United Nations Security Council Resolution 1606
Encyclopedia
United Nations
Security Council Resolution
1606, adopted unanimously on June 20, 2005, after reaffirming its support for the Arusha Peace Agreement regarding the situation in Burundi
, the Council requested the Secretary-General Kofi Annan
to begin negotiations on a truth commission and special chamber within the country's court system.
, crime against humanity
and war crime
s to justice in order to end impunity
in the African Great Lakes
region. It also noted that international assistance was necessary to establish a society and government under the rule of law
. The transitional government of Burundi called for a mixed truth commission and a special chamber within the Burundian judicial system.
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"....
1606, adopted unanimously on June 20, 2005, after reaffirming its support for the Arusha Peace Agreement regarding the situation in Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
, the Council requested 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 begin negotiations on a truth commission and special chamber within the country's court system.
Observations
For the purposes of peace and reconciliation in Burundi, the Council was convinced that the establishment of a truth commission to bring those responsible for genocideGenocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
, crime against humanity
Crime against humanity
Crimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Explanatory Memorandum, "are particularly odious offenses in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings...
and war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s to justice in order to end impunity
Impunity
Impunity means "exemption from punishment or loss or escape from fines". In the international law of human rights, it refers to the failure to bring perpetrators of human rights violations to justice and, as such, itself constitutes a denial of the victims' right to justice and redress...
in the African Great Lakes
African Great Lakes
The African Great Lakes are a series of lakes and the Rift Valley lakes in and around the geographic Great Rift Valley formed by the action of the tectonic East African Rift on the continent of Africa...
region. It also noted that international assistance was necessary to establish a society and government under the rule of law
Rule of law
The rule of law, sometimes called supremacy of law, is a legal maxim that says that governmental decisions should be made by applying known principles or laws with minimal discretion in their application...
. The transitional government of Burundi called for a mixed truth commission and a special chamber within the Burundian judicial system.
Acts
The Secretary-General was asked to begin discussions with the transitional government and other parties on how to implement the recommendations of the government, and to report by September 30, 2005 with details of its implementation, including costs, structures and a time frame.See also
- Burundi Civil WarBurundi Civil WarThe Burundi Civil War was an armed conflict lasting from 1993 to 2005. The civil war was the result of long standing ethnic divisions between the Hutu and the Tutsi tribes in Burundi...
- List of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1601 to 1700 (2005 – 2006)
- United Nations Integrated Office in BurundiUnited Nations Integrated Office in BurundiThe United Nations Integrated Office in Burundi was established by the United Nations Security Council to support the government of Burundi in its efforts towards long-term peace and stability and to replace the work of United Nations Operation in Burundi...