Biography
Founder, organizer and President
of Medecins sans Frontieres, Dr. Kouchner was France's Minister
of Health until picked by Secretary-General Kofi Annan as
his Special Representative for Kosovo.
In the humanitarian field, Dr. Kouchner
founded Medecins sans Frontieres, a Paris-based non-profit
humanitarian organization made up of voluntary medical personnel
who contribute their time and expertise in assisting in
situations of emergency or inadequate medical care in the
developing world. In that capacity he travelled extensively
in all the troubled areas of the world. He organized humanitarian
operations to Somalia, El Salvador, Lebanon and Viet Nam.
In addition to those countries, his humanitarian assignments
took him to Cambodia, Thailand, Uruguay, Peru, Guatemala
and Honduras.
Dr. Kouchner has played an important
role on the French political scene for the past 20 years,
holding a number of ministerial positions in different French
Governments. Most recently he served as France's Minister
of Health, and before that as Minister of State for Humanitarian
Action (1988-1991) and Minister of State for Social Integration
(1988).
Dr. Kouchner is the author of several
books, and co-founder of the news magazines "L' Evenement"
and "Actuel". He is the recipient of several human
rights awards, including the Dag Hammarskjold Prize and
the Prix Europa.
A medical doctor by profession,
Dr. Kouchner was born in 1939 in Avignon. He is the father
of four children.
Statements
Bernard Kouchner, Special Representative
of the Secretary-General and Head, United Nations Interim
Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), (Statement at
a press conference following agreement on demilitarization
and transformation of the Kosovo Liberation Army, Pristina,
Kosovo, Yugoslavia: 21 September 1999)
"It is a good day for us. This
is not an end, but a beginning.
Demilitarization is not necessarily
accomplished by simply dismantling military structures and
collecting soldiers' arms. The concept of completing demilitarization
through the transformation of former fighting forces is
well established in peacekeeping practice, and it became
an integral part of the Kosovo peace process as a result
of the KLA Undertaking on Demilitarization and Transformation
presented to KFOR Commander Mike Jackson in June.
In close consultation with UNMIK,
KFOR subsequently developed a concept for a civilian, disciplined,
uniformed and multi-ethnic emergency response service closely
modeled on the Sécurité Civile of France that
could provide needed emergency and other specialized services,
while absorbing substantial KLA manpower and redirecting
its aspirations. Yesterday, I signed UNMIK Regulation 1999/8
authorizing the establishment of such a service, the Kosovo
Protection Corps.
The Corps will provide disaster
response services, including for major fires, and industrial
accidents or spills; perform search and rescue; provide
a capacity for humanitarian assistance in isolated areas;
assist in demining; and contribute to rebuilding infrastructure
and communities.
The Corps will consist of up to
3,000 active and 2,000 reserve member who will be recruited
and screened on an individual basis, in much the same manner
as the Kosovo Police Corps. At least ten percent of the
Corps will consist of minorities. Members of the Corps cannot
hold public office or actively engage in political affairs,
and are prohibited from involvement in law enforcement or
the maintenance of public order.
KFOR will provide day-to-day supervision
of the Corps under policies and priorities established by
UNMIK. A transition period of at least 60 days will be required
to stand-up the Corps. These preparations include the processing
of applications, the procurement of basic equipment and
the development of training programs. Taking into account
among other things his enormous contribution to the successful
demilitarization of the KLA, I have appointed Agim Ceku
as Current Commander of the Kosovo Protection Corps.
I look to him to lead the new members
of the Corps in the footsteps of Cincinnatus, the model
citizen-soldier of ancient Rome -- who left his plow standing
in the field to answer the call to arms & and at the
end of the war refused all honors in order to return to
his civic duties.
This story of the brave and honorable
citizen-soldier has been repeated in virtually every nation
represented in KFOR and UNMIK, including my own. Over the
centuries, we all have learned that the price of liberty
is constant vigilance and readiness to sacrifice. But we
have also learned that there is a time for everything, including
a time for arms and a time for tools.
