GIMUN Annual Conference 2017
Special Committee
STUDY GUIDE
Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations
and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization
Topic A: How the current United Nations structures and bodies are suited to
the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals
Topic B: Strengthening the role of the Security Council in the 21st century
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President:
Siddharth Abraham Srikanth
[email protected]
Vice-President:
Fida’a Temraz
[email protected]
Contents
1. Opening remarks
1.1 Opening remarks from the President and Vice-President
2. Description of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations
and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
About the Special Committee
Mandate
Recent History
Countries Represented in the Committee
3. Topic A: How the current United Nations structures and bodies are suited to
the implementation of SDGs
3.1 Definitions
3.2 Historical Background (with important resolutions)
3.3 Core issues
3.3.1 Too many goals?
3.3.2 The SDGs and lack of accountability
3.3.3 Contradictory nature of the SDGs
3.3.4 The question of sponsorship
3.3.5 The need for a data revolution
3.4 Bloc Positions
3.5 Suggested Reading
4. Topic B: Strengthening the role of the Security Council in the 21st century
4.1 Definitions
4.2 Historical Background
4.3 Core issues
4.3.1 Possibility of self-seeking by the MEDCs
4.3.2 Lack of balanced and representative membership
4.3.3 Obsolescence of the veto
4.3.4 Sanctions and the use of negative reinforcement
4.4 Important Resolutions
4.5 Suggested Reading
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1. Opening remarks
1.1. Opening remarks from the President and Vice-President
Dear distinguished delegates,
First of all we would like to welcome all of you to the 18th Annual Conference of the
Geneva International Model United Nations! We are absolutely thrilled to be receiving you
all soon in the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and Strengthening
the Role of the Organisation.
In the Special Committee we will be discussing the following two topics: how the current
United Nations structures and bodies are suited to the implementation of Sustainable
Development Goals and Strengthening the role of the Security Council in the 21st century.
We hope this study guide will provide you with all the information you need to develop a
global view of both topics. We are fully aware of the fact that both of these topics are
complex and will require a lot of discussion and fruitful debate. Nevertheless, we believe
writing, negotiating and passing resolutions will be even more of a challenge because of
their complexity and possible conflicts of interest. Every stage of the process will demand
creativity and diplomacy and we are more than willing to guide you through.
Do not hesitate to contact us at any time if have any questions concerning the topics or the
conference in general. Our task is to help you throughout this Model United Nations
experience and make it the best one possible. We cannot wait to meet you all and hear
your solutions regarding the issues at hand.
See you soon!
Kind regards,
Siddharth Abraham (Committee President)
Fida’a Temraz
(Vice President)
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2. Description of the Special Committee on the
Charter of the United Nations and on the
Strengthening of the Role of the Organization
2.1. About the Special Committee
The current UN organ known as “The Special Committee on the Charter of the United
Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization” has undergone several
transformations throughout its history. Initially, in 1974, the General Assembly created an
Ad Hoc Committee which would be charged with considering any specific proposals that
Member States might introduce concerning the more efficient functioning of the United
Nations as a global organization.
One year later, the General Assembly (GA) decided to broaden the task of the existing Ad
Hoc Committee and transform it into the Special Committee on the Charter of the United
Nations and on Strengthening of the role of the United Nations. Henceforth, the committee
would also examine suggestions concerning the modification of the Charter of the United
Nations. Furthermore, as our world continuously evolves and conflicts are inevitable, the
General Assembly added several tasks. A few examples are the following: ensuring the
maintenance of international peace and security, promoting the rules of international law
and encouraging international co-operation among all member states (A/RES/30/3499).1
Ever since 1974, the General Assembly has decided to renew and endorse the mandate of
the Special Committee. Despite the fact that the UN has had its share of successes over
the past few decades, we simply cannot ignore the ever-present challenges the
organization still faces today. In the next paragraph several of these challenges will be
discussed.
