UNMIK/PR/1284
PRISTINA –DSRSG Jean-Christian Cady will be leaving Kosovo this week at the end of more than three years as Head of UNMIK Pillar I. Mr. Cady, who departs on 15 December 2004, addressed a farewell ceremony in the UNMIK Mission HQ attended by senior representatives of UNMIK, the Kosovo Government, Foreign Liaison Offices in Kosovo and other agencies.
“I believe that Kosovo can and will progress towards becoming a stable democratic society with a future for all ethnicities. What we have achieved in creating a multiethnic police that functions well, can be duplicated in other sectors,” he said, adding, “I believe that the international community’s expectations on progress on standards will be met and that this progress will pave the way for the discussions on Kosovo’s status. To sum it up in a nutshell, I believe in Kosovo and I believe in its future.”
The SRSG Mr. Søren Jessen-Petersen praised Mr. Cady's contribution to the Mission, saying that "you have done well to steer the course so far in the difficult area of police and justice. Kosovo can today boast of truly multi-ethnic police and correctional services, and a judiciary that is well on its way to achieving professional standards. The institutional groundwork has been largely achieved. This must now be replicated in the broader social and political context. True security will emanate from people's willing abidance by the rule of law and respect for human rights of all citizens."
After having served for 19 months as Deputy SRSG in the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), Mr. Jean-Christian Cady took over as the first Head of UNMIK’s Pillar I on its creation in August 2001. A career civil servant who held several senior positions during his 29 years in the French civil service, Mr. Cady said: “After a lifetime experience in public administration, I can say without hesitation that the two peacekeeping missions of East Timor and Kosovo have been my most challenging assignments. But despite all the toil and the daily frustrations one experiences in bringing together components which are so heterogeneous, these assignments and in particular Kosovo gave me the greatest professional and human satisfaction. It is always rewarding when one feels there is progress towards democracy, peace and stability.”
Thanking his colleagues in UNMIK, the Kosovo Government, foreign diplomats, development agencies and other players in Kosovo for their support to Pillar I, Mr. Cady said that he regrets he will “not be in Kosovo when all UNMIK’s powers are handed over to Kosovo institutions. I shall have been here at the time of ploughing and sowing. I shall no longer be here at the time of harvest.”
The PDSRSG Mr. Larry Rossin will head Pillar I until the appointment of a successor.