Team Members: K. Brock, C. Martin and A. Ogega*

*Note: The team members contributed equally and are listed in alphabetical order.

Blog Post

The Survival of the UNSC

The UNSC is seen as an oversight within the rest of the General Assembly and addresses a majority of international security affairs. In doing so, the council has received many questions about its legitimacy as general member states have grown concerned with the lack of growth in the transparency of the council. Since its establishment, the Security Council has made a minuscule effort to update any transparency procedures and continues to be discrete when discussing numerous issues and topics within the organization. This leads many to wonder if the council can survive without making any changes to its policies. 

Transparency Issues Within the Council

Transparency can be defined, in a free society, as the government's obligation to share information with citizens in regard to the decision-making process. High levels of transparency contribute to higher levels of legitimacy when looking at transparency in state governments (Grigorescu 2007). The lack of transparency from the council to all members impacts how the members view the council.  If the council were more transparent about the voting process and its power, it would encourage more conversation and participation from all members.

Since its establishment in 1946, the council has not adopted many of the procedures that they do specifically in regard to transparency, which makes critics question whether or not the council is legitimate enough to oversee the operations of the rest of the organization (CFR 2021). When the council was established, many of the topics and issues that were discussed among the members were kept private for the sake of security. Because of the lack of updating its policies, many of the general member states have criticized the council for not being more open with the topics and decisions that are being made (UN 2022). With the Security Council having so much power and oversight over issues, many members of the General Assembly feel as though the is no legitimate relationship is established between the council and the rest of the assembly (CFR 2021).

Why is Transparency Important to the Council?

Transparency within the council is vital for the survival of the organization for various reasons. One would be that it helps establish legitimacy within the council which in turn allows it to last longer (Hurd 2002). By being transparent, the UN Security Council can be seen as a legitimate organization from the other member states for cooperation. Another reason for emphasizing transparency is that it builds credibility and trust within the organization which is vital for a long-lasting impact.

Currently, the council exerts transparency by posting its' meeting calendar, agenda items, meeting programs notes, etc. all on its website. making it accessible to the public. They also conduct monthly assessments of their activities and have increased the number of meetings they have with the rest of the members of the organization as well as other external actors (UN 2022) While these are efforts towards increasing transparency, the council could also increase the transparency of its proceedings to truly last. Many suggestions have been made to improve the transparency within the council to help further its chances of survival. Some of the suggestions range from updating veto procedures, Increasing the number of member states, and amending the appointment of the Secretary-General (UNGA 2012).

How can the UNSC Improve and Survive?

We believe that another way that transparency can be increased within the council is by making an effort to increase relations with the UN General Assembly. Increasing the amount of influence and scope that the General Assembly has on issues that are discussed among the Security Council helps establish a better understanding between the two bodies of the organization. As the relationship between the two branches is improved, this will improve transparency. This is because the scope and influence of the General Assembly is much more open to the public than the Security Council. As such, by bettering the relationship between the two, the Council can be seen as being more honest and open to not only the General Members but to the public as well. In turn, this will make the UNSC more legitimate in the eyes of the public, increasing the chance of survival.

Works Cited

Hurd, Ian. “Legitimacy, Power, and the Symbolic Life of the UN Security Council.” Global Governance, vol. 8, no. 1, 2002, pp. 35–51. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27800326. Accessed 4 Oct. 2022.

“United Nations Security Council.” United Nations, United Nations, https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/. Accessed 4 Oct 2022.

Grigorescu, Alexandru. “Transparency of Intergovernmental Organizations: The Roles of Member States, International Bureaucracies and Nongovernmental Organizations.” International Studies Quarterly, vol. 51, no. 3, 2007, pp. 625–48. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4621731. Accessed 4 Oct 2022.

“The UN Security Council.” Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/un-security-council#chapter-title-0-6 October 4, 2022. Accessed 4 Oct 2022.

Enhancing the Accountability, Transparency and Effectiveness of the Security Council. 2012. United Nations General Assembly. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/726642?ln=en#record-files-collapse-header. Accessed 4 Oct 2022.