S/RES/1959 (2010)
Security Council Distr.: General
16 December 2010
10-69774 (E)
*1069774*
Resolution 1959 (2010)
Adopted by the Security Council at its 6451st meeting, on
16 December 2010
The Security Council,
Recalling its resolutions and the statements of its President on Burundi, in
particular resolutions 1719 (2006), 1791 (2007), 1858 (2008) and 1902 (2009),
Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial
integrity and unity of Burundi,
Taking note with appreciation of the successful holding of five consecutive
elections between May and September 2010, which, despite divisions between
political actors, did not lead to large-scale violence and constitute an important
milestone in the consolidation of peace and democracy as well as sustainable
development in Burundi,
Encouraging the efforts of the Government of Burundi to create a space for all
political parties and to continue improving dialogue between all actors, including
civil society,
Commending the valuable contribution that the United Nations Integrated
Office in Burundi (BINUB) has made to the recovery of Burundi from conflict and
to the country’s peace, security and development,
Welcoming the progress that Burundi has made towards peace, stability and
development and emphasizing the need for the United Nations system and the
international community, including the international financial institutions and
Burundi’s development partners, to maintain their support for peace consolidation
and long-term development in Burundi,
Supporting the renewed commitment of Burundi to “zero tolerance” for
corruption,
Welcoming the continued engagement of the Peacebuilding Commission in
Burundi and the recent visit of the Chair of the Commission’s Burundi
configuration, taking note of the January 2010 review of progress in the
implementation of the Strategic Framework for Peacebuilding in Burundi and of the
briefing of the Chair of the Burundi configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission
on 9 December 2010, and acknowledging the contribution that the Peacebuilding
Fund has made to peacebuilding in Burundi,
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Supporting the commitment of Burundi to regional integration, notably in the
Economic Community of Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL) and the East African
Community (EAC), and its efforts to ensure the success of its Chairing of the EAC
in 2011,
Recognizing the importance of transitional justice in promoting lasting
reconciliation among all the people of Burundi, and noting with appreciation the
completion of the national consultations on the establishment of the transitional
justice mechanisms, in accordance with its resolution 1606 (2005) as well as the
Arusha agreements 2000,
Noting with great concern the reports of continuing human rights violations, in
particular extrajudicial killings and torture, and restrictions on civil liberties,
including restrictions on the freedom of expression, association and assembly of
opposition parties and civil society organizations,
Encouraging the Government of Burundi to protect the civil liberties and to
fight impunity, particularly by ensuring that those responsible for incidences of
torture, extrajudicial killings and mistreatment of detainees are brought to justice,
Recalling its resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009) and 1889
(2009) on women and peace and security, its resolutions 1674 (2006) and 1894
(2009) on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts and its resolutions 1612
(2005) and 1882 (2009) on children and armed conflict,
Having considered the seventh report (S/2010/608) of the Secretary-General
on the BINUB,
1. Requests the Secretary-General to establish the United Nations Office in
Burundi (BNUB), as recommended in his report (S/2010/608), as a significantly
scaled-down United Nations presence, for an initial period of 12 months beginning
on 1 January 2011, with the key tasks as specified in paragraph 3 below, to support
the progress achieved in recent years by all national stakeholders in consolidating
peace, democracy and development in Burundi;
2. Welcomes the Secretary-General’s recommendation that BNUB should be
headed by a Special Representative of the Secretary-General assisted by a Deputy
Special Representative who would serve as United Nations Resident Coordinator
and Humanitarian Coordinator, as well as Resident Representative of the United
Nations Development Programme, and recognizes the need for appropriate expertise
and adequate material resources, in order that the BNUB can effectively and
efficiently implement its mandate;
3. Requests that BNUB focuses on and supports the Government of Burundi
in the following areas:
(a) Strengthening the independence, capacities and legal frameworks of key
national institutions, in particular judicial and parliamentary institutions, in line with
international standards and principles;
(b) Promoting and facilitating dialogue between national actors and
supporting mechanisms for broad-based participation in political life, including for
the implementation of development strategies and programmes in Burundi;
(c) Supporting efforts to fight impunity, particularly through the
establishment of transitional justice mechanisms to strengthen national unity,
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promote justice and promote reconciliation within Burundi’s society, and providing
operational support to the functioning of these bodies;
(d) Promoting and protecting human rights, including strengthening national
capacities in that area, as well as national civil society;
