View source for United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor

{{Short description|Administrative and peacekeeping mission (1999–2002)}}
{{about|United Nations mission|the history of East Timor during United Nations administration|United Nations Administered East Timor}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}

{{Infobox United Nations
| image                    = Emblem of the United Nations.svg
| image_size               = 120px
| name                     = United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor
| type                     = Special political mission
| abbreviation             = UNTAET
| leader_title             = Head
| leader_name              = [[Ian Martin (UN official)|Ian Martin]] (1999)<br>[[Sérgio Vieira de Mello]] (1999-2002)
| status                   = Completed on 20 May 2002
| formation                = 25 October 1999
| headquarters             = [[Dili]], [[East Timor]]
| parent_organization      = [[United Nations Security Council]]
| subsidiaries             = 
| website                  = {{Official URL}}
| footnotes                = 
}}
The '''United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor''' ('''UNTAET''', {{langx|pt|Administração Transitória das Nações Unidas em Timor Leste}}), was a United Nations mission in [[East Timor]] that aimed to solve the [[List of ongoing armed conflicts|decades-long]] [[1999 East Timorese crisis|East Timorese crisis]] in the area occupied by Indonesian military. UNTAET provided an interim civil administration and a peacekeeping mission in the territory of East Timor, from its establishment on 25 October 1999,<ref name="UN_SRES12721999">{{UN document |docid=S-RES-1272(1999) |type=Resolution |body=Security Council |year=1999 |resolution_number=1272 |accessdate=12 April 2008}}</ref> until its independence on 20 May 2002, following the outcome of the [[East Timor Special Autonomy Referendum]]. The transitional administration was established by [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1272]] in 1999.

A rarity for [[United Nations peacekeeping|United Nations peacekeeping missions]], UNTAET involved the United Nations [[List of territories governed by the United Nations|directly administering the territory]] of [[United Nations Administered East Timor|East Timor]]. The mission's responsibilities included providing a [[peacekeeping]] force to maintain security and order; facilitating and co-ordinating relief assistance to the East Timorese; facilitating emergency rehabilitation of physical infrastructure; administering East Timor and creating structures for sustainable governance and the rule of law; and assisting in the drafting of a new constitution and conducting elections.<ref name="UN_SRES12721999"/>

UNTAET was established on 25 October 1999, by [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1272]]. The mission was led by [[Sérgio Vieira de Mello]] of Brazil ([[Special Representative of the Secretary-General for East Timor]]). The [[International Force East Timor]]
(INTERFET) transitioned to the UNTAET Peacekeeping Force (PKF) in February 2000 and was commanded by [[Philippines|Filipino]] [[military officer]] [[Lieutenant General]] [[Jaime de los Santos]] (Force Commander UNTAET).<ref>{{cite press release |title=US Dollar New Official Currency of East Timor, Central Payments Office Established |url=https://peacekeeping.un.org/sites/default/files/past/etimor/DB/br2401.htm |website=United Nations Peacekeeping |publisher=United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor |access-date=22 April 2022 |date=24 January 2000}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=14 February 2000 |title=UN Soldiers Now Safeguard East Timor |volume=1 |page=1 |work=Tais Timor |publisher=UNTAET Office of Communication and Public Information |issue=1 |url=https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mission/past/etimor/untaetPU/newsletter1.pdf |oclc=49547887}}</ref> UNTAET was abolished on 20 May 2002, with most functions passed to the East Timor government. The military and police forces were transferred to the newly created [[United Nations Mission of Support to East Timor]] (UNMISET).

[[Image:Gate Pa Veh.jpg|thumb|New Zealand [[M113A1]] armoured personnel carriers of UNTAET at the Gate Pa base in the southern [[Suai, East Timor|Suai]] area, 2002]]
[[File:UN-Polizei in Dili.jpg|thumb|UN Police car in [[Dili]]]]
UNTAET was wound up upon [[East Timor independence|East Timorese independence]] but a United Nations presence in East Timor would continue through a newly established United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor ([[UNMISET]]).

==Contributing nations==

A coalition of nations sent troops to support the peace keeping mission. The forces were led by [[Australia]], which provided the largest contingent and the out of theatre base for operations, supported by [[Portugal]] who sent the second largest contingent <ref>{{Cite book |last=Braz |first=Carlos Morgado |chapter-url=https://digitalis-dsp.uc.pt/bitstream/10316.2/36622/1/A%20participa%C3%A7%C3%A3o%20militar%20portuguesa%20em%20Timor-Leste.pdf |title=Consolidação da paz e a sua sustentabilidade: as missões da ONU em Timor-Leste e a contribuição de Portugal |publisher=Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra |isbn=978-989-26-0890-7 |editor-last=Freire |editor-first=Maria Raquel |location=Coimbra |pages=155–180 |language=pt |chapter=A participação militar portuguesa em Timor-Leste e o impacto nas dinâmicas informais da reconstrução da paz |doi=10.14195/978-989-26-0890-7_6 |hdl=10316.2/36622 |doi-access=free |hdl-access=free}}</ref> securing the key central areas of the country,<ref>{{Cite web |last=UNTAET |date=28 February 2002 |title=UNTAET Fact Sheet 18: Peacekeeping Force |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/indonesia/untaet-fact-sheet-18-peacekeeping-force |access-date=25 May 2022 |website=ReliefWeb}}</ref> followed by [[New Zealand]], who took responsibility for the southern West sector with supporting troops from [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], [[Fiji]], [[Nepal]], and [[Singapore]]. [[France]] also sent special forces who joined the [[ANZAC]]s on the first day, as well as contingents from [[Brazil]], [[Canada]], [[Denmark]], [[Italy]], [[Kenya]], [[Japan]], [[Malaysia]], [[Singapore]], [[South Korea]], [[Thailand]], the [[Philippines]], [[Sweden]], and the [[United Kingdom]]. While the [[United States]] supported the transition authority, it did so mainly by underwriting contracts to replace destroyed infrastructure and thus avoided a direct military involvement, allowing the ANZAC led force to take the lead. The United States did, however, deploy a contingent of American police officers to serve with the [[International Police]].<ref>https://2001-2009.state.gov/p/inl/rls/fs/47759.htm</ref>

