Articles and Documents
Key Documents
UN Security Council Resolutions Currently Being Violated By Countries Other Than Iraq (October 2, 2002)
As the Bush administration insists on enforcing Security Council resolutions to justify an attack on Iraq, Foreign Policy in Focus draws up a long list of resolutions currently violated, often by US allies.
Report of the Secretary General on the Prevention of Armed Conflict (June 7, 2001)
The Secretary General argues that the UN should move from a "culture of reaction" to a "culture of prevention" in dealing with conflict issues. A successful preventive strategy depends on the cooperation of UN and non-UN actors, particularly the Member States.
2009
UN Session Marked by Highs and Lows (October 2, 2009)
The opening of the 64th session of the General Assembly was marked by a high-level conference on climate change, a historic Security Council meeting on nuclear disarmament, and a vastly more positive approach by the United States. Although the Obama administration still has its own power agenda, it has shown willingness to reengage with the UN, notably by promising to pay its dues. During this two-week high-level session, the UN outshone the G20 meeting and proved to be a major institution in which nations can convene. (IPS)
Clinton Hails UN Resolution to Protect Women Against Violence (September 30, 2009)
The Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution condemning sexual violence in military conflicts. Resolution 1888 aims to give the UN and member states new tools to prevent conflict-related sexual violence and end impunity. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who presided over the Council meeting, welcomed the resolution and called for additional steps, underlining that women should not be considered only as victims but as potential peacemakers and peacekeepers. (US Mission to the EU)
The President of The Gambia's Address to the 64th Session of the UN General Assembly (September 24, 2009)
In this feisty address to the UN General Assembly, the Gambian President speaks out against Western exploitation of Africa. The President refers to the presence of transnational cooperations in Africa,as a "locust invasion" that has devoured 90% of African resources and left the continent's peoples with only a small remnant. The President warns the UN that the African Nations are no longer willing to accept such exploitation, and he urges the UN to change its approach to Africa, bring an end to marginalization and oppression, and promote unity, equality and co operation. (United Nations)
Address by H.E. Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann, Pesident of the General Assembly at the Close of the Interactive Thematic Dialogue on R2P (July 28, 2009)
The General Assembly debated the Responsibility to Protect concept in the last week of July. Miguel D'Escoto, President of the General Assembly, supports the core idea of protection but he is wary of the motives of those who may use R2P to justify interventions against weaker states. Rather than a focus on crisis management, the majority of member states support preventive solutions addressing the root causes of crises. However, after this extensive debate, UN member states did not agree on how to transform this concept into practice is far from being reached. (President of the General Assembly)
Security Council Mission to Africa (May 27, 2009)
Security Council Report compiled an Update Report on the Security Council's Mission to Africa in May. During this 5-day trip, the delegation, led by the UK, US, France and Uganda, visited Ethiopia, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia. This report addresses the issues which this Security Council Mission to Africa faced. The primary focus of this trip was to strengthen the relationship between the African Union and the United Nations in matters relating to the Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council.
2008
Council Members Brief on Recent Week-Long Mission to Africa (June 18, 2008)
The Security Council offers updates on the political situation in Africa following a week long mission to the region. The briefing includes positive developments, such as the peace agreement in Somalia, but focuses on problematic issues. The Sudanese President Omar Bashir’s non-compliance with SC resolutions and the outbreak of violence in eastern Chad remain a grave concern. However, the Council also discussed the prospect of fair and free elections in the Ivory Coast and the positive role played by the political opposition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (UN News)
Security Council Visiting Mission Update (May 22, 2008)
Members of the Security Council will visit Kenya, Sudan, Chad the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Cote d’Ivoire between May 30 and June 10, 2008. Security Council members aim to assess UN peacekeepers, and to promote peace and security in Africa. However, the author suggests that members disagree on whether to address post-conflict violence in Kenya, the role of the International Criminal Court in Uganda and a possible reduction of UN peacekeepers in the DRC (MONUC). (Security Council Report)
UN Security Council Must Act Preemptively on Climate Change (March 24, 2008)
The authors of this article commend UN initiatives on tackling climate change, but claim the organization is not doing enough. The authors urge the Security Council to take “preemptive action� on climate change. But placing climate change in the hands of the Security Council could actually hinder progress. The largest carbon emitters (China and the US) are also P-5 members and could veto any resolution suggesting a carbon cap, for instance. (Christian Science Monitor)
2007
UN Spent $18 Billion on Peacekeeping in Past Five Years, But Not Enough on Conflict Prevention (August 29, 2007)
UN Security Council members agree that investing in conflict prevention, rather than conflict resolution, would save money and lives. However, the UN has done little prevention. In an August 2007 Security Council debate, member states recommended that the UN improves its record by prioritizing efforts reaching political solutions to conflicts, by coordinating the work of the Security Council with that of the General Assembly, the Department of Political Affairs and ECOSOC, and working with regional organizations like the AU to address root causes. So far, member states have not moved from debating, to implementing decisive prevention measures. (Associated Press)
Don’t Kick the Inspectors Out of the UN (June 29, 2007)