First of all we have its outdated structure: the most important and powerful organ of the
UN, the Security Council, doesn’t represent our world today. The same five countries (The
United States, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain
andNorthern Ireland and China), often referred to as the victors of the Second World War,
are the only permanent members of the fifteen-seat Security Council. All five possess the
power of the veto, enabling them to restrain the adoption of any substantive resolution;
hence the paralysis of the Security Council in solving major crises, such as those in
Ukraine and Syria. Critics often mention that countries such as Japan, India and Germany
deserve a seat and thus the veto power. Secondly, there is the issue of increasing
demands due to ongoing conflicts. Member states are constantly asked to contribute
troops for peace-keeping missions. There are currently around 130,000 peacekeepers,
1
http://www.un-documents.net/a30r3499.htm
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which is a record. Furthermore the UN is trying to help over 51 million people fleeing for
war and conflicts. Some are internally displaced within their countries while others are
outside the borders of their territory. A third challenge, closely related to the second, is
unreliable funding. All 193 member states contribute to the UN’s regular budget and a
separate peacekeeping budget, but some countries are chronically behind on their
payments. Besides, many agencies are funded by voluntary contributions and aren’t
getting enough donations to function properly. Lastly, we have the phenomenon of political
horse-trading: each state belongs to a regional group which lobbies to ensure it is wellrepresented in the organisation. This often leads to controversy: countries that are not the
best qualified earn seats, for example dictatorships elected in the Human Rights Council.
This obviously undermines the crediblity of the UN and makes it a lot more difficult to take
drastic measures.
2.2. Mandate
One session per year over a two week period is the pattern the Special Committee has
adopted as a working method.
As briefly stated above, the mandate of the Special Committee contains several aspects
that were adopted in GA Resolution 70/177. 2 Its mandate includes: examining all
suggestions by Member States in view of modifying the Charter of the United Nations, the
consideration of all proposals in view of maintaining international peace and security,
strengthening the relationship and cooperation among member states, ensuring the
peaceful settlement of disputes and improving its working methods.
2.3. Recent History
The Special Committee’s work is largely outlined in their annual reports (e.g. A/71/333,
A/70/33 4 ). Furthermore, this committee has contributed enormously to resolutions
concerning the peaceful settlement of international disputes (for example: the Manila
Declaration in 19825). The context in which the Manila Declaration was negotiated and
adopted is of the utmost importance. Relations between the East and West were tense
and yet the non-aligned countries combined their efforts with a view to clarifying the
existing international law at that time. We can conclude that it was the first time the legal
framework of the peaceful settlement of international disputes was consolidated. More
recently we have resolution 57/26 on the Prevention and Peaceful settlement of disputes
2
http://legal.un.org/docs/?symbol=A/RES/70/117
3
http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/71/33
4
http://legal.un.org/docs/?symbol=A/70/33
http://legal.un.org/avl/ha/mdpsid/mdpsid.html
5
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adopted on 19 November 20026. This resolution is in line with the Manila Declaration and
reiterates its importance for our international law.
Furthermore the resolution 64/115 of 16 December 20097 concerns the Introduction and
implementation of sanctions imposed by the United Nations. Complying with the adopted
measures is of great importance for maintaining international peace and security.
Sanctions are a useful tool to ensure enforcement. The purpose of sanctions is to modify
the behaviour of the State threatening international peace and should not be repressive.
