United Nations 3

What is the Secretariat

the permanent bureau of an IO —> for the UN it is called the Secretariat

What else can the Secretariat be called?

1. The Commission

2. The Breau

What is the staff of the secretariat categorised as?

civil servants that work individually of their member state interests

How are the staff of the Secretariat hired

through regional distribution criterial for equal asportation from each region

What is the Secretariat involved in

Supportive, operational or decision-making operations

Who is the Secretariat led by?

The Secretary General (NATO) / Director General (WHO)

How is the Secretary General appointed

Through a recommendation by USC and appointed by the UNGA

What is the main role of the Secretary-General?

Give bureaucratic support to UN organs and set agendas (art. 99 Charter)

How many members in the UN Security Council

15

• 5 permanent members 

  • China, Russia, France, UK, USA

• 10 non-permanent members

  • Elected by GA for 2 years, determined by geographical distribution 

What authority does the Secretary General have

to bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter that may threaten the maintenance of international peace & security 

What is the agenda of the Secretary General

Peace, preventive diplomacy, peace-making, peace-keeping

Give an example of when the Secretary General has brough a situation to the attention of the security council

situation in Myanmar 

What can international bureaucracies do?

• agenda-setting

• coordination of circumstances overlapping competencies between different IOs

• designing new IOs (UNAIDS)

• expert authority 

What is the mandate of the Security Council?

primary responsibility for maintaining international peace & security

• determine the existence of any threat to peace, decide what should be done, maintain international peace

What can the Security General set up

Subsidiary bodies:

• ICTY 1993-2017

• Counter Terrorism Committee 2001

• Peacebuilding Commission 2005

What are the decisions of the UN Security Council

legally binding (art. 25)

What are the 2 types of decisions in the Security Council

1. Substantive decisions

2. Procedural decisions

How many votes for substantive decisions

9 votes including 5 veto votes (P-5)

How many votes in procedural decisions?

9 votes (no veto possible)

What is a new adaptation in decision making

Practice of abstentions (when a member neither votes yes or no)

e.g. resolution 1973 (Libya) was adopted with 5 abstentions with 2 P-5 members

—> '“Responsibility not to veto” initiative

The UN SC can determine threats to peace in relation to what 4 situations?

1. apartheid

2. war crimes

3. humanitarian crisis

4. civil wars

What does Article 41 Charter say the SC can do?

Apply measures not involving the use of force

e.g. sanctions —> comprehensive vs. smart sanctions

What does Article 42 say the SC can do?

Apply measures that involve the use of force through air, sea or land, including peacekeeping 

What is UN Peacekeeping

a non-coercive (non force-using) instrument of ensuring compliance

Who set UN Peacekeeping?

Boutros-Ghali = Agenda for Peace in 1992

Outline Ghali’s “Agenda for Peace”

“the deployment of UN presence in the field with the consent of all parties concerned, involving UN military/ police personnel, civilians 

Peacekeeping as an activity to expand all possibilities for conflict prevention and making peace”

Does the UN have a standing army?

No

How does the UN acquire an army for Peacekeeping operations?

• They depend on member states to provide the troops

• The Security General helps implement a solution

What must the national contingents wear?

Blue helmets

Who else is recruited by the UN Secretariat?

Civilian staff

How is authorised force characterised (the triangle)?

1. The host state consent

2. Non-use of force

   1. only do defend their own lives

3. Impartiality 

   1. doesn’t pick sides in the conflict

Give some examples of multi-dimensional peacekeeping today (7)

• Maintaining peace & security

• Protect civilians

• Support the organisation of elections

• Disarmament, demobilisation, reintegration of former combats

• Security Sector Reform (SSR)

• Restore the rule of law

• Promote human rights 

How are the peacekeeping operations financed?

• their own budget, separate from the UNGA regular budget

• troop-contributing countries reimbursed money for their contribution

• difference between those who finance and those who physically contribute 

Who are the top 3 financial contributors to peacekeeping operations?

1. USA

2. China

3. Japan

Who are the top 3 troop contributors?

1. Nepal

2. Rwanda

3. Bangladesh

What summit discusses the responsibility to protect

2005 World Summit

What were the 3 responsibilities outlined on the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document?

1. Responsibility to prevent

2. Responsibility to react

3. Responsibility to rebuild

—> with the authorisation of the UNSC!!

Give an example of the responsibility to protect

UNSC Resolution 1973 Libya authorised military action (in Libya)

What are 3 examples of when peace-enforcement missions occur

When the Security Council:

1. Deem something a threat to international peace

2. Decide what measures are necessary to respond to the threats (e.g. sanctions, blockades, non-miliary means & collective military force)

3. Gets cooperation and contribution from member states e

e.g. Libya (2011), Iraq-Kuwait (1990)

What are 3 core obligations of UN member states?

• Give up the use of force to except for self-defense

• Carry out Security Council decisions

• Provide military resources to the Council for its enforcement actions

When was the last reform of the UN Security Council and what was it for?

• 1965

• membership expansion from 11 to 15 member (4 additional non-permanent members)

When did the debate for the current reform start?

1990’s

What is the current debate for a reform about?

• Legitimacy concerns*

  • Are the 5 powerful member states as the end of WW2 still the most powerful today?

• Effectiveness concerns (e.g. Syria, Ukraine)

  • A wish for greater involvement of SC but little response from powerful states

What is questioned in the UN SC?

• Size

• Regional distribution 

• Permanent membership not reflecting current global distribution (abolish vs expand)

  • Competition for permanent seats: G4 vs Uniting for Consensus/ Coffee Club

• Veto power - HLP proposal (Responsibility Not to Veto")

What are the conditions for UN SC reform?

1. The 2/3 majority of states need to ratify the amendment (amendment needs to be accepted on the domestic level aswell)

2. The 2/3 majority vote should include the P5

What is the stalemate in reform for composition/ focus on reform of working methods:

• more transparency

• less vetoes 

Binder/ Heupel 2022:

Possible reform agreements regarding expansion, geographic representation, informal exchanges

—> a way to include a wide range of actors & non-state actors