Security Council

Security Council

1. The Security Council is the executive body of the United Nations :

   • Primary responsibility is the maintenance of international peace
     • IT IS COMPOSED OF 15 MEMEBERS : 5 PERMANET AND 10 NON- PERMANAT MEMBERS ELECTED BY THE GENERAL assembly FOR A TERM OF TWO YEARS
       • ssa was a member of the council of the league of Nations but because of the racial policies was not selected to serve on the security council during apartheid. SA WAS ELECTED AS A NON-PERMANENT MEMBER OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL FOR 2007&2008 AND AGAIN IN 2011
       • THE 5 PERMANENT MEMBERS ARE : CHINA; FRANCE; RUSSIA ; UK AND USA
         • THE SECURITY COUNCIL WAS CONSTITUTED IN 1945 AND THE PERM MEMBERS REFLECTED POWER RELATIONS OF THE TIME
           • TODAY GERMANY AND JAPAN HAVE MORE CLAIM TO BE PERM MEMBERS THAN OTHER COUNTRIES
             • AT PRESENT THERE ARE SERIOUS EFFORTS TO CHANGE THE COMPISITION
               • THE INCLUSION WOULD BE BASED ON STATES WHICH CONTRIBUTE THE MOST; MILITARILY AND DIPLOMATICALLY
           • THE SECURITY COUNCIL IS EMPOWERED TO TAKE DECISIONS BINDING ON ALL MEMEBER STATES
             • VETO POWER IS VESTED IN THE 5 PERMANENT MEMEBERS
               • ARTICLE 27(3) WHILE DECESIONS ON PROCEDURAL MATTERS IN THE COUNCIL ARE MADE BY AN AFFIRMATIVE VOTE OF 9 MEMEMBERS
                 • DECISIONS ON ALL MATTERS ARE TO BE MADE BY AN AFFIRMATIVE VOTE OF 9 MEMBERS INCLUDING CONCURRING VOTES OF THE PERMNENT MEMBERS
                   • THIS VETO HAS BEEN INVOKED BY ALL THE PERM MEMBERS WHENTHEY PERCIEVE THEIR INTERESTS TO BE THREATENED
                     • THE VETO HAS BEEN AMELIORATED BY THE PRACTISE OF ABSENTION. IT IS NOTVIEWED AS VETO AND HAS ALLOWED MANY RESOLUTIONS
                       • LAWFULNESS OF ABSENTION HAS BEEN CHALLENGED EXAMPLE THE NAMABIA SA SITUATION
                       • ABSENTION MAY BE REAGRDED AS A CONCURRING VOTE IF THE MEMBER IS PRESENT AT THE SC
                         • IT IS MORE DIFFICULT WHEN THE PERM MEMBER IS ABSENT FROM SC