Decrying the impending closure of UNMOVIC – the UN’s Iraq weapons inspection commission – Richard Butler calls on the UN to create a similar, but permanent, entity with a general focus on the global proliferation of dangerous arms. Such a unit could maintain and develop UNMOVIC’s technical expertise in monitoring and analyzing nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. Further, in light of British and US fabrications about Iraq’s nuclear capabilities, Butler argues that an internationally-backed body could more objectively assess and act upon any potential security threats in the future. (New York Times)
UN Attacks Climate Change as Threat to Peace (April 17, 2007)
For the first time, the United Nations Security Council debated the impact of climate change on global conflicts, especially over food, water, and energy shortages. Although many developing countries objected that “global warming is not an issue of international peace and security� and that the debate “infringes on the authority of other UN organs,� Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon argued that climate change threatens to “transform peaceful competition into violence� and “weaken the ability of countries to resolve conflicts peacefully.� (Associated Press)
UN to Discuss Climate as Security Issue (April 5, 2007)
For the first time, the UN Security Council has added a discussion of the “potential security ramifications� of global warming to its agenda. Although it will not produce a statement or resolution, UK Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry, the Council president for the month of April, says it is “quite likely� the discussion will lead to a UN summit in 2008 devoted solely to climate change. (Associated Press)
In Search of Symbiosis: The Security Council in the Humanitarian Domain (March 2007)
This article, by Aurelio Viotti, analyzes the symbiosis between international security and humanitarian action by the Security Council. The author states that the merging of these two differing concepts has effectively blurred the distinction between the doctrines of just war theory and international humanitarian law. As a result, imprecise notions such as the “Responsibility to Protect� and “human security� threaten the impartiality of humanitarian action, as well as undermine one of the salutary political achievements of the Twentieth Century, the prohibition of the use of force within international relations. (International Review of the Red Cross)
2006
UN Security Council Edicts Challenged (October 26, 2006)
This Inter Press Service article analyzes permanent members' domination and influence at the UN Security Council. The author denounces action driven by national interests and the “double standards� of the Council’s resolutions, which allow some countries to possess nuclear weapons whilst forbidding others. Citing the endorsement of the Iraq occupation by the 15 members of the Security Council, the author comments on the UN inability to prevent powerful nations, such as the US, to dictate their will. The article concludes that the disregard for international law and double standards call into question the legitimacy of the top UN body.
2005
Zimbabwe Report Discussed at UN (July 27, 2005)
The situation in Zimbabwe is not on the UN Security Council agenda, but the US, UK and seven other nations voted to discuss a report on the Zimbabwean government’s slum demolition campaign. The discussion of an item not on the agenda marks one of the few times that Council members have invoked the rule to vote on procedural matters. Though China and Russia opposed the vote, saying it amounted to “meddling in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs,� the veto cannot be used on procedural votes. (BBC)
2004
UN Council Unanimously Adopts Terrorist Arms Ban (April 28, 2004)
The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on preventing the transfer pf weapons of mass destruction to "non-state actors." Because of the controversy over the Council's attempt to legislate for the world, the resolution now leaves specific legislations up to individual nations. (Reuters)
Nations, NGOs Resist US-UK Arms Resolution (March 31, 2004)
US and Britain are facing strong oppositions over their attempt to secure a hasty adoption of the Security Council Resolution proposing to prevent "non-state actors" from dealing with weapons of mass destruction. An anti-nuclear weapons organization criticizes the "flawed" resolution for its failure to "acknowledge the disarmament obligation under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and to identify measures to reduce and eliminate nuclear arsenals." (Inter Press Service)
UN Loses Face over Hurried Vote on Spain Bombing (March 16, 2004)
An unprecedented attempt by the UN to condemn ETA for the Madrid attack in a Security Council Resolution has attracted criticisms on its hasty action and also revealed its weakness in the face of big-power politics. Norman Solomon, of Institute for Public Accuracy, argues that this incident has shown UN's willingness to provide "urgent assistance to boost the domestic political fortunes of government leaders aligned with Washington." (Inter Press Service)
UN Seeks to End Use of Child Soldiers (January 20, 2004)
In 2003, the Security Council adopted Resolution 1460. To date, the Council does not have any monitoring or enforcement measures to protect children in conflicts. France is drafting a new resolution that would set up new mechanisms to assess violations of children’s rights, disarmament of warring parties and demobilization of child soldiers. (Associated Press)
2003
No Taiwan in UN: China (August 8, 2003)
China rejected the request that the General Assembly discuss the possibility of Taiwan representation at the UN. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman remarked, “Taiwan, as part of China, has no qualification (. . .) to join the United Nations which is composed of sovereign countries.� (Associated Press)
Security Council's Dilemma on Enforcement (February 14, 2003)
The UN has passed dozens of resolutions over the years that have not been carried out. Resolutions concerning Israel, Cyprus and Morocco are some examples of countries' refusal to comply. (CNN)
2002
Syria's UN Head Closely Watched (June 1, 2002)
Syria takes over the presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of June 2002 following a heated debate on whether a state on the US list of “state-sponsored terrorism� should deal with issues like the global fight against terrorism. (Associated Press)
Is It Time Up for UN in Africa? (March 7, 2002)
In light of the deteriorating situation in the DRC, the African New Vision severely criticizes the ineffectiveness of the UN Security Council when it comes to African conflicts.
