UNSC Reforms

The United Nations Security Council is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations.

What constitutes UNSC reforms?

These are five problems that are identified by the UNSC assembly.

1. Categories of membership

2. The question of the veto

3. Regional representation

4. Size of an enlarged Council and its working methods and

5. the safety Council-General Assembly

Why reforms are needed?

Changing geopolitical situation: Membership of council and its dealing methods reflect a bygone era. Although there has been a drastic change in geopolitics, the UNSC has made relatively little change since 1945, when the winners of the war drafted a charter in their own interest and awarded “permanent” veto-fielding council seats to Allied winners.

Reforms Long Overdue: The UNSC was expanded on just one occasion in 1963 to feature 4 non-permanent members to the Council. Although the general membership of the UN has increased from 113 to 193, there has been no change within the composition of the UNSC.

Inequitable economic and geographical representation: there’s less representation from Asia while Europe overrepresents. Countries from South America and Africa are seeking opportunities for representation.

Crisis of legitimacy and credibility: Various issues, including the stalled reform agenda and its intervention in Libya and Syria in the name of responsibility, have raised questions on the institution’s credibility.

North-South Divide: The permanent UNSC membership portrays the large North-South divide within the deciding of security measures. as an example, there’s no permanent member from Africa, despite the very fact that 75% of its work is concentrated thereon continent.

Emerging issues: Issues such as deepening economic dependence, worsening environmental degradation, international threats also include effective multilateral negotiations between countries with a consensus of support. Nevertheless, all important decisions of the UNSC are still being taken by the permanent members of the Security Council.

India’s chances: India won a major diplomatic victory to enter the non-permanent category of the UN Security Council when elections were held for five non-permanent members. India won 184 out of 192 valid votes. India has displayed an excellent deal of flexibility to garner popular support. For instance, India has expressed its approval to withhold the exercising of the veto power by new permanent members up to a 15-year review period. India must obtain support at the UN for its initiatives by actively campaigning for core issues like – global climate change, counter-terrorism, global finance, etc. India has proposed a UN convention to combat terrorism; India also plays a crucial role in global climate change negotiations and is actively working to reform the Bretton Woods institutions (World Bank and IMF) that are often seen as outdated institutions established within the post-Second war era.

Within UNGA, India should be careful about conflicting interests such as coffee clubs (the club’s key movers include Italy, Spain, Australia, Canada, South Korea, Argentina, and Pakistan) that could derail this method.

Source:- Wikipedia, The Economics Times

Avinash Sharma