UK urges UN Security Council to review UNMIK and press Serbia on Banjska and missing persons

The United Kingdom has told the UN Security Council that normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia remains essential to long-term stability, and has renewed its call for a strategic review of the UN mission in Kosovo, UNMIK. The statement was delivered on 20 October 2026 in New York by Jennifer MacNaughtan, the UK Political Coordinator, during the Council’s regular briefing on Kosovo.

The Council meeting was based on the latest report of the UN Secretary-General, published on 30 September and covering developments from 16 March to 15 September. According to the UN’s meeting preview, the head of UNMIK, Special Representative Peter Due, was expected to brief members, with Serbia taking part under rule 37 of the Council’s procedure and Kosovo and the European Union invited under rule 39. In its summary, the UN said members expressed differing views on the mission’s future and that tensions between communities and unresolved issues with Serbia continue to challenge stability.

What London said

MacNaughtan welcomed the recent formation of a government in Kosovo and the election of President Justina Shiroka Pula, and said the UK would keep working with Pristina on its Euro-Atlantic future. Describing the UK as the first country to recognise Kosovo’s independence, she urged UN member states that have not yet done so to join the majority.

On the dialogue facilitated by the European Union, she called on both sides to implement existing agreements and take part constructively. She singled out the Ohrid agreement, asking for its full implementation, including the commitment in Article 7 to ensure an appropriate level of self-management for the Serbian community in Kosovo. She also noted concerns raised in the Secretary-General’s report about the effect of some Kosovo measures on non-majority communities, particularly in the north, and said the safeguards in Kosovo’s constitution must be applied in practice and in line with the rule of law.

Missing persons and Banjska

The UK statement pressed Serbia to open relevant archives and records to help resolve the fate of the missing. According to the statement, more than 1,500 people from all communities remain unaccounted for more than 25 years after the conflict. It also said more than three years have passed since the Banjska attack and the murder of Kosovo Police Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku, and called on Serbia to ensure those responsible are brought to justice, naming Milan Radoicic, who it said is the subject of an Interpol Red Notice and lives freely in Serbia.

Geopolitiki reported earlier this month on the row over Radoicic’s appearance at a ruling-party rally in Serbia, in “The Serbian flag will fly over Prizren,” says Serbia’s Dačić; Kosovo reacts after Radoičić appears at a ruling-party rally.

The future of UNMIK

The UK argued that Kosovo has been transformed since 1999 and that many functions once performed by UNMIK are now carried out by Kosovo’s own institutions and by other international organisations, including KFOR, EULEX and the OSCE. London said this should be reflected in the mission’s structure and resources. While welcoming the significant staffing reductions already made, it repeated its call for a strategic review of UNMIK’s role, responsibilities and funding so that UN resources match present-day realities.

The full UK text is on the UK government website, and the UN’s account of the meeting is in its press summary. Council members hold differing views on UNMIK’s future, and the UN summary did not report a decision on the mission at this meeting.