Background GuideGeneral Assembly.docx

Background GuideGeneral Assembly.docx

《Background GuideGeneral Assembly.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《Background GuideGeneral Assembly.docx（25页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

BackgroundGuideGeneralAssembly

GeneralAssembly

Topic:

A.SecurityCouncilReform

B.GlobalIlliteracy

背景文件

BackgroundGuide

福州市校际模拟联合国大会

FuzhouInterscholasticModelUnitedNationsConference

SupportedbyFuzhouNo.1MiddleSchool

Contents

—SecurityCouncilReform

SecurityCouncilBackground3

CallingforSecurityCouncilReform4

Reforms5

PastInternationalActions17

OverallPositionsofcountriesandblocs21

—GlobalIlliteracy

ToallthedelegatesintheGeneralAssembly26

GeneralAssembly28

Backgroundoftheissues31

BlocsPositions36

Questionstoconsider44

Reference45

SecurityCouncilBackground

TheSecurityCouncilhasprimaryresponsibility,undertheCharterforthemaintenanceofinternationalpeaceandsecurity.Itissoorganizedastobeabletofunctioncontinuously,andarepresentativeofeachofitsmembersmustbepresentatalltimesatUnitedNationsHeadquarters.On31stJanuary1992,thefirsteverSummitMeetingoftheCouncilwasconvenedatHeadquarters,attendedbyHeadsofStateandGovernmentof13ofits15membersandbytheMinistersforForeignAffairsoftheremainingtwo.TheCouncilmaymeetelsewherethanatHeadquarters;in1972,itheldasessioninAddisAbaba,Ethiopia,andthefollowingyearinPanamaCity,Panama.

Whenacomplaintconcerningathreattopeaceisbroughtbeforeit,theCouncil'sfirstactionisusuallytorecommendtothepartiestotrytoreachanagreementbypeacefulmeans.Insomecases,theCouncilitselfundertakesinvestigationandmediation.ItmayappointspecialrepresentativesorrequesttheSecretary-Generaltodosoortousehisgoodoffices.Itmaysetforthprinciplesforapeacefulsettlement.

Whenadisputeleadstofight,theCouncil'sfirstconcernistobringittoanendassoonaspossible.Onmanyoccasions,theCouncilhasissuedcease-firedirectiveswhichhavebeeninstrumentalinpreventingwiderhostilities.ItalsosendsUnitedNationspeace-keepingforcestohelpreducetensionsintroubledareas,keepopposingforcesapartandcreateconditionsofcalminwhichpeacefulsettlementsmaybesought.TheCouncilmaydecideonenforcementmeasures,economicsanctions（suchastradeembargoes）orcollectivemilitaryactions.

IfaMemberStateisagainstanypreventiveorenforcementactionswhichhavebeentakenby

theSecurityCouncil,itmaybesuspendedfromtheexerciseoftherightsandprivilegesofmembershipbytheGeneralAssemblyontherecommendationoftheSecurityCouncil.AMemberStatewhichhaspersistentlyviolatedtheprinciplesoftheChartermaybeexpelledfromtheUnitedNationsbytheAssemblyontheCouncil'srecommendation.

AStatewhichisaMemberoftheUnitedNationsbutnotoftheSecurityCouncilmayparticipate,withoutavote,initsdiscussionswhentheCouncilconsidersthatthecountry'sinterestsaremuchcorrelated.BothMembersoftheUnitedNationsandnon-members,iftheyarepartiestoadisputebeingconsideredbytheCouncil,shallbeinvitedtotakepartin,withoutavote,intheCouncil'sdiscussions;theCouncilsetstheconditionsforparticipationofanon-memberState.

ThePresidencyoftheCouncilrotatesmonthly,accordingtotheEnglishalphabeticallistingofitsmemberStates.

CallingforSecurityCouncilReform

Eventhoughthegeopoliticalrealitieschangeddrasticallysince1945,whentheset-upofthecurrentCouncilwasdecided,theSecurityCouncilchangedverylittleduringthislongperiodoftime.ThewinnersofSecondWorldWarshapedtheCharteroftheUnitedNationsintheirnationalinterests,dividingtheveto-powerpertinenttothepermanentseatsamongstthemselves.WiththeenlargementoftheUnitedNationsmembershipandincreasingself-confidenceamongthenewmembers,goinghandinhandwithprocessesofdecolonization,oldstructuresandprocedureswereincreasinglychallenged.TheimbalancebetweenthenumberofseatsintheSecurityCouncilandthetotalnumberofMemberStatesbecameevidentandtheonlysignificantreformoftheSecurityCouncilcametopassin1965aftertheratificationoftwothirdsofthemembership,includingthefivepermanentmembersoftheSecurityCouncil（whichhaveavetorightonCharterchanges）.Thereformincludedanincreaseofthenon-permanentmembershipfrom6to10members.WithBoutrosBoutros-GhalielectedasSecretary-Generalin1992,thereformdiscussionsoftheUNSecurityCouncilwerelaunchedagainashestartedhisnewtermwiththefirst-eversummitoftheSecurityCouncilandthereafterpublished"AnAgendaforPeace".HismotivationwastorestructurethecompositionandanachronisticproceduresoftheUNorgans.