==Head of Mission==
[[Ian Martin (UN official)|Ian Martin]] and [[Sérgio Vieira de Mello]] served as [[Special Representative of the Secretary-General for East Timor]] during UNTAET's period of operation.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! rowspan="2" |{{Abbr|No.|Number}}
! rowspan="2" |Portrait
! rowspan="2" width="180" |Name<br />{{small|(Birth–Death)}}
! rowspan="2" |Election
! colspan="3" |Term of office
|-
!Took office
!Left office
!Time in office
|-
! |-
| [[File:2019-08-26 Ian Martin.jpg|80px]]
| [[Ian Martin (UN official)|Ian Martin]]<br />(acting)
| n/a
| 25 October 1999
| 19 November 1999
| {{ayd|1999|10|25|1999|11|19}}
|-
! |1
| [[File:Sérgio Vieira de Mello.jpg|80px]]
| [[Sérgio Vieira de Mello]]<br />{{small|(1948–2003)}}
| n/a
| 19 November 1999
| 20 May 2002
| {{ayd|1999|11|19|2002|5|20}}
|}

==See also==
* [[United Nations Administered East Timor]]
* [[International Force for East Timor]]
* [[Timeline of UN peacekeeping missions]]
* [[UN protectorate]]
* [[United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo]], a similar arrangement for [[Kosovo]]
* [[UNTAET Crime Scene Detachment]]
* [[United Nations Mission in East Timor]]
* [[United Nations Mission of Support to East Timor]]
* [[United Nations Integrated Mission in East Timor]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite journal
 | last = Goldstone
 | first = Anthony
 | year = 2004
 | title = UNTAET with Hindsight: The Peculiarities of Politics in an Incomplete State
 | journal = [[Global Governance]]
 | volume = 10
 | pages = 83–98
 | doi = 10.1163/19426720-01001008
 }}
* Gunn, Geoffrey C. and Reyko Huang (2004; 2006), ''New Nation: United Nations Peacebuilding in East Timor'' (Faculty of Economics, Nagasaki University, Southeast Asia Monograph Series No.36. (reprint, author, Tipografia Macau Hung Heng Ltd., Macau) {{ISBN| 99937-706-1-2}}
* {{cite journal
 | last = Martin
 | first = Ian
 |author2=Alexander Mayer-Rieckh
  |date=Spring 2005
 | title = The United Nations and East Timor: From Self-Determination to State-Building
 | journal = [[International Peacekeeping]]
 | volume = 12
 | issue = 1
 | pages = 125–145
 | doi = 10.1080/1353331042000286595
 | s2cid = 143653698
 }}
* Pemper, Tammy (2019). [https://www.bigskypublishing.com.au/books/scorched-earth/ Scorched Earth: Peacekeeping in Timor during a campaign of death and destruction.] Big Sky Publishing. A biography from a peacekeeper's perspective, based on actual events in the days leading up to UNTAET.

==External links==
{{Commons category|UN-Missions in East Timor}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100203011652/https://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/past/etimor/etimor.htm Archived official website]
* [https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mission/past/etimor/Untaetchrono.html The United Nations and East Timor – A Chronology]
* [https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mission/past/etimor/UntaetB.htm UNTAET Mission Summary]
* [https://archive.today/20091023013318/http://www.geocities.com/benjamin.morgan/index.htm A Brief History of Australian Army Operations in East Timor, 1999–2005]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20010803092021/http://www.gov.east-timor.org/english.html Archived web-site of first Transitional Administration]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20020123122805/http://www.gov.east-timor.org/ Archived web-site of second Transitional Administration]

{{East Timor topics}}
{{UN Peacekeeping Operations}}
{{Territories governed by the United Nations}}
{{Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Nations}}
{{coord missing|Timor-Leste}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:United Nations Transitional Administration In East Timor}}
[[Category:United Nations operations in Timor-Leste| 01]]
[[Category:Government of Timor-Leste]]
[[Category:1990s in East Timor]]
[[Category:2000s in Timor-Leste]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1999]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 2002]]
[[Category:1990s establishments in East Timor]]
[[Category:2000s disestablishments in Timor-Leste]]
[[Category:1999 establishments in Indonesia]]
[[Category:1999 establishments in Southeast Asia]]
[[Category:2002 disestablishments in Southeast Asia]]
[[Category:United Nations Security Council mandates|1267]]
[[Category:History of Timor]]
[[Category:Timor-Leste and the United Nations]]