq and then its enforcement of ano-fly zoneover the area. Under this protection, theKurdistan Regional Government(KRG) developed after 1992 until it was recognized by the new Iraqi constitution adopted in October 2005 as afederalstate within Iraq. The United Nations has also maintained a number of humanitarian programs in the region.
UN Security Council Resolution 986, of 14 April 1995, authorized Iraq to sell a limited amount ofoilfor food and other humanitarian needs, thus partially lifting the economic sanctions that had been imposed since the first Gulf War. After a great deal of haggling, UN Security Council Resolution 1153, of 20 February 1998, dramatically increased the permitted amount of oil sales to $5.256 billion every six months. The Iraqi Kurdistan region received 13 percent of the funds from the sale of this oil. These oil funds from the United Nations helped immensely to develop economically the Kurdish area in northern Iraq to the point that the region started to become a model for the entire Middle East. Many administrative problems regarding UN projects remained, however, since the United Nations continued to take the position that it was acting on behalf of the Iraqi government when it administered its programs in the Kurdish region.
After the government of Saddam Hussein was overthrown in the secondGulf Warof 2003, the United Nations played only a limited role regarding Iraq and the Kurds because the United States felt that the world organization was too weak and corrupt to be trusted. Sergio Vieira de Mello, the highly respected UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Secretary-General's Special Representative in Iraq, was killed along with 20 other members of his staff in a bombing in Baghdad in August 2003. This assassination also discouraged UN involvement in the area.
UN Security Council Resolution 1546, of 8 June 2004, interjected the world organization partially back into the equation by endorsing the formation of a sovereign interim Iraqi government and the continuing presence of U.S. troops during the transition. The Kurds, however, saw this UN resolution as being biased against their interests because it did not specifically mention theTransitional Administrative Law(TAL) that guaranteed the newly won Kurdish rights regardingfederalism. Acting under UN Charter Chapter 7 (Action with Respect to Threats to the Peace, Breaches of the Peace, and Acts of Aggression) UNSC Resolution 1546 also implemented the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and a Special Representative of the Secretary-General to assist the Iraqi people and government. To help accomplish this mission, the UNAMI coordinates 16 separate UN agencies and programs. Subsequently, this Resolution has been renewed at 12-month intervals.
In April 2009, the United Nations issued a lengthy study in which it urged the Iraqi Kurds not to push for a referendum on whetherKirkukshould become part of the KRG. This recommendation opposed the Kurds' desire to implementArticle 140of the permanent constitution of Iraq, which called for just such a referendum and was strongly criticized by KRG presidentMassoud Barzani.
See alsoRefugees.

  1. united nations—United Nations bersetzung United Nations UN Vereinte Nationen fpl UNO...Englisch-Deutsch Worterbuch gesetz
  2. united nations—United Nations translation Israel was admitted to the UN as its th member on May . This event in the words of Abba Ebanstrong Israels UN ambassador at the time had a sin...Historical Dictionary of Israel
  3. united nations—United Nations translation The Netherlands has been an active mem ber of the preeminent international organization since its founding in . It has had a temporary seat in ...Historical Dictionary of the Netherlands
  4. united nations—[junatdnenz]Организация Объединенных Наций...Англо-русский большой универсальный переводческий словарь
  5. united nations—Организация Объединенных Наций...Англо-русский дополнительный словарь
  6. united nations—Объединенные нации...Англо-русский морской словарь
  7. united nations—United Nations [jnatdnenz] nu Организация Объединнных Наций...Англо-русский словарь Мюллера
  8. united nations—Организация Объединенных Наций...Англо-русский словарь общей лексики
  9. united nations—.strong Организация Объединенных Наций .strong ист. Объединенные нации антигитлеровская коалиция. strong Организация Объединенных Наций strong ист. Объединенные нации ...Англо-русский словарь по социологии
  10. united nations—Организация Объединенных Наций...Англо-русский словарь редакция bed
  11. united nations—Организация Объединенных Наций...Англо-русский словарь экономических терминов
  12. united nations—требует глагола в единственном числеThe United Nations has its headquarters in New York. Штабквартира ООН находится в НьюЙорке....Англо-русский универсальный дополнительный практический словарь И. Мостицкого
  13. united nations—орг. сокр. UN межд. эк. пол. United Nations Organization Charter of the United Nations United Nations Capital Development Fund United Nations Childrens Fund United Natio...Англо-русский экономический словарь
  14. united nations—Органзаця обднаних нацй скор. ООН United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Конференця ООН з торгвл розвитку скор. ЮНКТАД United Nations Convention on the Law ...Англо-украинский юридический словарь
  15. united nations—Органзаця обднаних нацй скор. ООН United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Конференця ООН з торгвл розвитку скор. ЮНКТАД United Nations Convention on the Law ...Англо-український юридичний словник
  16. united nations—[junatdnenz]. Организация Объединнных Наций ООНUnited Nations Day День ООН октября. ист. Объединнные нации антигитлеровская коалиция...Новый большой англо-русский словарь
  17. united nations—United Nations [junatdnenz] . Организация Объединнных Наций ООН Day День ООН октябряi . ист. iОбъединнные нации антигитлеровская коалиция...Новый большой англо-русский словарь II
  18. united nations—junatdnenz . Организация Объединнных Наций ООН Day День ООН октябряem . ист. emОбъединнные нации антигитлеровская коалиция...Новый большой англо-русский словарь под общим руководством акад. Ю.Д. Апресяна