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Kosovo Kosova (Albanian) Косово / Kosovo (Serbian)
1999–2008 (de facto)
Flag Coat of arms
Map of Kosovo
Status	Entity under interim international administration
Capital	Pristina
Common languages	Albanian Serbian Bosnian Turkish
SRSG
President
Prime Minister
History
• UN Security Council Resolution 1244	10 June 1999
• Unilateral declaration of independence	17 February 2008 (de facto)
Area
• Total	10,887 km (4,203 sq mi)
Population
•	2,067,507
Currency	Deutsche Mark (1999–2001) Euro (2002–2008)
Preceded by Succeeded by Republic of Kosova Kosovo

United Nations Administered Kosovo refers to the period between 1999 and 2008 when the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo was directly responsible for the governance of Kosovo. This period began on 10 June 1999 with the passing of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and effectively ended on 17 February 2008 with the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo.

Background

In 1945, at the conclusion of the Second World War, Kosovo was organised within the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) as the Autonomous Region of Kosovo and Metohija. In 1963 the region was reorganised as the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija with increased autonomy and was renamed as the Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo in 1968. In 1975 Kosovo was granted significantly increased levels of autonomy. In 1990, under the regime of Slobodan Milošević, the level of autonomy was reduced and the official name reverted to the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija.

In 1991, during the Breakup of Yugoslavia, Ethnic Albanian representatives of Provincial Assembly unilaterally declared the Republic of Kosova and established parallel instructions for education, medical care, and taxation. Serbia and Montenegro formed the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) in April 1992. Ethnic tensions increased between Yugoslav authorities and the Ethnic Albanian guerilla movement, the Kosovo Liberation Army, resulting in the Kosovo War breaking out in February 1998. In March 1999, NATO proposed the Rambouillet Agreement which would have granted Kosovo substantial autonomy within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The agreement was accepted by the Ethnic Albanian side but rejected by the Yugoslav side prompting the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia on 24 March 1999. On 9 June 1999, NATO and the Federal Republic Yugoslavia reached the Kumanovo Agreement whereby Kosovo would be placed under United Nations administration. This arrangement was formalised by the passing of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 on 10 June 1999 which established the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo.

Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008 as the Republic of Kosovo. Serbia continues to claim Kosovo as the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija.

Administrative history

Part of a series on the
History of Kosovo
Prehistory Archaeology of Kosovo Neolithic sites Copper, Bronze and Iron Age sites
Antiquity Kingdom of Dardania Dardani
Roman Kosovo Dardania & Praevalitana Roman heritage in Kosovo Late Antiquity and Medieval sites
Medieval Kosovo Bulgarian Empire (681–1018, 1185–1396) First Empire Second Empire Kingdom of Serbia (1217–1346) Serbian Empire (1346–1371) District of Branković (1371–1412) Branković dynasty Moravian Serbia (1371–1402) Battle of Kosovo (1389) Serbian Despotate (1402–1459) Principality of Dukagjini (1387–1478) Dukagjini family
Ottoman Kosovo Eyalet of Rumelia Vilayet of Kosovo League of Prizren
20th Century Kingdom of Serbia First Balkan War Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) under Germany Albanian Kingdom under Italy under Germany Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1945–1992) Socialist Autonomous Province
Contemporary Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1992–2006) Autonomous Province 1991 Kosovan independence referendum First Republic Kosovo War (1998–1999) NATO bombing of Yugoslavia Kumanovo Agreement UN administration (UNMIK) 2004 unrest 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence 2008 unrest in Kosovo 2008 protests Second Republic (2008–Present) North Kosovo Crises 2011–2013 2012 Referendum Brussels Agreement Washington Agreement 2021 2022–2024 Ohrid Agreement Banjska attack
See Also Timeline of Kosovo history Destruction of Albanian heritage Destruction of Serbian heritage
v t e

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 allowed for the " in Kosovo, under United Nations auspices, international civil and security ". The first regulation passed by the Special Representative of the Secretary General, on 25 July 1999, established that UNMIK was responsible for all legislative and executive authority in Kosovo. That regulation also stated that all laws applicable in Kosovo prior to 24 March 1999 would continue to apply in Kosovo insofar as they do not conflict with "internationally recognized human rights standards and shall not discriminate against any person on any ground such as sex, race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, association with a national community, property, birth or other status". This was later amended to state that the law applicable would be that as it stood on 22 March 1989.

