Prospects And Challenges Of Reforming The Un Focus On The Veto Power In The Security Council

The United Nations was created in 1945 as a global organization with a number of objectivesrnand principles that reflect commitments ranging from the cause of international peace andrnsecurity to the betterment of human life in all endeavors. The creation of the UN at that time wasrna remarkable achievement to the global society. Looking back at the UN’s past 69 years work itrnis quite easy to testify that this global organization has achieved a lot in fulfilling its objectivesrnand principles. But, from the moment of its establishment, the organization faced criticisms mostrnof which can be classified as philosophical. Latter, critics started to focus towards its work, thernimplementation of the UN Charter as it is written, and also others related with the function ofrneach subsidiary organs and the UN staffs working in these organs.rnWithout ignoring the changes that the UN has promoted and achieved globally, the critics thatrnfocus on the remaining tasks that this organization shall accomplish are well establishedrnconsidering the expectation that we have towards this global institution. Additionally, therncontinuing change in the global geopolitical and economic realities gives a compelling reasonrntowards the reform of this organization for the better.rnEven if there are critics and reform proposals calling for the reform of many of the UN organs,rnthe United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is the UN organ that attracted very much seriousrnand long time proposals of reform. Being the main organ of the UN at the core of protectingrnglobal peace and security, the UNSC has entertained too many criticisms and reform proposalsrntowards its composition, membership, voting rights, working method and other related issues.rnBut, among all the issues within the UNSC reform discussions, the Veto power of the permanentrnfive of the council is the most contentious issue. Since its creation, the UNSC was reformed onlyrnonce in 1965 when its membership rose from 11 to 15.rnThe geopolitical reality that existed in 1945 justifies the structure of the UNSC as a globalrnCollective Security organization. As the most powerful states in the time and the winners ofrnWWII, it is quite easy to understand how the permanent five managed to create such kind ofrncollective security organization that protects their interest with a voting privilege called the VetornPower. The rules of charter amendment in the UN Charter are also another strong protectionagainst changes without their express consent. These provisions in the Charter also benefit thernpermanent five by their simultaneous effect, called the ‘Cascade effect’ of the provisions.rnThe criticisms against the Veto power in the UNSC started with its wrong application by thernpermanent five. But through time the fundamental changes in the global geopolitical andrneconomic realities added substantial compelling reasons to the demand calling for the reform ofrnthe UNSC and the Veto power in particular. These reform efforts have already passed a numberrnof historical steps and are currently at a point where it seems that reform is inevitable. But actualrnreform depends up on the willingness of the member states to agree on the lowest commonrndenominator. If the right approach towards reform is followed, reform may come sooner thanrnbefore what we expect it.rnTherefore, in this thesis the writer begins with the discussion of the reform efforts for the UN asrna whole. Then a detailed discussion of the history and politics of the reform of the UnitedrnNations Security Council is provided. Finally, the issue of the Veto power reform is addressed inrndetail. This involves the discussion of the status of the reform initiatives and prospects andrnchallenges of reform. After looking these issues, the writer attempts to explain the best reformrnproposal at hand and makes recommendations for actors involved in the negotiation process. Irnbelieve doing this will clarify some of the chronic questions that may be raised in discussingrnPublic International Law.

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