...As nationhood and independence dawn.

• Position: East Timor - Brief Article

As we go to press on 16 April, former guerrilla leader Xanana Gusmao has attained a commanding lead in East Timor's first presidential election. The conclusion of this electoral process paves the way for East Timor's independence on 20 May 2002. The United Nations Mission in East (UNMET), established in June 1999, successfully carried out a free and fair popular consultation on the independence of the territory on 30 999. the wake of the popular vote for independence, pro-autonomy militias went on a campaign of violence against the civilian population. In response, the Security Council authorized an Australian-led multinational force to establish peace and security and protect humanitarian aid. In October 1999, the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) was established to prepare East Timor for independence. Here are 20 of the major achievements the United Nations and all its partners have made possible since that time.

* The establishment of peace and security in East Timor.

* The addressing of humanitarian needs by UN HCR, IOM, WFP and UNICEF, which were all instrumental, together with UNTAET, in ensuring that humanitarian needs were met quickly after the violence of 1999. Nearly 200,000 refugees, a quarter of the population, have since returned to East Timor.

* The holding of free, fair and completely peaceful elections on 30 August 2001 that resulted in an 88-member Constituent Assembly now in the process of writing East Timor's first Constitution.

* The creation of the Second Transitional Government and the appointment of the fully Timorese Council of Ministers, which runs much of the day-to-day activities of the Government. The Council, appointed on 20 September 2001, replaced the Transitional Cabinet created in July 2000.

* The establishment of a Timorese-led national programme of civic education, which, by the end of July 2001, had trained over 5,500 community leaders and directly involved over 100,000 East Timorese.

* The holding of 200 Constitutional public hearings in June and July 2001, at which 38,000 East Timorese turned out to air their views on what should be considered by the Constituent Assembly when drafting the first Constitution.

* The registration of 737,811 people, virtually the entire population currently living in East Timor--excluding the refugees in West Timor--over a three-month period, as the basis for electoral rolls for the Constituent Assembly elections.

* The creation of the East...