Initial arrangements

A twelve-member Kosovo Transitional Council was formed on 16 July 1999. Chaired by the SRSG, the KTC was the described as being the highest political consultative body within the United Nations administration. Its purpose was to offer the main political parties and ethnic communities in Kosovo an opportunity for direct input into the decision-making process of UNMIK.

Joint Interim Administrative Structure

A more formal system of administration was put in place on 30 January 2000 when a Joint Interim Administrative Structure was established. The membership of the Kosovo Transitional Council was expanded and it assumed the role of a deliberative assembly. A transitional cabinet, known as the Interim Administrative Council, was established with eight members, four of which were appointed by UNMIK and four by political parties in Kosovo.

Provisional Institutions of Self Government

Resolution 1244 permitted the United Nations to establish and oversee the development of "provisional, democratic self-governing institutions" in Kosovo. To achieve this aim, a Constitutional Framework for Self-Government in Kosovo was promulgated in May which would established Provisional Institutions of Self-Government. The institutions included establishing a directly elected Assembly of Kosovo which would nominate a President and a Government led by a Prime Minister. Elections for the new assembly were held on 17 November 2001 and on 4 March 2002, Ibrahim Rugova was appointed as President and a cabinet was formed led by Bajram Rexhepi as Prime Minister.

Office Holders

Special Representative of the Secretary-General

No.	Name	Lifespan	Term of office		State
—	Sérgio Vieira de Mello	1948–2003	13 June 1999	15 July 1999	Brazil
1	Bernard Kouchner	1939–	15 July 1999	12 January 2001	France
2	Hans Hækkerup	1945–2013	13 January 2001	31 December 2001	Denmark
—	Charles H. Brayshaw	1942–	1 January 2002	14 February 2002	United States
3	Michael Steiner	1949–	14 February 2002	8 July 2003	Germany
—	Charles H. Brayshaw	1942–	8 July 2003	25 August 2003	United States
4	Harri Holkeri	1937–2011	25 August 2003	11 June 2004	Finland
—	Charles H. Brayshaw	1942–	11 June 2004	16 August 2004	United States
5	Søren Jessen-Petersen	1945–	16 August 2004	30 June 2006	Denmark
—	Steven P. Schook	1953–	30 June 2006	31 August 2006	United States
6	Joachim Rücker	1951–	1 September 2006	17 February 2008	Germany

President of Kosovo

Parties

  LDK

No.	Name (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Elected	Term of office		Political party
Presidents 2002–2008
1	Ibrahim Rugova (1944–2006)		2002	4 March 2002	21 January 2006 (Died in office)	Democratic League
—	Nexhat Daci (1944–)		—	21 January 2006	10 February 2006	Democratic League
2	Fatmir Sejdiu (1951–)		2006 2008	10 February 2006	17 February 2008	Democratic League

Prime Minister of Kosovo

Parties

  PDK   LDK   AAK   PPK   Independent

No.	Name (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Elected	Term of office		Political party
Prime Ministers 2002–2008
1	Bajram Rexhepi (1954–2017)		2001	4 March 2002	3 December 2004	Democratic Party
2	Ramush Haradinaj (1968–)		2004	3 December 2004	8 March 2005	Alliance for the Future
—	Adem Salihaj (1950–) Acting Prime Minister		—	8 March 2005	25 March 2005	Democratic League
3	Bajram Kosumi (1960–)		—	25 March 2005	10 March 2006	Parliamentary Party
4	Agim Çeku (1960–)		—	10 March 2006	9 January 2008	Independent supported by Alliance for the Future
5	Hashim Thaçi (1968–)		2007	9 January 2008	17 February 2008	Democratic Party

Cabinets

Elections

Central

Prior to the declaration of independence of Kosovo in February 2008, three elections were held for the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government:

