United Nations Security Council Resolution 1239 – Resolutions 1160 (1998), 1199 (1998) and 1203 (1998)

Resolution 1239 (1999)

The Security Council,

Recalling its resolutions 1160 (1998) of 31 March 1998, 1199 (1998) of23 September 1998, and 1203 (1998) of 24 October 1998, and the statements of itsPresident of 24 August 1998 (S/PRST/1998/25), 19 January 1999 (S/PRST/1999/2),and 29 January 1999 (S/PRST/1999/5),

Bearing in mind the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations andguided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the international covenants and conventions on human rights, the Conventions and Protocol relating to theStatus of Refugees, the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Additional Protocols thereto of 1977, as well as other instruments of international humanitarian law,

Expressing grave concern at the humanitarian catastrophe in and aroundKosovo, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as a result of the continuing crisis,

Deeply concerned by the enormous influx of Kosovo refugees into Albania,the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and other countries, as well as by the increasing numbers of displaced persons within Kosovo, the Republic of Montenegro and other parts of the Federal Republic ofYugoslavia,

Stressing the importance of effective coordination of humanitarian reliefactivities undertaken by States, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and international organizations in alleviating the plight andsuffering of refugees and internally displaced persons,

Noting with interest the intention of the Secretary-General to send a humanitarian needs assessment mission to Kosovo and other parts of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,

Reaffirming the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all States in theregion,

1. Commends the efforts that have been taken by Member States, the UnitedNations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other internationalhumanitarian relief organizations in providing the urgently needed reliefassistance to the Kosovo refugees in Albania, the former Yugoslav Republic ofMacedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and urges them and others in a position todo so to contribute resources for humanitarian assistance to the refugees andinternally displaced persons;

2. Invites the UNHCR and other international humanitarian relieforganizations to extend relief assistance to the internally displaced persons inKosovo, the Republic of Montenegro and other parts of the Federal Republic ofYugoslavia, as well as to other civilians being affected by the ongoing crisis;

3. Calls for access for United Nations and all other humanitarianpersonnel operating in Kosovo and other parts of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia;

4. Reaffirms the right of all refugees and displaced persons to return totheir homes in safety and in dignity;

5. Emphasizes that the humanitarian situation will continue todeteriorate in the absence of a political solution to the crisis consistent withthe principles adopted by the Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany,Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain andNorthern Ireland and the United States of America on 6 May 1999 (S/1999/516),and urges all concerned to work towards this aim;

6. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

Adopted by the Security Council at its 4003rd meeting,on 14 May 1999