2.4. Countries represented in the committee
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Afghanistan
Argentina
Australia
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
Chad
China
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Egypt
France
Germany
Hungary
India
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Italy
Japan
Jordan
Libya
Nigeria
Pakistan
Republic of Korea
Russian Federation
http://legal.un.org/docs/?symbol=A/RES/57/26
http://legal.un.org/docs/?symbol=A/RES/64/115
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Saudi Arabia
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South Africa
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South Sudan
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Spain
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Switzerland
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Syrian Arab Republic
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Turkey
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United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
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United States of America
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3. Topic A: How the current United Nations structures
and bodies are suited to the implementation of
SDGs
3.1. Definitions
• Sustainable development: the process of fulfilling current human needs while sustaining
the ability of natural systems with a view to continuing to provide the natural resources
upon which the economy and society depends.8
• The Sustainable Development Goals: a set of goals developed to provide basic human
rights for all people without any form of discrimination. Not only is there a focus on us
humans, but also on the protection of our planet. Each one of these goals has a number
of targets which should be achieved over the next 15 years.9
• Accountability: It is the obligation or willingness of an individual or an organization to
account for its activities and accept responsibility for them.10
• Gross Domestic Product (GDP): the monetary value of all the finished goods and
services produced within a country's borders in a specific time period (usually a year).11
3.2. Historical Background (with important resolutions)
“In the 21st century, I believe the mission of the
United Nations will be defined by a new, more
profound awareness of the sanctity and dignity of
every human life, regardless of race or religion.”
- Kofi Annan
After the creation and adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (Transforming our
world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: A/RES/70/1) 12 both the United
8
http://www.iisd.org/topic/sustainable-development
9
http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/
10
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accountability
11
www.investopedia.com/terms/g/gdp.asp
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Nations as well as governments worldwide were confronted with the question of the
financial side of the implementation of these same goals, given that the success of the
goals depends solely on implementation. At the Third International Conference on
Financing for Development, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda was produced, which
contained policies designed to implement the new agenda.
On a national level, governments will primarily ensure the implementation by voluntarily
creating their own plans and programmes. However, in order for countries to fulfil this task,
they will need financing strategies and guidance which will be provided by regional UN
structures. Given that criticism is inevitable, an annual SDG Progress Report will be
drafted by the Secretary General in order for Member States to assess the available
assistance. On an international level, the UN’s task is: providing policy advice and
expertise; capacity-building and technical cooperation; and international legal instruments
and norms. Furthermore, the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, the
preeminent UN body for the follow-up of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,
will be crucial in the global follow-up of the SDGs (A/RES/70/29913, E/HLPF/2016/8)14.
A well-known Secretary-General who devoted a huge part of his mandate tackling the topic
of UN reform is Kofi Annan. He expressed various proposals, such as but not limited to:
the founding of the position of Deputy Secretary-General, the introduction of strategic
management, a reduction in administrative and staffing costs, strengthening the UN at the
national level, enlarging the permanent members of the Security Council so that it more
accurately reflects our modern world and is able to take affective action, through several
reports. Some of these reports would then be approved by the General Assembly and
adopted as resolutions (A/57/38715, A/59/200516, A/60/69217).
Although one may not agree with some of Annan’s perspectives, no one can deny that he
played a very large role in the attempt to strengthen the UN. His work was supported by a
number of world leaders such as Angela Merkel and Barack Obama.
3.3. Core issues 3.3.1. Too
many goals?
12
13
http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/70/1&Lang=E
http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/70/299
14
http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=E/HLPF/2016/8&Lang=E
15
https://www.globalpolicy.org/images/pdfs/0909change.pdf
16
https://www.globalpolicy.org/images/pdfs/followupreport.pdf
17
http://www.un.org/ga/president/62/issues/resolutions/a-60-692.pdf
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“Less is more.”
-Robert Browning (‘The Faultless Painter’)
One of the criticisms of the Sustainable Development Goals is that there are too many of
them. What is more, the goals are more difficult and complex to achieve than the
Millennium Development Goals, which were only 8 in number. The SDGs are 17 in total
and include 169 targets. Analysts are convinced that a smaller number of goals and
targets would present a clearer perspective to the world. We cannot deny the
ambitiousness of the current 2030 Agenda and we support that completely, however a
realistic approach is of great importance too. The more goals and targets on the table, the
more the project is doomed to fail since that will scare off governments and policymakers.
