the defining moments in our recent history. It was an operation unprecedented in scale, scope and complexity.

For the first time, UNHCR was operating within a raging conflict, assisting both the war-affected and displaced populations. The humanitarian operation in Sarajevo and in Bosnia and Herzegovina also faced some of the most complex challenges – the sheer scale of the crisis, the displacement of people as an objective rather than a consequence of the war. There were also deliberate and blatant attacks on humanitarian principles, including systematic denial of humanitarian access. Humanitarian staff faced unprecedented level of security risks and the UN forces had the primary mandate of supporting the humanitarian operation.

Between 3 July 1992 and 9 January 1996, UNHCR coordinated what became the lifeline for Sarajevo and the longest-runninghumanitarian airlift in history, surpassing the 1948-49 Berlin airlift. In total, some 160,000 tonnes of food, medicines and other goods were delivered to Sarajevo in over 12,000 flights. The airlift also evacuated more than 1,100 civilians in need of urgent medical care. More than 20 countries participated in this effort.

Overall, between 1992 and 1995, UNHCR coordinated a massive logistical operation in which some 950,000 tonnes of humanitarian relief supplies were delivered to various destinations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. UNHCR's lead agency role involved a wide range of responsibilities. There were over 3,000 humanitarian personnel from over 250 organizations carrying UNHCR identification cards. There were also more than 2,000 vehicles in Bosnia and Herzegovina with UNHCR registration plates.

In addition to massive death toll among the civilian population, over 50