(e) Ensuring that all strategies and policies with respect to public finance
and the economic sector, in particular the next Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
(PRSP), have a focus on peacebuilding and equitable growth, addressing
specifically the needs of the most vulnerable population, and advocating for
resource mobilization for Burundi;
(f) Providing support to Burundi as Chair of the East African Community in
2011 as well as providing advice, as requested, on regional integration issues;
4. Underscores the need for a smooth transition from BINUB to BNUB;
5. Underlines the importance of establishing a fully integrated office with
effective coordination of strategy and programmes among the United Nations
agencies, funds and programmes in Burundi, and emphasizes the need for the United
Nations system to support and cooperate fully with BNUB;
6. Recognizes the primary responsibility of the Government of Burundi for
peacebuilding, security and long-term development in the country, and encourages
the Government of Burundi to pursue its efforts regarding peace consolidation
challenges, in particular democratic governance, the fight against corruption,
security sector reform, justice and the protection of human rights, with a special
focus on the rights of women and children as well as marginalized and vulnerable
minorities;
7. Encourages the Government of Burundi with the support of BNUB and
other international partners to redouble its efforts to pursue structural reforms aimed
at improving political, economic and administrative governance and tackling
corruption, with a view to setting up strong drivers for sustained and equitable
social and economic growth;
8. Underscores the importance of security sector reform and urges all
international partners, together with BNUB, to continue supporting the Government
of Burundi’s efforts to professionalize and enhance the capacity of the national
security services and the police, in particular in the fields of training on human
rights and sexual and gender-based violence, and with the view to consolidating
security sector governance;
9. Commends the Government of Burundi for the completion of the
reintegration of the last groups of children formerly associated with armed groups
and of ex-combatants, encourages the Government to ensure that these results are
sustainable, encourages the Peacebuilding Commission to consider what specific
actions it could undertake to bolster its support to the sustainable reintegration of
war-affected populations and other vulnerable groups, and supports the
Government’s efforts in voluntary civilian disarmament campaign and the launch of
the Police Nationale du Burundi (PNB) arms marking and registration process;
10. Encourages the Government of Burundi, the Peacebuilding Commission,
and its national and international partners to honour the commitments they have
made under the Strategic Framework for Peacebuilding, requests the Peacebuilding
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Commission, with support from BNUB, to continue to assist the Government of
Burundi in laying the foundations for sustainable peace and security, reintegration
and long-term development in Burundi, including ensuring that progress is made in
the implementation of rule of law and that peacebuilding objectives are fully taken
into account in the future strategic planning processes, in particular the PRSP, and
requests the Peacebuilding Commission to provide advice to the Security Council on
these issues;
11. Urges the Government to investigate reports of human rights violations,
to take the necessary steps to prevent further violations and to ensure that those
responsible for such violations are brought to justice;
12. Calls upon the Government of Burundi to pursue its efforts to ensure the
promotion and protection of human rights and to swiftly establish the National
Independent Human Rights Commission, in conformity with the Paris Principles
outlined in General Assembly resolution 48/134 and further encourages it to
continue its fight against impunity and to take the necessary measures to ensure its
citizens fully enjoy their civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights as
enshrined in the Constitution of Burundi and provided for by international human
rights instruments, including those ratified by Burundi;
13. Welcomes the completion of the national consultations on the
establishment of transitional justice mechanisms, commends the Government of
Burundi for publishing the report of these consultations and encourages the
Government of Burundi, with the support of international partners and BNUB as
appropriate, to establish the proposed mechanisms;
14. Welcomes the recent tripartite agreement between Burundi, the
Democratic Republic of the Congo and UNHCR as well as the progress towards
achieving dignified durable solutions for refugees living in Tanzania, and
encourages a sustained effort to find solutions with regards to the residual Burundi
refugee caseload, in compliance with relevant international law;
15. Requests the Secretary-General to keep the Council informed every six
months on the implementation of the mandate of BNUB and this resolution, with a
briefing by 31 May 2011 and a report by 30 November 2011, and calls upon the
Secretary-General to develop a set of benchmarks for the future evolution of BNUB
into a United Nations Country Team presence and regularly report on their progress
to the Security Council;
16. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.
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