SRSG Statement
on release of Dr. Brovina
"I am absolutely delighted
and relieved at the news that Dr. Flora Brovina was released
today from prison in Pozarevac in Serbia. I am overjoyed
for her family. She should be crossing into Kosovo at this
very moment: Let me be among the first to say, Welcome Home,
Dear Flora. You have been sorely missed. You have been in
our hearts. "... more
SRSG Statement
on FRY Election, 6 September 2000
Under UNSCR 1244, UNMIK bears the
sole responsibility for interim administration in Kosovo.
In order to administer any elections within Kosovo, UNMIK
must ensure that fundamental international standards are
met. There is only one electoral process organized by UNMIK/OSCE
in Kosovo, and that will be the Municipal Elections for
Kosovo scheduled to take place on 28 October. "....
more
SRSG Statement
on Cernica Killings, 29 May 2000
"Last night I was revolted
by the news that three Serb males, including a four year
old child, Miki Petrovic--as well as Vojin Vasic and Tihomir
Simonovic-- were murdered in cold blood during a drive-by
shooting in Cernica, a village south of Gnjilane, at around
8:30 p.m. - Two other Serb males were injured seriously
and are now being treated in Camp Bondsteel. "....
more
SRSG Statement
on Death of Petar Topoljski, 16 May 2000
"This evening I received the
shocking and appalling news that one of our UNMIK staff
members, a young man of Serbian ethnicity, has been murdered.
Petar Topoljski was 25 years old. He worked for the UNMIK
Pristina Regional Administration".... more
Open Letter from SRSG Bernard
Kouchner, 13 April 2000
A year ago Kosovo's Albanians were
in flight, terrorized by acts of ethnic cleansing unseen
in Europe for half a century.... more
Press Statement by SRSG Bernard
Kouchner Following the IAC Meeting on 8 February 2000
Pristina -- This was a very important
Imterim Administrative Council, because we are in the middle
of a crisis in Mitrovica. We were all together able to deal
with this crisis and to take a common position, first on
the reestablishment of law and order, to quiet down the
situation, to quiet down everything, and then to sart a
real discussion next week on strategy for Mitrovica....
more
New Year
Address by SRSG Bernard Kouchner
New Year's Day is the start of a
new millennium, a new beginning for the people of the world
and more specifically for the people of Kosovo, for all
the communities of Kosovo. This is a time to look to the
future. I am not saying that we should forget about the
suffering.... more
Bernard
Kouchner's Address: UNMIK Marks Six Months in Kosovo
PRISTINA, 13 December -- Six months
in Kosovo. Many people say we've been slow, but slow to
do what? Does anyone remember what we found here six months
ago? Empty streets. Shuttered shops. No water. No work.
Smoking ruins. Murders in the open streets. Dead bodies
and piles of garbage. Not a newspaper to buy. Not even a
loaf of bread. Not a child in school. No fields safe to
plow. Most of the livestock lost. No one in charge.....
more
Memorial
Speech of Special Representative of the Secretary-General
Bernard Kouchner; On the Occasion of the Death of UNMIK
Staff Member Mr. Valentine Krumov.
PRISTINA, 15 October -- Today is
a sad day for the United Nations and its mission members
serving across the globe. Today we share grief for a fallen
colleague - the untimely death of Mr. Valentine Krumov,
who was brutally murdered on 11 October, the same day he
arrived in Pristina to join our team. On behalf of all of
us, I want to express our deep condolences........more
Secretary-General
appoints Dr. Bernard Kouchner of France to head UN mission
in Kosovo.
NEW YORK, 2 July - Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday
chose Dr. Bernard Kouchner of France to oversee the massive
international effort to turn war-devastated Kosovo into
a functioning, democratic society. As the Secretary-General's
Special Representative, Dr. Kouchner will head the United
Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK)
and be the highest-ranking civilian authority in the province.........more
Kouchner
takes up post as UNMIK head in Pristina.
PRISTINA, 15 July - Dr. Bernard
Kouchner arrived in Kosovo today to take up the post of
Special Representative of United Nations Secretary-General
Kofi Annan. Kouchner, 59, a former Health Minister of France,
heads the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK),
mandated with preparing Kosovo for autonomy........more
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