Reforming the United Nations Security Council: Challenges and Prospects
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2011-04
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study examines the prospects for and challenges against reforming the UN Security
Council based on the 2005 Reform Proposal and the three main reactions that followed (the
G4, the UFC and the AU Proposals). The findings are based on review and analysis of
relevant secondary sources in the main. The study found that the Security Council is in need
of reform since it lacks representativeness in its membership, accountability, transparency
and democracy in its working methods compounded by the anachronistic nature of veto
power. Almost all member states of the UN agreed on the need for reform so as to enable the
Council to reflect the 21st century realties rather than the period right after the end of the
WWII. However, they could not come up with one common proposal to this end. Countries
give precedence to their national interests rather than genuinely striving to bring about
changes in the Council’s mode of operation. It is due to this that three major proposals came
to the fore following the 2005 Reform Proposal.
All the proposals examined by this study advanced their respective positions on how to
reform the membership and working methods of the Council and veto power. This lack of
unanimity greatly hampers the effort of reforming the Council. The study showed that
bringing changes in the membership and veto power of the Council require amending the UN
Charter, which is really impossible even to go beyond the first step of gaining two-thirds
majority in the General Assembly (128 out of the current 192 UN member states) under a
condition in which member states are divided on the issue. In addition, the position of the
Permanent Five is an insurmountable impediment in the attempt to amend the Charter since
the opposition of one permanent member curtails the effort. This indicates that the position of
the permanent members is a cornerstone in reforming the Security Council. Even if the
permanent members support to reform the Council, it is nominal since they put various
criteria on how to bring about reform so as to keep their own interests. In this respect, the
feasibility of the proposals which call for reforming membership category and veto power is farfetched. Meanwhile, there is the possibility to effect changes in the working methods of the Council since doing so does not require the awkward process of amending the UN Charter. Finally, the study comes up with the conclusion that it is unlikely to reform the membership of the Council particularly the permanent category and veto power in the near future
Description
Keywords
International Relation