United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia, Debriefing and Lessons

The United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) was the fruit of many years of negotiations which had resulted in the Paris Agreements on Cambodia, and a sincere attempt to reach out to a country devastated by conflict. The present report synthesises the discussions and papers presented at the `International Conference on the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC): Debriefing and Lessons', organized jointly by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) of Singapore and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). This report reflects as faithfully as possible the analysis and observations of the conference participants, and draws overall lessons and recommendations from that exercise, in the hope that these will be of use in future undertakings of the United Nations. Many reforms have already been initiated at the United Nations Secretariat in the wake of UNTAC. The Department of Peace-Keeping Operations (DKPO) has been strengthened and the Field Operations Division (FOD) integrated into it; the number of staff dealing with political analysis and training has increased; and the involvement of Member States, through secondment and the provisions of national expertise, has become institutionalized.