Reforms

ReformoftheUnitedNationsSecurityCouncilencompassesfivekeyissues:

categoriesofmembership;thevetopowerheldbythefivepermanentmembers;regionalrepresentation;thesizeofanenlargedCouncilanditsworkingmethods.MemberStates,regionalgroupsandotherstakeholdersdevelopeddifferentpositionsandproposalsonhowtomoveforwardonthiscontestedissues.

1.Membership

TheSecurityCouncilisneverademocraticinstitution.Chapter5oftheUNChartersetsupaCouncildominatedbythefiveGreatPowersthatarethevictorsinWorldWarII--theUnitedStates,theSovietUnion,Britain,FranceandChina.

Inspeechesandcorridorconversations,diplomatsoftenpointoutthatfouroutofthefivePermanentMembersare"European"（aconceptthatincludestheUnitedStates）andfouroutoffiveare"industrialized"countries.Thefour-fifthsofhumankindthatliveinthepoorcountriesoftheGlobalSouth,theysay,haveonlyoneseat--China--amongthePermanentMembers.LatinAmerica,AfricaandtheMiddleEasthavenoregionalpresenceatall.ReformersinsistthattheCouncilshouldbetter"represent"thewholepopulationoftheglobe.ButthereareconsiderabledifferencesabouthowrepresentationshouldbeachievedandwhateffectiveSCdemocracywouldbelike.

ThesharpestdebateturnsontheproposalforPermanentMembershipforGermanyandJapan.Sincebothcountrieshavemiddle-rankingmilitaryforceswhichhavebeenconstitutionallyrestrictedintheirforeigndeployment,theyjustifytheirclaimtoapermanentseatbyreferringtotheirwealthandtheirroleasmajorfundersoftheorganization.

Afewcountrieshavearguedforaddingmoreveto-wieldingpermanentmembersfromtheGlobalSouth.Nigeria,BrazilandIndia,wouldliketobecomepermanentmembers,andtheyhavebeencampaigningactivelyforseats.Buttheirregionalrivalsarestaunchlyopposed.Smallercountries,inturn,areunhappyaboutanysystemthatwillstrengthenthepowerattheirexpense.

ReportsofdiscussionswithintheWorkingGroupsuggestthatamajorityofcountriesopposeanexpansionofthenumberofpermanentmembersandstillinsistonvetorestrictionsfirmly.

ThemajoritypreferstoenlargetheCouncilwithadditionalnon-permanentmembers--acommonfigureisten--bringingtheCounciltopresent25membersaltogether.Thoughopinionsvarywidely,mostcountriesseemtobelievethatanelectoralprocesswillyieldbetterrepresentationofregions,andofdiversekindsofstates--pooraswellasrich,smallaswellaslarge.Betterrepresentation,theyargue,willhelpcreateaCouncilthatcanactcrediblyandlegitimatelyinthenameofallhumanity.

ManyUNdiplomatsandreformersareunhappyaboutpermanentmembership,especiallytheveto,andtheywanttore-considertheissue,evenifthenumberofpermanentmembersdoesnotincrease.

BecauseArt.23,Sect.1oftheCharterspeaksofcriteriafortheselectionofnon-permanentmembers（their"contribution"tothe"maintenanceofinternationalpeaceandsecurityandtotheotherpurposeoftheOrganization"）,somecountrieshavecalledontheGeneralAssemblytodevelopobjectivemeasuresforthispurpose.CriteriamightbeembarrassingtothePermanentFive,though.Theyare,afterall,possessorsofnearlyalltheworld'snuclearweaponsaswellas

mostofthestockofchemicalandbiologicalweapons.Theyhavethelargestmilitaryestablishmentsandspendcollectivelyabouttwo-thirdsoftheworld's$775billioninmilitaryoutlays.Theyaccountforaverylargeshare（about85%）oftheworld'smajorarmsexports.AndtheyhaveignoredCharterinjunctionsthattheyabstaininCouncilvotingwhentheyarepartiestodisputes（Art.27,Sect.3）.

ThePermanentFivehaveanadditionaladvantageoverthenon-permanentmembersintheCouncil,becauseelectedmembersserveforonlytwoyearsandcannot,accordingtotheCharter,beimmediatelyre-elected.

Manyreformerswouldliketolimitordoawaywiththevetoandevenwithpermanentmembershipitself.Indebates,phraseslike"obsoleteprivilege"and"exclusiveclub"tendtocropup."TherighttovetounderminestheprincipleofsovereignequalityofstatesasprovidedintheCharter,"saidHasmyAgam,DeputySecretaryGeneraloftheMalaysianMinistryofForeignAffairsinaspeechtotheGeneralAssembly."Nocountry,howeverpowerful,shouldarbitrarilystandinthepathofcollectiveneedsasdeterminedbythegeneralmembershipoftheUN."

2.Vetopower

ThefivepermanentmembersoftheSecurityCouncil（China,France,Russia,UnitedKingdom,andUnitedStates）enjoytheprivilegeofvetopower.ThispowerhasbeenintenselycontroversialsincethedraftingoftheUNCharterin1945.

Vetoes（whetherthreatenedoractuallyused）areablocktoaction,asUNperformanceinformerYugoslaviaandotherrecentcriseshasclearlyshown.Asingeveto-wieldingpowercanstopinternationalresponsedeadinitstracksandtotallyfrustratethewilloftheoverwhelmingmajorityoftheinternationalcommunity.Thisblockage,whichhasfrustratedUNactiononk