United Nations Temporary Executive Authority

The United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA) and the United Nations Security Force (UNSF) in West New Guinea was established during October 1962 in accord with General Assembly Resolution 1752 as requested in Article two of the New York Agreement to administer the former Dutch New Guinea. The UNTEA administration ended on 1 May 1963. The mission was initially led by acting administrator José Rolz-Bennett of Guatemala 1 October 1962 to 15 November, and then by Jalal Abdoh of Iran who served as administrator proper from 15 November 1962 to 1 May 1963. In addition to civil administration, UNTEA also had a peacekeeping role through military observers.

West New Guinea
1962–1963
Emblem of West New Guinea
Emblem
Location of West New Guinea in Oceania
Location of West New Guinea in Oceania
StatusSubsidiary organ of the UN General Assembly[1]
CapitalKotabaru
Common languagesDutch
English
Papuan languages
Austronesian languages
Administrator 
• 1962–1963
Jalal Abdoh
Historical eraCold War
• Established
1 October 1962
• Disestablished
1 May 1963
CurrencyDutch New Guinean gulden
Preceded by		Succeeded by
Dutch New Guinea
Indonesia

This was the first time in its history that the United Nations assumed direct administrative responsibility for a territory (as opposed to monitoring or supervising). The UN was responsible for promoting and safeguarding human rights at the national level. The United Nations would go on to undertake similar missions in Cambodia (UNTAC), Croatia (UNTAES), Kosovo (UNMIK) and East Timor (UNTAET).

History

Western New Guinea became the focus of a political dispute between the Netherlands and Indonesia following the recognition of the independence of the latter. The Indonesian side claimed the territory as its own while the Dutch side maintained that its residents were not Indonesian and that the Netherlands would continue to administer the territory until it was capable of self-determination.

In May 1959 a United States diplomat proposed a scheme for using a "a special United Nations trusteeship over the territory for a limited number of years, at the end of which time sovereignty would be turned over to Indonesia";[2] and in March 1961 the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta asserted "the Indos once contended that UN trusteeship would be anathema under any circumstances. Now, although they have not gone so far as to be willing to call a trusteeship a trusteeship, they talk in terms of "one or two years" of some kind of interregnum as being acceptable."[3] The Netherlands refused to directly transfer the colony to Indonesia and, with Operation Trikora underway, requested the UN dictate self-determination rights in 1962.[4] On 15 August, Indonesia and The Netherlands signed the New York Agreement, which promulgated a transfer via UNTEA; according to the agreement, UNTEA could legislate, appoint government officials, and guarantee law and order; these permissions manifested in the establishment of a court system and regional councils, and the replacemnent of Dutch officials by UN ones.[5]

The United Nations General Assembly approved the agreement and accepted administration on 21 September in General Assembly resolution 1752.[6] Pakistan provided a 1,000 man contingent.[7] An official gazette was established on 1 October,[8] the same day UN administration took effect. On 1 May 1963, administration was transferred to Indonesia.

During the seven-month transition period Dutch civil servants and officials were slowly recalled to the Netherlands and were replaced by local and Indonesian officials. It was agreed that following the transfer of authority Elias Jan Bonai, a member of the New Guinea Council, would be appointed as the first Indonesian Governor.

The transfer of authority took place on 1 May 1963 and West New Guinea became a province of Indonesia known as West Irian (Irian Barat). It later evolved into the present-day provinces of Papua, Southwest Papua, Central Papua, South Papua, Highland Papua and West Papua.

Postal history

Nineteen postage stamps, as well as some postal stationery items, were issued by UNTEA. These were created by overprinting existing stocks of Dutch New Guinea issues.[9] At the time packets of all stamps were sold at UN Headquarters by the United Nations Postal Administration and they remain readily available on the retail market.

  • UNTEA postage stamp
    UNTEA postage stamp

See also

References
  1. Myung-Ki, Kim (1990). "Some Legal Problems Concerning Withdrawal of the United Nations Forces". The Journal of East Asian Affairs. 4 (2): 299. ISSN 1010-1608. JSTOR 23254021.
  2. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, Indonesia, Volume XVII; 203. Despatch From the Embassy in Indonesia to the Department of State
  3. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume XXIII, Southeast Asia; 150. Telegram From the Embassy in Indonesia to the Department of State
  4. Lopez-Reyes, Ramon (1995). "United Nations Zones of Peace Territories: A Proposal for Transforming the Trusteeship System". Peace Research. 27 (1): 78. ISSN 0008-4697. JSTOR 23607653.
  5. Kondoch, Boris (2001). "The United Nations Administration of East Timor". Journal of Conflict & Security Law. 6 (2): 252. doi:10.1093/jcsl/6.2.245. ISSN 1467-7954. JSTOR 26294294.
  6. McCorquodale, Robert; Robinson, Jennifer; Peart, Nicola (January 2020). "Territorial Integrity and Consent in the Chagos Advisory Opinion". International and Comparative Law Quarterly. 69 (1): 221. doi:10.1017/S0020589319000551. S2CID 212816137.
  7. Goodwin, Geoffrey L. (1965). "The Commonwealth and the United Nations". International Organization. 19 (3): 691. doi:10.1017/S0020818300012510. ISSN 0020-8183. JSTOR 2705876. S2CID 153884868.
  8. Childs, James B. (December 1963). "UNTEA Official Gazette. 1962 numbers 1–9, to 1963, number 17. Official Gazette of the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority, West New Guinea, West Irian. (Hollandia, West New Guinea, UNTEA, 1962–63. 5 nos. 62 leaves mimeographed.)". American Political Science Review. 57 (4): 1036. doi:10.1017/S0003055400283470. S2CID 152038960 – via Cambridge University Press.
  9. "UNTEA (UNITED NATIONS TEMPORARY EXECUTIVE AUTHORITY)". Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2010.

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