The Security Council within the context of reforms in the United Nations

Abstract

The capability to reform itself is a sine qua non for any political institution. Yet, in the case of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), whilst nations agree on the Council's shortcomings, they differ sharply on necessary resolutions. Thus, in spite of the widespread enthusiasm for reaffirming the key role of the UNSC in preserving international peace and security, the UNSC is today fighting for its very relevance and credibility, for any reform of the United Nations (UN), which does not involve adapting itself to the geo-political realities of the 21st century, would be incomplete. The path to reform is, therefore, exceedingly difficult. It is against this backdrop that: • Chapter one gives an overview of the relevant UN Charter provisions concerning the UNSC, in order to identify the drawbacks and deficiencies and to provide a better understanding of this organ, within the context of reform. • Chapter two complements the examination of the UNSC in theory, by providing an analysis of the application of the relevant provisions discussed in chapter one, in relation to case studies. • Chapter three highlights the new challenges facing the UNSC today and the main elements of reform, which have played their part in undermining the legitimacy and effectiveness of the UNSC. • Chapter four outlines the original positions of member states regarding the composition, size and voting procedure of the UNSC, as well as their modification in the light of the discussions that have taken place from 1992 to date. • Chapter five examines the strengths and weaknesses of the main recent proposals that have been put forth and provides insight into the difficulties and complex issues surrounding UNSC reform. • Chapter six presents my own framework for UNSC change, which attempts to narrow the reform proposals down to a manageable number and to make them better suited to the current reform debate, so as to provide a UN with renewed relevancy, vigour and purpose.