The MDGs contained a smaller number of goals which explains their (partial) success. The
risk carried with the current quantity of SDGs is that they turned into an impulsive UN
project. However, infrastructure development could be the key to success of the SDGs
after all. For example: sustainable water infrastructure will improve people’s lives by
providing access to water and helping to manage scarce resources in a sustainable
manner. Innovative approaches to infrastructure finance will be critical to their success
since a total of US$ 57 trillion is needed by 2030, or US$ 3.4 trillion per year, for
infrastructure investment.18
3.3.2. The SDGs and lack of accountability
“From a human rights perspective, there is little doubt that the new Sustainable
Development Goals are a huge improvement on their predecessors, the Millennium
Development
Goals. However, there is one critical area where it seems lessons from the MDG era have
remained frustratingly unlearned: accountability.”19
- Kate Donald (Center for Economic and Social Rights, New York)
One of the core issues concerning the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is the fact
that the commitments agreed upon in the Agenda will be voluntarily and fully-led by the
Member States. This means that the targets can be reshaped upon demand from the
Member States, bearing in mind different capacities, levels of development and priorities.
Of course, we believe state sovereignty is of the utmost importance and should be
respected at all times, as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. However, leaving
the SDGs to be implemented voluntarily can be risky and ineffective, as governments will
18
https://www.iisd.org/blog/why-infrastructure-key-success-sdgs
19
https://www.hhrjournal.org/2016/01/promising-the-world-accountability-and-the-sdgs/
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only be accountable to their own citizens. The question then arises as to whether the
United Nations, as the leading organization, should be able to hold each signatory Member
State accountable. Proponents refute the former reality and are convinced that peer
pressure between States will have a positive effect; moreover, there will be thematic
conferences to discuss the progress and rap the States on the knuckles if needed.
3.3.3. Contradictory
nature
of
the
SDGs
The overarching goal is the complete eradication of poverty by 2030. The authors of the
SGDs consider growth as the main solution to poverty. However, between 1999 and 2008,
the poorest 60% of humanity only received 5% of all the income generated by global GDP
growth. In this regard, taking into account the existing ratio between GDP growth and the
income growth of the poorest, with this strategy it will take 207 years to eliminate poverty. 20
The former conclusion comes from economist David Woodward (United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD) whose paper is mentioned in footnote
no. 19. His work is based on figures and information published by fellow economists as
well as the World Bank, which is the international financial institution that provides loans to
developing countries.
3.3.4. The question of sponsorship
“This agreement is a critical step forward in building a sustainable future for all. It provides
a global framework for financing sustainable development.”
-Ban Ki-moon (UN Secretary General 2007-2016) on the Addis Ababa Action Agenda
According to the World Bank, the financing of the Sustainable Development Goals will cost
billions, if not trillions. As stated above, at the Third International Conference on Financing
for Development, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda was produced, which contains up to 100
measures for the implementation of the new agenda. It addresses all sources of finance
and mentions cooperation in regards to technology, science, innovation, trade and
capacity-building. Domestic resources are still the main source of income; each state is
responsible for its own economic development. Improving tax collection and thus
combating tax evasion is essential. This is in accordance with the main resource of the
MDGs: reports have shown that 77% of spending on the MDGs was from domestic public
finance. The former resource automatically raises a question about the contribution of less20
http://wer.worldeconomicsassociation.org/papers/incrementum-ad-absurdum-global-growth-inequalityandpoverty-eradication-in-a-carbon-constrained-world/
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developed countries. Proponents of the Agenda reaffirmed that the existing development
assistance will be reinforced and international cooperation will be increased.