• 2001 Kosovan parliamentary election
• 2004 Kosovan parliamentary election
• 2007 Kosovan parliamentary election

Local

Three local elections were held in Kosovo during the period of direct UN administration:

• 2000 Kosovan local elections
• 2002 Kosovan local elections
• 2007 Kosovan local elections

Local government

At the start of the period of United Nations administration Kosovo had been divided into five districts. Reforms initiated by UNMIK in 2000 increased the number of districts to seven which were; District of Mitrovica, District of Peja, District of Gjakova, District of Pristina, District of Ferizaj, District of Prizren and District of Gjilan. Each region was overseen by a Regional Administrator appointed by UNMIK.

The districts of Kosovo are divided into municipalities. In 2000, UNMIK merged the municipalities of Gora and Opolje to form the new municipality of Dragash and created a new municipality, Malisheva in Prizren district. New Serb majority municipalities were subsequently created along with the Turkish majority municipality of Mamusha. By 2008, the number of municipalities stood at 38 of which 27 had an Albanian ethnic majority, 10 Serb and 1 Turkish.

Initially, municipalities were administered by Municipal Administrative Boards headed by Municipal Administrators appointed by UNMIK. Local elections were first held on 28 October 2000 to elect Municipal Assemblies for each municipality. Each Municipal Assembly was headed by an Assembly President elected by the members of its Municipal Assembly from within its membership. Further local elections were held on 26 October 2002 under the same model. At the final set of local elections held under United Nations administration on 17 November 2007, each municipality directly elected a Mayor in addition to its Municipal Assembly.

Security and law enforcement

The Kumanovo Agreement, which ended the Kosovo War, and Resolution 1244 required that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia withdrew its military, paramilitary forces and police from Kosovo. The resolution also required that the Kosovo Liberation Army and other armed Kosovo Albanian armed groups be disbanded. Security in Kosovo was to be provided by a NATO-led international peacekeeping force known as the Kosovo Force (KFOR).

On 21 September 1999, UNMIK established a civil defence service known as the Kosovo Protection Corps to assist in emergency situations such as major fires, industrial accidents, search and rescue operations, humanitarian assistance and demining. The KPC could have up to 3000 full time officers and 2000 reservists of which 10 percent should be from ethnic minority groups. The KPC would not have any role in law enforcement.

Initially law and order in Kosovo was maintained by a United Nations International Police Force. On 6 September 1999, UNMIK established a police school in Vushtrri to train officers for the new Kosovo Police Service which would gradually take over policing duties as it expanded in size and developed further capabilities.

• Emblem of KFOR
• Emblem of the Kosovo Protection Corps
• First emblem of the Kosovo Police Service
• First cap badge of the Kosovo Police Service
• Second emblem of the Kosovo Police Service
• UNMIK issued vehicle registration plate

International relations

Membership of international organizations

During the period of direct administration by UNMIK, Kosovo gained membership of the following international organisations:

Free trade agreements

UNMIK signed several free trade agreements with other countries on behalf of Kosovo:

Travel documents

Between 2000 and 2008, UNMIK issued passport-sized travel documents to habitual residents of Kosovo for the purpose of foreign travel. The document carried UNMIK travel document/titre de voyage on the cover, contained 32 pages and was valid for two years. The document contained a machine readable strip with the three-letter code "UNK" in place of a country code.

Liaison Offices

Several countries and international organizations opened Liaison offices in Kosovo during the period of United Nations administration.

Sport

In 2003 the Assembly of Kosovo passed the Law on Sports (Law No. 2003/24) which designated the Olympic Committee of Kosovo (OCK) as the highest sports institution in Kosovo The OCK would not become a member of the International Olympic Committee until 2014, after the unilateral declaration of Independence. Unlike the case for East Timor, athletes from Kosovo did not take part as independents at the Olympic Games during the period of UN administration. A Special Olympics association for Kosovo was formed in 2002 and athletes from Kosovo took part in the Special Olympics World Games in 2003 and 2007. Athletes from Kosovo also participated at the fourth World Dwarf Games in Rambouillet, France in 2005.

