UNSC and its working?
Description
United Nation Security Council
What’s the ongoing story– China on Tuesday blocked a proposal by India and the US at the United Nations to designate Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Sajid Mir, wanted for his involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, as a global terrorist. Beijing blocked the proposal that had been moved by the US and co-designated by India to blacklist Mir under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council as a global terrorist and subject him to assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo.
This article will cover:
• What is UN?
• What are the functions of UN?
• What is UNSC?
• How it works?
• Veto powers of UNSC
What is UN?
The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945. Currently made up of 193 Member States, the UN and its work are guided by the purposes and principles contained in its founding Charter.
The UN has evolved over the years to keep pace with a rapidly changing world.
Functions of UN
The United Nations (UN) serves several important functions on a global scale. These functions include:
• Promoting Peace and Security: The UN plays a vital role in maintaining international peace and security. It strives to prevent conflicts, mediate disputes between nations, and deploy peacekeeping missions in areas of conflict.
• Facilitating Diplomacy and Negotiations: The UN provides a platform for countries to engage in diplomatic dialogue and negotiations. It hosts meetings, conferences, and assemblies where representatives from member states can discuss and address global issues.
• Fostering International Cooperation: The UN promotes cooperation among nations in addressing global challenges. It facilitates collaborative efforts in areas such as human rights, sustainable development, climate change, public health, and humanitarian aid.
• Protecting Human Rights: The UN upholds and advocates for the protection of human rights worldwide. It sets international standards through treaties and conventions, monitors human rights violations, and supports initiatives to promote equality, justice, and freedom.
• Supporting Sustainable Development: The UN works towards achieving sustainable development globally. It formulates and implements strategies and programs to eradicate poverty, promote economic growth, ensure environmental sustainability, and address social inequalities.
• Providing Humanitarian Assistance: The UN coordinates and provides humanitarian aid in times of natural disasters, conflicts, and other emergencies. It supports relief efforts, provides food, shelter, healthcare, and assistance to affected populations.
• Promoting International Law: The UN fosters adherence to international law and serves as a forum for states to address legal disputes. It supports the development of legal frameworks, conventions, and treaties to regulate various aspects of international relations.
• Ensuring Disarmament and Non-Proliferation: The UN promotes disarmament efforts and works towards preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. It encourages arms control agreements, nuclear disarmament, and non-proliferation treaties.
• Conducting Research and Providing Expertise: The UN conducts research, collects data, and provides expert advice on a wide range of global issues. It produces reports, studies, and recommendations to assist member states in making informed decisions and policies.
What is UNSC and its functions?
It is one of the six main organs of the United Nations and holds primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. The Security Council consists of 15 member states, of which five are permanent members with veto power (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States), and ten are elected non-permanent members serving two-year terms. (The non-permanent members are Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Switzerland, Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates
The main functions of the Security Council include:
• Peacekeeping and Conflict Resolution: The Security Council can authorize peacekeeping missions and take actions to resolve conflicts and maintain peace in regions facing threats to international peace and security.
• Imposing Sanctions: The Security Council has the authority to impose economic and political sanctions on nations or entities that violate international peace and security, in an effort to encourage compliance and promote peaceful resolutions.
• Enforcing Ceasefires and Arms Embargoes: The Security Council can establish ceasefires and enforce arms embargoes to prevent the escalation of conflicts and the proliferation of weapons in conflict zones.
• Authorizing Military Action: In cases where peaceful means are deemed insufficient, the Security Council can authorize the use of military force to address threats to international peace and security, such as in cases of self-defense or collective security actions.
• Referring Cases to the International Criminal Court (ICC): The Security Council can refer situations involving international crimes, such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, to the ICC for investigation and prosecution.
• Addressing Nuclear Non-Proliferation: The Security Council plays a crucial role in preventing the spread of nuclear weapons by adopting resolutions, promoting disarmament, and imposing sanctions on countries that violate non-proliferation obligations.
Decisions made by the Security Council require the affirmative votes of at least nine of its members, including the concurring votes of all five permanent members holding veto power. This veto power enables any of the permanent members to block resolutions, making their agreement necessary for the adoption of significant measures.
The Security Council's authority and actions are binding on all UN member states, and its decisions carry significant weight in matters of international peace and security.
How voting system works in UNSC?
The voting system in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is governed by specific rules and procedures. Each member of the Security Council has one vote. When a resolution is proposed, the voting process typically follows these guidelines:
• Approval Requirement: For a resolution to be adopted, it must receive a minimum of nine affirmative votes from the 15 members of the Security Council.
• Veto Power: The five permanent members of the Security Council (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) possess the power of veto. This means that if any of these five members cast a negative vote (known as a veto), the resolution is not adopted, regardless of the number of affirmative votes it receives. This veto power allows a permanent member to block a resolution from being passed.
• Non-Permanent Members: The ten non-permanent members do not possess veto power but have equal voting rights with permanent members. Their votes carry the same weight in the decision-making process.
• Abstentions: Members can also choose to abstain from voting. Abstentions do not count as affirmative or negative votes and do not impact the approval requirement. However, abstentions can reflect reservations or non-support for a particular resolution.
• Procedural vs. Substantive Matters: The Security Council distinguishes between procedural and substantive matters. Procedural matters, such as determining the agenda or adopting rules of procedure, require a simple majority (at least 8 out of 15 votes). Substantive matters, such as adopting resolutions on peacekeeping missions or imposing sanctions, require a minimum of nine affirmative votes, without any veto from a permanent member.
It's important to note that the Security Council's voting procedures aim to strike a balance between ensuring the representation of the permanent members with veto power and the collective decision-making process involving all members. The veto power reflects the unique position of the permanent members as the victors of World War II and aims to prevent any single country from dominating or coercing the decision-making process.
However, the presence of the veto power can sometimes lead to challenges in reaching consensus or taking decisive action on critical issues, as a single veto can prevent the adoption of a resolution supported by a significant majority of member states.