Despite the declared measures, analysts lack palpability (e.g. the clause about 0.7% of the
GDP of each state for development aid was adopted but without any other information
concerning deadlines, etc.). Furthermore, less-developed countries wish to see a bigger
role for the UN in the global tax system, where each country is equal in the decisionmaking
regarding tax rules. Currently, the rules are mainly established by the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
3.3.5. The need for a data revolution
The main problem of the precursors to the SDGs, namely the MDGs, was the fact that 70%
of the data required for world leaders to know whether or not they were achieving the goals
wasn’t available. One would think that this problem would be tackled in successive goals,
however that is not entirely the case. For several goals, the vital reference databases are
not available. A small example is the following: 1/3rd of births worldwide are not registered,
which makes it impossible to improve these children’s living conditions, when their
existence is ignored de facto. For this reason a data revolution is urgently needed and
recommended, also according to the High Level Panel organized by former Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon as a reflection on the post-2015 Development Agenda. Ban Kimoon
reaffirms that better data will help governments track progress and make sure their
decisions are evidence-based. Furthermore, it will be possible to strengthen accountability.
A true data revolution includes the fully integration of statistics into decision making, open
access and increased support for statistical systems.21
3.4. Bloc Positions
Something quite remarkable about the 2030 Agenda is their universality compared to the
Millennium Development Goals. The MDGs were, in reality, merely targeting the
lessdeveloped countries and would be financed by the more developed ones. The
universality of the current SDGs means that the Agenda is applicable to all countries,
developing as well as less-developed. It is of the utmost importance that no Member State
is left behind and that everybody can and will participate, taking into account each
country’s capacities and circumstances. Global Partnership is a crucial element of
implementation.
3.5. Suggested Readings
•
21
http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/70/684
http://www.undatarevolution.org/data-revolution/
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•
•
•
Special Committee
http://www.iisd.org/topic/sustainable-development
http://wer.worldeconomicsassociation.org/papers/incrementum-ad-absurdumglobalgrowth-inequality-and-poverty-eradication-in-a-carbon-constrained-world/
http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/
4. Topic B: Strengthening the role of the Security
Council in the 21st century
4.1. Definitions
• United Nations Security Council: The United Nations Security Council was established in
1946 under the UN Charter. It consists of 15 member nations and is broadly viewed as
the apogee of the Organization, being the only UN chamber that can make legally
binding judgements on its members.22
• P5: The permanent members of the UNSC23 are China, France, the Federation of
Russia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States
of America, also termed the Permanent Five, the P5 or the Big Five. They are also the
only governments which possess a veto vote.
• More Economically Developed Country (MEDC): An MEDC refers to a nation with
relatively greater volumes of resources, higher salaries and higher accessibility to
housing. Moreover, MEDCs generally possess a higher Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) 24
as compared to LDCs (Least Developed Countries)23, along with lower birth and death
rates owing to superior medical technology.
• Veto: The veto vote or the negative vote is an exclusive right of each the P5 nations to
block any resolution that is not merely procedural in nature by simply voting ‘no’. 24
4.2. Historical Background
Key issues and agendas in the recent past
22
"Security Council, SC, UNSC, Security, Peace, Sanctions, Veto, Resolution, President, United Nations, UN,
Peacekeeping, Peacebuilding, Conflict Resolution, Prevention." United Nations Security Council. United Nations, n.d.
Web. 04 Dec. 2016. 23
"Security Council, SC, UNSC, Security, Peace, Sanctions, Veto, Resolution, President, United Nations, UN,
Peacekeeping, Peacebuilding, Conflict Resolution, Prevention." United Nations Security Council- Current Members.
United Nations, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2016. 24
Investopedia. "What Is Purchasing Power Parity? (PPP)." Investopedia. N.p., 02 Nov. 2016. Web. 04 Dec. 2016.
23
"What Is LEDC?" Global Awareness. N.p., 14 Feb. 2013. Web. 04 Dec. 2016.
24
"Security Council, SC, UNSC, Security, Peace, Sanctions, Veto, Resolution, President, United Nations, UN,
Peacekeeping, Peacebuilding, Conflict Resolution, Prevention." United Nations Security Council- Voting System and
Records. United Nations, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2016.
