UNMIK/PR/1678 - UNMIK Countdown #24
PRISTINA – With 57 international security officers from 30 different countries, assisted by 250 local staff, UNMIK Security since 1999 has been able, through information and prevention campaigns, to significantly decrease the number of burglary cases, street robberies and damage to UN properties. While a component of this mission, UNMIK Security is operating under the umbrella of the UN Department of Safety and Security. This section is part of a system which ranges from the Designated Official to the Area Security Coordinators.
UNMIK Security covers all matters related to security, from crisis readiness to personal protection for the SRSG and PDSRSG as well as for all other categories of mission personnel. This includes civilian, military and police components of UNMIK and all mission assets and properties. The section is working in close cooperation with the OSCE and EU security units; at the regional level integrated procedures have been developed.
Within the framework of the Mission Wide Security Plan, numerous trainings are conducted internally and with KFOR and Police to improve procedures.
Among UNMIK Security achievements:
- The Minimum Operational Security Standards (MOSS) and the Minimum Residential Security Standards (MORSS) have been approved by the Department of Security and Safety;
- The security of UNMIK premises has been improved with the introduction of CCTV systems, protective so-called T-walls, security lighting and anti-intrusion gates. Shatter resistant film has been placed on the windows of most of the buildings;
- In addition, every staff member has been provided with an individual alarm, an emergency card and a radio. Escort service and safe parking areas have also been implemented. To cope with specific situations, a response team exists in each region to perform any task assigned by the section chief.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in his 16 January message to the Seventh Summit on the Safety and Security of UN Staff said that “I have been impressed by how seriously the United Nations takes its security management. It is clear to me that our system reflects tremendous thought and effort, and that our security professionals are dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of duty of care. It is encouraging to know that I, who bear ultimate responsibility for UN security, will be able to rely on this capacity”.
With the support of UNMIK staff, the security section is dedicated to ensuring the safety of all UNMIK personnel.
