The UN Security Council

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From the course by University of Geneva

International Organizations Management

11 ratings

University of Geneva

International Organizations Management

11 ratings

This course provides an introduction to International Organizations and the United Nations, and explores how business and management tools can be applied in these settings to achieve better, more effective results. With a focus on cross-sector partnerships in a changing world, the course offers you insights into the inner workings of international organizations and the challenges they face today. It will introduce you to effective, state-of-the art management tools and principles to help you lead change in this world – taught by senior staff of international organizations themselves. This is an introductory course offered by the International Organizations MBA (IO-MBA) of the University of Geneva, an executive program for change-makers in international organizations, NGOs and social ventures.

From the lesson

Introduction to International Organizations

In the first module of our course on International Organizations Management, we provide an overview of the historical context and different ways of classifying international organizations in today's contemporary world. We will focus in particular on the United Nations – its origins, purposes, mandate, structure and activities – as the most important inter-governmental organization that coordinates global action on peace and security, humanitarian protection, human rights, and economic and social development.

The UN Security Council6:30

ECOSOC and the Sustainable Development Goals10:23

UN Secretariat and Secretary General14:40

Meet the Instructors

Gilbert Probst
Professor, Organization and Management
Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences
Sebastian Buckup
Visiting professor
International Organizations MBA
Bruce Jenks
Visiting professor
International Organizations MBA
Stephan Mergenthaler
Visiting professor
International Organizations MBA
Cassandra Quintanilla
Teaching and research assistant
International Organizations MBA
Lea Stadtler
Research Fellow
Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences
Claudia Gonzalez Romo
Visiting professor
International Organizations MBA
Julian Fleet
Visiting professor
International Organizations MBA
Tina Ambos
Academic Director of the International Organizations MBA
Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences

Let's now take a look at the Security Council.

The UN Security Council has primary responsibility within

the UN system for maintaining international peace and security,

and has the authority to act on behalf of all members of the UN.

Its composition, function, powers,

procedures are set out in chapter five of the charter.

Elaborated and clarified in chapters six and seven as I mentioned on

settling disputes peacefully and its powers are really unique within the UN system.

Article 25, says that all members agree to accept and carry out its decisions, binding.

Article 49 says that they have to provide

assistance in implementing the Security Council's decisions,

thus irrespective of whether they agree with

the decisions or were members of the Security Council at the time of the decisions,

all UN member states are legally obligated to comply with them.

Commentators, academics have observed that these rules endow

the Security Council with

historically unmatched powers of collective political and military enforcement.

By a wide margin,

the Security Council has the most authoritative and complete grant of

enforcement powers ever made in the history of state sovereignty.

No other international organization has anything like the power of

the Security Council to centralize and dominate policy making on any topic.

Let alone a topic as important as armed conflict and

the maintenance of peace and security in the face of military force.

Interestingly, over time, even the Security Council has in

a way expanded its mandate beyond the maintenance of international peace and security.

Soon after I joined UNAIDS back in 1998,

at the beginning of the next decade,

the Security Council for the first time in its history

put on its agenda a development issue, a health issue.

And that was the AIDS epidemic.

And they put this on their agenda in a way because they

considered that the AIDS epidemic at the time with for example,

a quarter of the adult population of the most affected countries in Africa,

a quarter of the adult population living with this potentially fatal virus.

They considered this an issue rising to the level of collective security

but it was the first time that the Security Council had

ever put a health issue on its agenda.

A development issue on its agenda.

Given the broad and deep power of the Security Council,

it may seem paradoxical that its membership is

so small compared to the overall size of the UN membership.

Article 23 specifies that the UN Security Council shall have

15 members with a well-known five permanent members of the Council.

China, France, Russia, the UK and the United States having a veto power.

The remaining 10 members are elected for two year terms.

And while any one of the permanent members may stop an action,

can cast a veto decision.

It takes affirmative vote of nine members to pass a resolution or decision.

Thus it needs four of the non-permanent members to agree

along with all five permanent members.

I should say here that the non-permanent members of the Security Council are elected,

are apportioned by their regional blocs.

You will have seen in the media much discussion

of appeals to reform the composition of the UN Security Council.

And I leave it to you to form your own view of whether and if so,

how the UN Security Council needs to reform itself.

Suffice to say that highly populous countries,

other high income countries,

members of the BRICs bloc of countries.

Japan, Nigeria, a number of other countries believe

that they too should be members of the UN Security Council.

And, the General Assembly indeed has a committee

called the "Open-ended Working Group on Security Council Reform."

But open ended it is,

since the permanent members cannot be removed,

changed or added without using a formal process for amending the charter which has

so far prevented any progress in UN Security Council reform.

In short, it's the United Nations General Assembly, with its one state,

one vote and majority rule that is perhaps

the most democratic organ in

the United Nations but has less authority as we've said than the council.

It's the Security Council arguably undemocratic,

but with clear authority to impose its obligations on all member states.

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