In Hindsights
-
The 21 December marks one year since the adoption of resolution 2719, through which the Council authorised support for African Union-led peace support operations (AUPSOs) from UN assessed contributions on a case-by-case basis. The adoption of this landmark resolution is widely regarded as a significant milestone in UN-AU cooperation. Discussions within the Council on this issue have gained momentum, particularly regarding potential test cases to be considered under resolution 2719. This In Hindsight examines the prospects and challenges in this regard and anticipates what lies ahead.
-
The contours of the relationship between the UN Security Council and “regional arrangements and agencies” have long been the subject of debate.This debate has assumed renewed significance following the publication of A New Agenda for Peace, a July 2023 policy brief that sets out UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ vision for an effective multilateral security system. The brief argues that robust regional frameworks and organisations that have strong partnerships with the UN are necessary for managing growing competition among member states and the increasingly transnational threats facing the international community.
-
On 12 August, the Geneva Conventions turn 75. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has described these foundational treaties in international humanitarian law (IHL) as “one of humanity’s most important accomplishments of the last century.” In recent years, blatant disregard for IHL has been a feature of conflicts around the world, including several on the Council’s agenda. For the Security Council, the anniversary offers a time for sombre and sober reflection.
-
The Military Staff Committee (MSC) is the oldest subsidiary body of the Security Council, with its role explicitly mentioned in the UN Charter. It is to advise and assist the Security Council on all military requirements for maintaining international peace and security. However, for most of its life, the MSC has been dormant and unable to fulfill this responsibility.
-
On 6 June, the 78th session of the UN General Assembly is scheduled to hold elections for membership of the Security Council. The five seats available for election in 2024, according to the regular distribution among regions, will be as follows: one seat for the African Group (currently held by Mozambique); one seat for the Asia-Pacific Group (currently held by Japan); one seat for the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC, currently held by Ecuador); and two seats for the Western European and Others Group (WEOG, currently held by Malta and Switzerland). The five new members elected this year will take up their seats on 1 January 2025 and will serve until 31 December 2026.
-
On 18 April, the US vetoed a draft Security Council resolution that would have recommended that “the State of Palestine be admitted to membership in the United Nations”. Twelve Council members voted in favour of the draft resolution, while two abstained (Switzerland and the UK).
-
In June, the Secretary-General is expected to submit a report and recommendations on possible UN support to regional forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) pursuant to resolution 2717 of 19 December 2023. Security Council members may consider a product in response. But there are indications that the DRC may want the Council to act sooner. The AUPSC recently endorsed the December 2023 deployment to the DRC of a Southern African Development Community (SADC) force, known as SAMIDRC.
-
Conflict prevention is at the core of the UN Charter. As Secretary-General António Guterres remarked during his swearing-in ceremony on 12 December 2016, “prevention is not a novel concept—it is what the founders of the UN asked us to do”.
-
Introduction On 21 December 2023, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2719 on the financing of AU-led peace support operations (AUPSOs).[1] In a 22 December statement[2], Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the Council’s decision and expressed his commitment to working with...
-
The Security Council has been severely tested by a multilateral environment in turmoil. In 2023, it faced the continuing effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the precipitous escalation of conflict in the Middle East, and pushback against UN peacekeeping in Africa as well as UN sanctions. The shifting global balance of power, the contrasting narratives about global priorities that emerged after the invasion of Ukraine, and the allegations of Western double standards over Israel’s actions in Gaza, have severely strained relations and deepened the atmosphere of distrust. The Council continued to come under public attack for its inability to address violations of the UN Charter.
-
The sanctions divide is particularly stark between Western countries, on the one hand, and China, Russia, and African countries, on the other. Western countries often maintain that arms embargoes and targeted sanctions, such as assets freezes and travel bans, are vital tools in mitigating violence and supporting the implementation of peace agreements. While China, Russia, and the Council’s African members recognise that sanctions can be a useful tool of the Council, they point to countries that remain under Council sanctions for several years as evidence that sanctions are insufficiently adjusted to account for progress.
-
The discourse on transitions has recently intensified in response to the changing nature of conflict, underpinned by complex and multifaceted peace, security, and development challenges. A characteristic of current conflicts is their wider regional implications influenced by transnational actors and geopolitical rivalries involving major powers, contributing to their protracted nature. As well, host countries and communities have grown frustrated with the perceived ineffectiveness of UN peace operations. At times, inflated public expectations and disappointments have been influenced by disinformation campaigns.
-
The Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace calls for strong partnerships between the UN and regional frameworks as part of “networked multilateralism”. Current geopolitical shifts make it imperative to reflect on how such partnerships should function—how the Security Council and regional organisations relate to each other in the maintenance of international peace and security. This is especially important in assessing how and when the Council must be involved with regional arrangements, including peace and enforcement operations. The Council itself has a mixed record in interpreting the provisions of the UN Charter, however.
-
Introduction In July 2023, UN Secretary-General António Guterres released A New Agenda for Peace. It is one of 11 policy briefs connected to his 2021 report, Our Common Agenda, reflecting his vision for the future of multilateralism and intended to...
-
In July, the Council failed to adopt a resolution reauthorising the Syria cross-border aid mechanism. As a result, a nine-year old mechanism, which had allowed the delivery of humanitarian assistance into non-government-controlled parts of Syria without requiring the consent of the Syrian government, was shut down. The draft put forward by the co-penholders (Switzerland and Brazil), with a nine-month extension of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing, was vetoed by Russia.
