The Security Council consists of five permanent
and ten non-permanent members from among the 193 member countries of the United
Nations. The winners of WW2—the US, UK, Russia, China, and France—were granted
veto power in the UN Security Council. A UN bill or resolution is void if any
of these five nations exercises its veto power.
The primary duty of the council is to safeguard
global peace and security. But it is really sad that because of the use of the
'veto' (the power to object), world peace and security are now imprisoned in
the cage of interests. Any resolution criticising Israel's misdeeds will be
blocked by the United States. On the other hand, China is applying its veto
power to protect Myanmar from facing consequences.
Despite the fact that 10 non-permanent members
are chosen every two years, the decisions of the permanent members are regarded
as final. In such a situation, many countries are discussing the need to
restructure the UN, particularly through the expansion of the Security Council.
The Council so far has failed to come up with
an effective solution to the humanitarian crisis of the Rohingya community,
despite widespread global support. China and Russia, two UN permanent members,
support Myanmar on this issue for political and economic interests. As of yet,
no legal action has yet been taken against Myanmar for the genocide of the
Rohingya. The Council's unwillingness to act has emboldened the Myanmar
military to commit crimes against humanity and genocide.
Again, in spite of Israel's aggression in the
Palestinian territories and the continuous violation of human rights in the
past years, the Council continues to be unable to unanimously agree to take
effective action. This strong Council of the United Nations was powerless to
stop the spread of nuclear weapons as well.
Article 39 of the UN Charter expressly forbids
aggressive war. However, the US invaded Iraq in 2003 without the UN's approval
and ousted Saddam regime, which was a violation of the UN Charter. Additionally,
the US and UK launched airstrikes in Libya in 2011 under the pretext of
"interference in the protection of human rights." Gaddafi was
overthrown in the attack, and Libya is now essentially a failed state. These
instances only support the claim that a country's violation of UN policy
increases with its power.
Such criticism also extends to the UN General
Assembly. The assembly is regularly passing hundreds of proposals. However,
there is no mechanism in place to put these proposals into action. There is no
system in place to gauge how well a nation is carrying out the UN's agenda.
The continent of Europe only makes up 6.6% of
the world's total land area. Nevertheless, they are represented by 60% of the
Security Council (three countries are permanent members). Twenty percent and 12
percent of the world's land respectively are in Africa and South America, yet
neither continent has a 'permanent member' country. The Asian continent has a
representation of under 20% despite having more than 60% of the world's
population (one country is a permanent member).
Despite the fact that geographic and regional
participation is crucial in many UN forums, it is missing in the crucial
permanent members of the Security Council.
Taking into account the region's position, the
population of the continent, and the current economic situation, making some
nations from Asia, Africa, and the South American continent permanent members
of the Security Council is now being demanded. However, since two-thirds of the
General Assembly and all Security Council members would need to agree to
reform, it would be challenging.
Japan, one of the largest contributors to the
UN, the third-largest economic power in the world, and the biggest donor of aid
to developing countries, should be made a permanent member of the UNSC. In
addition, countries like South Africa and Nigeria in the African continent, as
well as Brazil in South America and India in Asia, should be considered as
being eligible to become permanent members of the Council.
There is a suggestion to increase the UNSC
membership to 26. It has also been suggested that the number of permanent
member states be raised to 11. Some favour an expansion of the
Security Council with veto powers. Others want expansion without veto power.
Another group of member states feel that the veto power should be completely
eliminated.
Bangladesh
needs to analyse its position
On 17 September 1974, Bangladesh became the
136th member of the United Nations. The country advocates world peace and
actively participates in all of the UN's economic and social initiatives. Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina said during the 77th session of the UN General Assembly
that other institutional structures, including the United Nations, needed to
undergo practical and essential reforms. Bangladesh, however, has yet not
expressed a position on Security Council reform.
In this case, Bangladesh must consider the fact
that a resolution to the Rohingya crisis has repeatedly stumbled due to the
veto of the superpowers. The General Assembly has approved a number of
proposals on the Rohingya issue, but nothing has been put into practice.
Despite calls for the appointment of a special envoy on the Rohingya issue,
nothing has come of it. The proposal to secure the lives and livelihoods of the
Rohingyas in the Rakhine State has been passed, but it hasn't been put into
action. Bangladesh must therefore determine how UN reform could lead to a
mechanism to execute the General Assembly's resolutions.
Seven and a half decades after the establishment
of the United Nations, reforming the Security Council would be a sensible and
necessary move to balance geopolitics in the modern era. How will the UN talk
about democracy and equal rights in every country, if there is no
representation of global public opinion or equal rights in the largest
organisation in the world?
The 'UN Charter' and Security Council need to
be reformatted immediately in order to ensure that global peace and security
are not compromised in any way, and that no state is denied justice or forced
to accept an unjust decision.
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