ostrowska-dominika

[ostrowska-dominika]

Hello, guys! I am a final year Psychology student at the University of East Anglia. I am currently looking for participants for my study about estimating the environmental impact of clothing items, and I would appreciate if you could help out. The experiment will be in an online survey format and should not take longer than 5 minutes to complete.

I would really appreciate if you could participate and help me out!! 

In the survey, you will be explained the estimation task and the measures used, and then will be asked to estimate the carbon footprint of the items displayed on your screen. You will then be asked to complete a short scale about environmental concerns.

This research has been approved by the School of Psychology’s Research Ethics Committee at the University of East Anglia. If you have any questions regarding the study, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you so much for considering taking part!!

[ostrowska-dominika]

What is the United Nation’s Security Council and Why Doesn’t it Work?

Whether its issues around the abuse of power, lack of representation or failure to aid in humanitarian missions, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has faced a lot of scrutiny throughout the years. However, in today’s post I want to focus more on explaining how the UNSC is structured, how the Right to Veto works, and the problems around that privilege.  

Structure of the United Nations Security Council

The United Nations Security Council is composed of 15 members. It has 5 permanent members known as the ‘P5’, and 10 non-permanent members which are elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly. The ‘P5’ include the United States, United Kingdom, France, People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation. The other non-permanent members are chosen at the end of the term year (which lasts two years) and as of 2020 include: Belgium, Dominican Republic, Germany, Indonesia and South Africa. In 2021 Estonia, Niger, Tunisia, Vietnam and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will join. As of 1963, the Assembly decided that the non-permanent members of the Council should be elected according to the following pattern (resolution 1991 A (XVIII)): 5 states from African and Asia, 1 state from Eastern Europe, 2 states from Latin America, and 2 states from Western Europe. States which are part of the UN but not of the Security Council can still participate but only when its countries interests are affected. As stated on the UN’s ‘current members’ page:

           “Both Members and non-members of the United Nations, if they are parties to a dispute being considered by the Council, may be invited to take part, without a vote, in the Council's discussions”

So, in essence, they have to be invited by the Security Council in order to have any say. Ultimately, it is the Council that sets out conditions for participation of non-member states.

Right to Veto

The power of Veto on a security council resolution is probably the most important privilege of the P5. To exercise veto is the ability to reject a decision proposed by the security council. Article 27 (3) of the UN Charter establishes that all substantive decisions of the Council must be made with “the concurring votes of the permanent members”. In other words, all permanent members of the Security Council need to agree in order to pass any resolution. However, it only takes one of the P5 countries to veto for a resolution not to be passed. The Right to Veto grants the permanent members of the UNSC an enormous amount of power.

Why Veto and Problems

According to Security Council Reports.org some of the reasons why a member state would choose to veto include:

-       Defending national interests

-       To uphold tenant of their foreign policy

-       To promote a single issue of particular importance to a state

Additionally, it is not unusual for a draft resolution not to be formally tabled because of the threat of a veto by one or more of the permanent members. This is worrying because this means a resolution to a big issue might not even be presented to the Council if there is suspicion it might not pass. This leads to bigger questions of international aid.

As an example, let’s take a look at China and the Ethnic Genocide which is happening in its Western region of Xinjiang. We all truly know what’s happening to the Uyghur ethnic minority of China. Most reports of China’s unlawful detention of members of the Uyghur community started surfacing in 2018. As more information started to surface, more questions have been asked by the international community. For example, in the UK, the BBC have reported on the situation which is a huge step in increasing interest in the issue within the British public.

An organisation called the World Uyghur Congress was established in 2004 particularly to resolute this issue and they have been working closely with the UN to try and end the victimisation of Uyghurs by China, as well as raise awareness around it. Let me say this again: an organisation which was set up in order to help Uyghurs who have been victimised by China, is working closely with the UN on the issue, while China remains a permanent member on the United Nations Security Council! Evidently, the international community, countries around the world, and member-states of the UN are very aware of what’s going on in Xinjiang. However, even if members of the UN wanted to do anything about it, China would veto the resolution, and nothing could be done. (But that doesn’t even scratch the surface of why nothing is really done. China is an economic superpower and in the capitalist system we are living in, profit will always out-weight human life).

Member States Call for the Removal of Veto Power and More Representation

The argument that member states need better representation at the UNSC is not new. African countries, although talked about often, lack a voice to speak for themselves. Delegates from underrepresented countries have asked to increase the number of permanent members and abolishing the right to veto. One attempt occurred in November of 2018, and really this issue has been on the Assembly’s agenda for over 20 years, however no consensus has been reached till this day. Perhaps this is because truthfully the UNSC doesn’t want any changes as they like the way in which the system works, because it benefits them.

           Take Africa for example. Despite having the largest number of member states in the UN, countries from the region continue to be undermined and under-represented in the council. There is almost a neo-colonial feeling to this fact.

In an effort to bring attention to this issue in 2017, then Assembly President of Slovakia Miroslav Lajčák stated in his opening remarks that the Council’s work could mean the difference between life and death. He went on to suggest that it is the Council itself which has the power to change this, to extend equality beyond the elites. But it is very apparent that they don’t want to change and there will be no reform. It comes down to the most powerful wanting to stay as such, and everyone else is left with the only choice which is to abide by their rules.

My list of sources:

1.     https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/content/current-members

2.     https://www.un.org/en/ga/62/plenary/election_sc/bkg.shtml

3.     https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/un-security-council-working-methods/the-veto.php

4.     https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cpz1y9ney3mt/uighurs

5.     https://www.uyghurcongress.org/en/activities-overview/

6.     https://www.uyghurcongress.org/en/introducing-the-world-uyghur-congress/

7.     https://www.un.org/press/en/2018/ga12091.doc.htm

8.     https://www.un.org/press/en/2017/ga11969.doc.htm

9.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPAONq36HKg