A Kosovo Football Federation had been established as a branch of the Football Association of Yugoslavia in 1946. A representative team for Kosovo played several unofficial friendly matches between 2002 and 2008 including matches against Albania, Saudi Arabia and Monaco.

At least twenty-three sports federations existed during the period of United Nations administration of which three; the Table Tennis Federation of Kosovo, Handball Federation of Kosovo and Special Olympics Kosovo gained affiliation with their respective international governing body.

Media and communications

Postal services

Kosovo had operated its own postal service within the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia since 1959. At that time Yugoslav postage stamps were in use. After Kosovo came under United Nations administration, UNMIK became responsible for issuing postage stamps for Kosovo. The first UNMIK issued stamps were released on 15 March 2002 based on the theme of "peace". Further sets were issued by UNMIK up until Kosovo unilaterally declared independence after which stamps were issued in the name of the Republic of Kosovo.

Telecommunications

The Post, Telephone and Telegraph of Kosovo (PTK) was established in 1959. During the Kosovo conflict, assets of the company were either stolen or destroyed, leading to the interruption of telecommunication services. After the conflict, PTK launched Vala, the largest mobile operator in the territory, with the assistance of Monaco Telecom.

Following the breakup of the SFR Yugoslavia in 1992, which had +38 as country code, Kosovo used the code +381, which was granted to FR Yugoslavia and later used by Serbia for fixed line telephone services. For mobile phone networks, Kosovo based providers used either the Monaco code +377 or the Slovenia code +386. Kosovo would gain its own calling code, +383 in 2017.

See also

• United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo
• Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija
• List of territories governed by the United Nations
• United Nations Administered East Timor
• United Nations Administered West New Guinea