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• 2006: Brokering ceasefires, easing difficult transitions, blunting relapses into conflict The
major concerns addressed were the war in Lebanon, the Arab-Israeli conflict, violence in
Sudan, Iraq and Afghanistan, and nuclear non-proliferation.
• 2007: Security challenges in Africa & the Middle East, nuclear proliferation, and terrorism
The mass suffering in Darfur, Sudan, the appalling destruction in the Middle East, and
final status arrangements in Kosovo and other post-conflict areas were listed as priorities
in Ban Ki-moon’s first year at the helm of the United Nations Organization.
• 2008: Easing transitions into peace, long-term peacekeeping efforts, Gaza crisis A
majority of the proceedings of the Security Council in 2008 concerned previously
implemented initiatives, namely the deployment of the joint African Union-United Nations
Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM)
etc.
• 2009: Disarmament, civilian-protection, conflicts in Africa and the Middle East
The year 2009 saw the United States of America preside over a historic meeting during
which the first significant action was taken on nuclear issues since the mid-1990s, with
Members unanimously pledging not only to control fissile material but also to ensure
reductions in existing nuclear stockpiles.
• 2010: Importance of protecting civilians during armed conflict
The safeguard of civilians in general and women vulnerable to sexual violence in particular
assumed primary importance in the deliberations of the UNSC in 2010.
• 2011: Violent suppression of mass protests, addition of new member States, civilian
protection
With consensus on the method by which civilians were to be protected turning out to be
more difficult than ever before, the UNSC faced the daunting task of dousing the
metaphorical fires in the Middle East and North Africa with little to no collateral damage.
• 2012: Continuing change around the Arab world
With horrific bloodshed in the Syrian Arab Republic, increasing complications in Libya’s
transition towards peace and new crises on the Gaza Strip as well as Mali, to say that the
Security Council had its hands full in 2012 would be an understatement. In April, to contain
the Syrian crisis, the deployment of unarmed monitors was agreed to in order to observe a
ceasefire for Kofi Annan’s six-point plan. Moreover, the Security Council authorized a
primarily-African task force to assist the Malian army in stabilizing the country in turmoil.
• 2013: Rethinking of traditional means of tackling global hotspots
With Nigeria, Chile, Lithuania, Saudi Arabia and Chad elected as non-permanent members
of the SC by the UN General Assembly but with Saudi Arabia declining to accept its seat,
Jordan was voted in as the fifth non-permanent member after an unheard-of special
election.
• 2014: Reconfiguration of peace missions, global threats, bolstering anti-terrorism efforts
2014 saw the Security Council meet for a record number of times, owing to the manifold
challenges faced mainly in the African regions including but not limited to Sahel, Darfur,
Sierra Leone and Abyei. There was also discourse with reference to the Democratic
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People’s Republic of Korea, where the scale and gravity of human rights violations had
become a cause for grave concern.
• 2015: Landmark agreement on Iran’s Nuclear Programme
The world took a huge step towards nuclear non-proliferation in this year, with the UNSC
unanimously adopting resolution 2231 and thereby endorsing the Joint Comprehensive
Plan Of Action (JCPOA) with regard to Iran’s nuclear programme. Moving towards the
removal of UN sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, a meticulous monitoring
structure was agreed upon in order to reduce to possibility of a nuclear disaster in the
future to a bare minimum.
4.3. Core issues 4.3.1. Shift in the balance of powers since the
culmination of WWII
With the economic, social and political revival of Japan and Germany after the culmination
of the Second World War, along with the expeditious progress of nations including but not
limited to Japan and India, the line-up of ‘world players’ is most definitely being altered, in
that the P5 nations are no longer the solitary major powers in the world. To that end, and in
that regard, the Security Council must adequately represent those countries that are
fiscally competent to provide substantial assistance to the Secretary General to ensure
international peace and security.
Additionally, the UNSC must be accentuated as the sole adjudicator of the right to wage
war, with a reiteration of international law more requisite than ever.
