UN Reforms

In News

• It has been criticised that Conflicts like those in Sudan, Syria, Myanmar go largely unchecked at the United Nations.

UN Reforms

• Demand of reform:
  • Reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) encompasses five key issues: 
    • Categories of membership, 
    • The question of the veto held by the five permanent members, 
    • Regional representation, 
    • The size of an enlarged Council and its working methods, and 
    • The Security Council-General Assembly relationship. 
• Why?
  • Changing world order:
    • In the 77-year-old history of the UN, the composition of the Security Council has been altered only once.
      • I.e., In 1963 when the General Assembly decided to expand the Council from 11 to 15 members, with the addition of four non-permanent seats.
    • Since then, the world has changed. The geopolitical relations in the world have altered, the economic responsibilities in the world in countries have also changed.
  • Equitable World Order: 
    • There is a need for a more equitable world in order to uphold the principles of democracy at the global level.
  • Inclusivity: 
    • Developing countries like the African countries, need to be made stakeholders in the multilateral institutions and involved in the decision-making process.
  • Mitigation of New Threats: 
    • With rising protectionism, increased incidents of terrorism and the threat of climate change, the multilateral system must become more resilient and responsive.

• How?
  • Agreement of members:
    • Any reform of the Security Council would require the agreement of at least two-thirds of UN member states in a vote in the General Assembly and must be ratified by two-thirds of Member States. 
    • All of the permanent members of the UNSC (which have veto rights) must also agree.
  • Expansion:
    • The expansion of the Security Council in both permanent and non-permanent categories, as well as reform in its working methods, is indispensable to making this body more representative, legitimate and effective.

Issues

• Unchecked conflicts:
  • It has been criticised that Conflicts like those in Sudan, Syria, Myanmar go largely unchecked at the UN.
  • Some countries and non-state actors benefit from the conflict economy. They launder money, sell arms, supply fuel and exploit natural resources.
  • Whereas in the past the UN has played an important role in international diplomacy over the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and the Middle East.
• Unable to discharge basic functions: 
  • The Security Council cannot discharge its basic function as one of the permanent members of the Security Council attacked its neighbour. 
  • The Security Council should be the body to take action against the aggression. But because of the veto power, the Security Council cannot act.
  • The recent example being Russia’s:
    • Russia, a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN, attacked Ukraine in February 2022. 
    • Russia has vetoed UNSC resolutions on Ukraine. 
    • Russia also voted against a resolution in the UNGA which called on countries not to recognise the four regions of Ukraine that Russia has claimed.

Challenges

• Lack of Political Will: 
  • Although there is a general agreement towards change in the system, different countries have different perceptions of the requirement for change. 
• Coffee Club: 
  • It is an informal group comprising 40-odd member states, mostly middle-sized states who oppose bigger regional powers grabbing permanent seats, has been instrumental in holding back reforms to the United Nations Security Council over the past six years.
• Chinese Opposition: 
  • China being a permanent member blocks the growth of India becoming a Permanent Member.
• Operationalization of the reforms:
  • The challenge is also regarding how to operationalize these reforms. 
  • The UN is structured in such a way that the decision-making process is distributed among a wide range of countries and constituencies with often competing and contradictory views and interests. 
    • Russia and China, for example, did not attend the previous UN meeting on reforms.

Way ahead

• Some of the UN’s specialized agencies like Unicef and UNHCR do an admirable job under exacting circumstances when no one else will do it. 
  • They need to be further strengthened.
• India has suggested that the UN reforms need to be “broad-based and all-encompassing” and the changes should not be restricted to its secretariat only.