References

1. UNMIK (4 October 1999). "UNMIK Administrative Direction No. 1999/2 - Implementing UNMIK Regulation No. 1999/4 of 2 September 1999 on the currency permitted to be used in Kosovo". unmissions.org.
2. UNMIK (21 December 2001). "UNMIK Amending Administrative Direction No. 1999/2 implementing UNMIK Regulation No. 1999/4 on the currency permitted to be used in Kosovo" (PDF). unmissions.org.
3. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244. S/RES/1244(1999) (1999)
4. "Kosovo: The world's newest state". The Economist. 2008-02-23. Archived from the original on 9 June 2012. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
5. UNMIK (25 July 1999). "UNMIK Regulation No. 1999/1 - On the authority of the Interim Administration in Kosovo". unmissions.org.
6. UNMIK (12 December 1999). "UNMIK Regulation No. 1999/24 - On the law applicable in Kosovo". unmissions.org.
7. UNMIK (16 July 1999). "UNMIK convenes first meeting of Kosovo Transitional Council" – via ReliefWeb.
8. ^ UNMIK (14 January 2000). "UNMIK Regulation No. 2000/1 - On the Kosovo Joint Interim Administrative Structure". unmissions.org.
9. "UNMIK at 18 months - Joint Interim Administrative Structure (JIAS)". UNMIK. 2000. Archived from the original on June 8, 2002. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
10. UNMIK (15 May 2001). "UNMIK Regulation No. 2001/9 - A Constitutional Framework for Provisional Self-Government in Kosovo" (PDF). unmissions.org.
11. "Constitutional Framework for Provisional Self-Government in Kosovo" (PDF). UNMIK. December 2002 – via European Stability Initiative.
12. "Kosovo names key ministers - March 4, 2002". CNN. 2002-03-04. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
13. UNMIK (4 March 2002). "Kosovo Provisional Self Government Formed" – via UNOV.
14. https://unmik.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/regulations/02english/E1999regs/RE1999_14.htm
15. Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (8 January 2003). "Report on the municipal elections in Kosovo 26 October 2002". Council of Europe. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
16. "UNMIK sets date for Kosovo elections". Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-09-01.
17. UNMIK (20 September 1999). "UNMIK Regulation 1999/8 - On the establishment of the Kosovo Protection Corps". unmissions.org.
18. "TMK/KPC's History and Mission". Kosovo Protection Corps. Archived from the original on 2007-12-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
19. "Mission in Kosovo - Police Education and Development" (PDF). OSCE. 23 March 2005.
20. Greene, Morgan; Friedman, Jonathan; Bennet, Richard; Boutellis, Arthur (February 2012). "Building the police service in a security vacuum: International efforts in Kosovo, 1999 - 2011" (PDF). Innovations for Successful Societies. Princeton University.
21. ^ Lubomir Kotek (14 April 2001). "2115 - On 14 April 2001, 251 cadets graduated from the Kosovo Police Service School". OSCE.
22. "SECI observers". Archived from the original on 2012-04-14. United Nations Mission to Kossovo (UNMiK) [sic]
23. Before 2013 only the UNMIK.
24. "SEETO Participants". Archived from the original on 12 December 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
25. "SEETO – South-east Europe Transport Observatory". Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2015. ...(SEETO) is regional transport organization established by the Memorandum of Understanding...signed on June 11th, 2004 by the Governments of Albania...and the United Nations Mission in Kosovo and the European Commission.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
26. Before April 2013 membership was assigned to the UNMIK.
27. "Parties to the Energy Community". Energy Community. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
28. "Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) initialled" (PDF) (Press release). UNMIK. 2006-11-10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-02-27. Retrieved 2008-04-09.
29. "UNMIK - International Agreements". UNMIK.
30. "Free Trade Agreement between the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania and the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) on behalf of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Kosovo". 7 July 2003. Retrieved 2010-04-28.
31. ^ "Stability Pact" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
32. "Interim Free Trade Agreement" (PDF). UNMIK. 31 August 2005.
33. ^ Provisional application
34. UNMIK (29 March 2000). "UNMIK Regulation No. 2000/18 - On Travel Documents". unmissions.org.
35. "UN to issue travel documents to Kosovo residents". 30 March 2000. Archived from the original on 2012-10-25. Retrieved 2017-06-29.
36. "First passports issued in Kosovo". SETimes. 31 July 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
37. "Appendix 7 to Section IV - Three-Letter Codes" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-08-12. Retrieved 2010-04-27.
38. "Kosovo : UNMIK Travel Document (2005 — 2007)". July 2017.
39. "The NOC of Kosovo was established in 1992 and has more than 30 affiliated National Federations (NFs)." Olympic.org. Olympic Games.
40. "On the Promulgation of the Law on sports adopted by the Assembly of Kosovo" (PDF).
41. "Law on Sport" (PDF).
42. Little People of Kosova
43. "Kosova 0:1 Albania". RSSSF. 7 September 2002.
44. "Përfaqësuesja e Kosovës në futboll" [Kosovo national team in football]. Forumi Shqiptar (in Albanian). 22 April 2006. Përfaqësuesja e Kosovës mposhti atë të Monacos me rezultat 7:1
45. "Kosovar athletes stage Olympic Protest | Culture and Sports". Archived from the original on 2012-02-07.
46. "Philatelic History – Posta e Kosovës".
47. "Paqe I – Posta e Kosovës".
48. "Adem Jashari – Posta e Kosovës".
49. "PTK - About us". Ptkonline.com. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
50. *"Telecommunications: Kosovo's callers forced to talk in foreign codes". Financial Times. 13 December 2009.

External links

• Archived website of the Joint Interim Administrative Structure
• Archived Website of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government
  • President of Kosovo
  • Prime Minister and Cabinet of Kosovo
  • Assembly of Kosovo
• UNMIK - Official Gazette
• UNMIK - Kosovo Focus

v t e Territories governed by the United Nations
Current	Cyprus Buffer Zone (UNFICYP) 1974–present UNDOF Zone 1974–present Kosovo (UNMIK) 1999–present
Former	UNTEA 1962–1963 UNTAC 1992–1993 Eastern Slavonia (UNTAES) 1996–1998 East Timor (UNTAET) 1999−2002
Proposed	Jerusalem 1947

• United Nations Mission in Kosovo
• Government of Kosovo
• 1999 in Kosovo
• 2000s in Kosovo
• 2010s in Kosovo
• States and territories established in 1999
• States and territories disestablished in 2008