4.3.2. Lack of balanced and representative membership
“Let there be an end to the arrogance of the big powers who miss no opportunity to put the
rights of the people in question. Africa’s absence from the club of those who have right to
veto is unjust and should be ended.”
-Thomas Sankara
A Security Council with three permanent members from Europe and not one from either
South America or Africa is one that has been of the subject of much criticism in the recent
and not so recent past. A regional balance is sought, with proposals such as longer-term
elected membership being looked into in order to acquire a more balanced regional
equilibrium.
Furthermore, the elementary restructuring of the current composition must also be
considered, keeping in mind, however, that increased representation will most definitely
countermeasure the democratic representative deficiency from which the UNSC currently
endures.
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4.3.3. Obsolescence of the veto
“The UN Security Council did nothing to condemn the Qana massacre, due to the US veto.”
-Hassan Nasrallah
The veto is considered fundamentally unfair by a large majority of States and is generally
considered to be the primary reason for the UNSC’s inadequate response to humanitarian
catastrophes in Rwanda (1994) and Darfur (2004). However, due to the unsurprising
rejection to relinquish this negative vote by the P5 nations, many States have been
pleading for voluntary restraint on veto use by the Permanent Five powers, along with,
albeit much more optimistically, radical reform proposals.
From the above paragraph, it could be inferred that the United States of America have
consistently vetoed any and all resolutions relating to possible sanctions against the state
of Israel with regard to its disputes with Palestine as well as with Lebanon due to
questionably close US-Israeli ties. At the same time, it is a well-known fact that the
‘Eastern’ veto powers of China and Russia constantly frown upon the United States’
suspected ulterior motives in the Middle East. As a result, it is no surprise that they are the
only two countries to veto resolutions authorizing firm action in the grief-stricken Syrian
Arab Republic, be it against the Bashar al-Assad government or against the Islamic State
of Iraq in Syria.
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4.3.4. Sanctions and the use of negative reinforcement
Due to the fact that a majority of the permanent five powers are more or less pro-sanctions
owing to their vast purchasing power, many other nations have expressed the concern that
said sanctions could possibly become permanent in some cases and end up causing harm
and imbalance rather than hindering them.
According to the Venezuelan delegation at a UNSC meeting in February 2016, the problem
lies in the current system of selection of the heads of the sanction committees, which is
cumbersome and restricted. There was a further emphasis on the need for involvement of
States that do not have Security Council membership but that are affected by the
ramifications of the sanctions in question.
4.4. Important Resolutions (based on reports of the Special Committee)
• Resolution 3499 (1975)25
The aforementioned resolution adopted the preceding report of the Special Committee,
affirming to enlarge the Ad Hoc Committee by adding a few new Member States, in
addition to listing proposals sent in by concerned governments to identify those which have
‘awakened special interest’.
• Resolution 68/115 (2013)26
This resolution took into consideration the Special Committee’s 2013 report, while calling
upon said committee to examine the implementation of the provisions of the UN Charter
with regard to assistance to third-party states adversely affected by the employment of
sanctions under Chapter VII of the Charter.
• Supplement no. 33 (2016)
This supplement was a product of the Special Committee upon the request of the UN GA in
2015 to consider, on a basis of priority, instruments by which the working methods of the
UN organs, specifically those of the GA and the SC, could be enhanced in order to provide
the world with international peace and security swiftly and surely.
4.5. Suggested Reading
•
•
•
•
25
26
http://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/event/the-un-security-council-in-the-21st-century/
https://www.rienner.com/uploads/55f1a23ac18a6.pdf
http://unitingforpeace.com/resources/speeches/Reforming%20the%20UN.pdf
http://funag.gov.br/images/albuns/CSNU/Concept-Note-Seminar-SecurityCouncilBrasilia-23-June-2016.pdf
http://www.un-documents.net/a30r3499.htm
http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/68/115
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Special Committee
http://www.un.org/press/en/2008/ga10787.doc.htm
http://legal.un.org/committees/charter/
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