United Nations Security Council Resolution 1622

by the United Nations

Adopted by the Security Council at its 5259th meeting, on 13 September 2005

The Security Council,

Reaffirming all its previous resolutions and statements pertaining to the situation between Ethiopia and Eritrea, and the requirements contained therein, including in particular resolution 1586 (2005) of 14 March 2005,

Stressing its unwavering commitment to the peace process, including through the role played by the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), and to the full and expeditious implementation of the Comprehensive peace agreement signed by the Governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea (hereinafter referred to as “the parties”) on 12 December 2000 and the preceding Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities of 18 June 2000 (S/2000/1183 and S/2000/601, respectively, hereinafter referred to as the “Algiers Agreements”), and the delimitation decision by the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission of 13 April 2002 (S/2002/423), embraced by the parties as final and binding in accordance with the Algiers Agreements,

Stressing that lasting peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea as well as in the region cannot be achieved without the full demarcation of the border between the parties,

Deeply concerned with the continued lack of progress in the implementation of the final and binding decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission, and with Ethiopia’s ongoing rejection of significant parts of the Boundary Commission’s decision,

Noting with deep concern the continuing high concentration of troops in the areas adjacent to the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ),

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General (S/2005/553) and welcoming the observations made therein,

Noting possible options to resolve the stalemate in the peace process include, when appropriate, a visit to Ethiopia and Eritrea, as suggested by the Secretary- General in paragraph 38 of his report, as well as a meeting of the witnesses to the signature of the Algiers Agreements,

Welcoming action taken by UNMEE to address the issue of sexual exploitation and abuse, particularly the efforts towards prevention through training; and also the action taken to address HIV and AIDS,

1. Decides to extend the mandate of UNMEE until 15 March 2006;

2. Approves the reconfiguration of UNMEE’s military component, including an increase in the number of military observers by ten, within the existing overall mandated strength of UNMEE; and the assistance to the parties in the mine action sector, as recommended by the Secretary-General in his report in paragraphs 11 and 42;

3. Calls on both parties to refrain from any action which may lead to an escalation of the tension, and in this respect urges both parties to give serious consideration to returning to the 16 December 2004 levels of deployment and more generally, to refrain from any threat of use of force against each other;

4. Reaffirms that Ethiopia and Eritrea have the primary responsibility for the implementation of the Algiers Agreements and the decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission, by making full use of the existing framework of the Eritrea- Ethiopia Boundary Commission;

5. Calls upon Ethiopia to accept fully the decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission and to enable, without preconditions, the Commission to demarcate the border completely and promptly;

6. Calls also on the parties to implement completely and without further delay the decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission and to create the necessary conditions for demarcation to proceed expeditiously;

7. Takes note of the continuing improvement in the climate of cooperation between UNMEE and the parties and calls on both parties to cooperate fully and expeditiously with UNMEE in the implementation of its mandate, to ensure the security of all UNMEE staff, and to remove immediately and unconditionally all restrictions on and impediments to the work and to the full and free movement of UNMEE and its staff; also in this regard strongly urges Eritrea to remove the restrictions on UNMEE military police in Asmara;

8. Urges Eritrea to take immediate steps, in consultation with UNMEE towards implementing the direct United Nations flights between Addis Ababa and Asmara and to reopen the Asmara to Barentu road to UNMEE traffic;

9. Calls upon both parties to achieve a full normalization of their relationship, including through political dialogue between them for the adoption of further confidence-building measures and to consolidate progress achieved so far;

10. Expresses its concern at the ongoing food insecurity in Ethiopia and Eritrea and its potential to create greater instability and calls on Member States to continue to provide generous support for both humanitarian and development activities to improve food security in Ethiopia and Eritrea;

11. Calls on Eritrea to lift all restrictions imposed on the operations of aid organizations, to enable them to carry out their humanitarian activities;

12. Decides to continue monitoring closely the steps taken by the parties in the implementation of their commitments under the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and under the Algiers Agreements, including through the Boundary Commission, and to review any implications for UNMEE;

13. Requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary measures to achieve actual compliance in UNMEE with the United Nations zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, including the development of strategies and appropriate mechanisms to prevent, identify and respond to all forms of misconduct, including sexual exploitation and abuse, and the enhancement of training for personnel to prevent misconduct and ensure full compliance with the United Nations code of conduct, requests the Secretary-General to take all necessary action in accordance with the Secretary-General’s Bulletin on special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse (ST/SGB/2003/13) and to keep the Council informed, and urges troop-contributing countries to take appropriate preventive action including the conduct of pre-deployment awareness training, and take disciplinary action and other action to ensure full accountability in cases of such conduct involving their personnel;

14. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to monitor the situation closely, to review the mission’s mandate in the light of progress made in the peace process and changes made to UNMEE;

15. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.