The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a “Pact for the Future” which calls for the expansion of the UNSC, to make the body more representative of the 21st century.
About “Pact for the Future”
- Pact for the Future: A “landmark declaration” adopted by the UNGA to enhance global governance, accelerate sustainable development, and address key international issues.
- Objective: To make the UN more relevant and effective in the 21st century, addressing criticisms of the organisation’s failure to prevent conflicts and enforce accountability.
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Key Components
- Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): The pact reaffirms commitment to speeding up progress towards achieving the SDGs and the Paris Climate Agreement.
- Human Rights and Gender Equality: Strengthens commitments to human rights, with a focus on women’s rights and protection of vulnerable populations during humanitarian crises.
- Conflict Resolution and Peacekeeping: Calls for reviewing UN peacekeeping operations and addressing the root causes of conflicts.
- Disarmament: Promises to revitalise efforts toward nuclear and biological weapons disarmament, though details remain rhetorical.
- Digital and Future Generations:
- Global Digital Impact: Focuses on regulating artificial intelligence (AI).
- Declaration on Future Generations: Aims to secure the well-being of future generations by aligning national and international decision-making accordingly.
Challenges and Criticisms
- Lofty Goals, Thin Implementation Plans: The pact outlines ambitious objectives (e.g., ending hunger, achieving gender equality, protecting the environment) but lacks clear, actionable steps for implementation.
- Security Council Reforms: Pledges to address historical injustices against Africa and improve representation for Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Caribbean in the UNSC.
- However, no specific roadmap is provided for speeding up reforms.
- Financial Architecture: Calls for reform of international financial systems and responses to global shocks, but concrete steps are missing.
Opposition
- Countries in Opposition: Russia, Iran, North Korea, Belarus, Syria, and Nicaragua opposed the pact, citing concerns over national sovereignty and the influence of external entities on domestic affairs.
- Amendments: Russia proposed amendments to assert intergovernmental decision-making and to prevent UN intervention in domestic matters, which were rejected by the majority of UN members.
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About United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council, established under the UN Charter in 1945, constitutes one of the UN’s six principal organs.
- First Session: It held its first session on 17th January 1946 in Westminster, London.
- Headquarters: New York City
- Mandate: It has primary responsibility, under the UN Charter, for the maintenance of international peace and security.
- Members: Comprising 15 members, it includes 5 permanent members (P5) and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.
- Permanent members: They are the United States, Russian Federation, France, China, and the United Kingdom.
- 10 non-permanent Members: Seats are distributed on a regional basis:
- Five for African and Asian States
- One for Eastern European States
- Two for the Latin American and Caribbean States
- Two for Western European and other States
- An informal understanding reserves one seat for an Arab country in the Africa-Asia group.
Election of Non-Permanent Members
- Each year the Members of UNGA elects five non-permanent members for a two-year term at the UNSC, with five replaced each year.
- To be approved, a candidate must receive at least two-thirds of all votes cast for that seat, which can result in deadlock if there are two roughly evenly matched candidates.
- A retiring member is not eligible for immediate re-election.
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- Decision Making: Decisions of the Security Council are binding
- Majority: It must only be passed by a majority of nine out of the 15 members, as well as each of the five permanent members.
- “Veto power”: It refers to the power of the permanent member to veto (Reject) any resolution of the Security Council.
- Criticism: The unconditional veto possessed by the five governments has been seen as the most undemocratic character of the UN.
- Critics also claim that veto power is the main cause for international inaction on war crimes and crimes against humanity.
- Supporters of the Veto Power: They regard it as a promoter of international stability, a check against military interventions, and a critical safeguard against U.S. domination.
- Chapter VI of the UN Charter: When the Security Council considers a threat to international peace, it first explores ways to settle the dispute peacefully under Chapter VI
- Chapter VII of the Charter: Council can also take measures to enforce its decisions.
- It can impose economic sanctions or order an arms embargo.
- On rare occasions, the Security Council has authorised member states to use all necessary means, including collective military action, to see that its decisions are carried out.
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September 24, 2024
