Proceedings of The 5th International Conference on New Trends in Social Sciences
Year: 2023
DOI:
[PDF]
Uniting For Humanity: The Dilemma of the UN Security Council Reform
Stanley John-Jay Amevor, Felix Yao Amenorhu, Daniel Dramani Kipo-Sunyehzi (Ph.D.)
ABSTRACT:
In recent times, there have been increasing demands by policymakers and analysts for reform in the Security Council of the UN at the earliest possible time so that it reflects the changing world system and the reality of the present times. The Council’s legitimacy has come under scrutiny as some scholars argue that the Council’s credibility is in jeopardy unless it is reformed to account for recent changes in global politics and the geopolitical realities of the contemporary international system. As a contribution to this discourse, this paper examines some countries that are seeking permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to ascertain their contributions to the UN and use their contributions as a basis to justify their qualification or otherwise for admission into the UNSC, especially, the permanent seat on the UNSC. The concept of international cooperation is used as a framework to analyze the phenomenon under study. The paper argues that despite the significant contributions of the countries seeking permanent membership in the UNSC, these countries neglect some of their responsibilities towards the activities of the UN. The paper, therefore, asserts that until these countries fulfilled their neglected responsibilities, they are not effectively positioned for admission into the permanent membership of the UNSC. The paper concludes with some useful recommendations which will help UNSC membership seekers effectively position themselves for admission to the UNSC.
keywords: United Nations Security Council, Reform, Responsibility, Contribution