The UNSC in NGO Access

OVERVIEW OF THE UNSC

The United Nations (UN) is an international organization founded in 1945.  The UN is currently made up of 193 member states and its work is guided by the purposes and principles contained in its founding Charter:

• • to maintain international peace and security;

  • to develop friendly relations among nations;

  • to cooperate in solving international problems and in promoting respect for human rights;

  • and to be a center for harmonizing the actions of nations. (United Nations 1945)

However, UN security council (UNSC) was founded on the basis of the victors of World War II:  the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union.  The UK sought to include France, and the US vouched for China to join.  These five countries made up the permanent 5 of the Security Council - the only branch of the UN with authority to suggest military action (CFR Staff 2021).

Joining the P5 are 10 elected member states as seen in Figure 2.  The 10 elected member states are pulled from each major region of Earth to ensure more equal representation.  Elections are conducted by a secret ballot within the UN General Assembly.  Together, there are 15 members of the UN who make up the Security Council (DW 2022).

An Issue in State Participation

Known as the P5, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council can veto any resolution that is brought before the council. This block of countries includes the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Russia, and China, who were primarily selected based on the victors of WWII. Although the council contains 15 members, the other ten countries do not have veto power, nor is their spot permanent. Therefore, the P5 countries on the council hold a disproportionate amount of power compared to the ten rotating countries.

A major source of conflict is the use of the veto by the country that is being accused. As seen in Figure 3, Russia is the most frequent user, followed by the United States. Russia has frequently used its veto power when a resolution is brought before the council that seeks to condemn them. For example, in 2014, a referendum for the protection of Crimea was blocked despite 13 out of 15 countries voting in favor, with only China abstaining and Russia vetoing (Bussemaker and Rosenthal 2022).

Therefore, it is nearly impossible for the council to condemn the P5 as they will veto to protect their reputation. Outside of simply vetoing to protect themselves, the P5 will also frequently veto a matter on behalf of a close ally. For example, the United States has vetoed various resolutions to condemn Israel, particularly concerning their handling of the Palestinian issue (Bussemaker and Rosenthal 2022). With this unjust system, the veto power protects already powerful nations and their close allies from any proper action, causing the council to lose a sense of legitimacy.