The UN Security Council. Permanent members of the UN Security Council

Among the most influential organizations in the world, the UN is always mentioned. Knowledge of the principles of its work is important for any person who wants to be aware of world political, social and economic events. What is the history of this institution and who is among the participants?

What is the UN?

The United Nations is called a kind of center for solving the problems of mankind. Thirty other institutions operate in the UN. Their collective work is aimed at ensuring that human rights are respected on the entire planet, poverty is reduced, and there is a constant struggle against diseases and environmental problems. The organization can intervene in the politics of any state if its course does not conform to generally accepted norms of morality. Sometimes resolutions of the UN Security Council and various sanctions against such countries can be extremely decisive.

History of the organization

The emergence of the UN occurred for a number of military, political and economic reasons. Humanity has come to realize that an endless series of wars undermines the general prosperity, and therefore, it is necessary to take measures to ensure peaceful conditions that guarantee prosperity and progress. The first steps towards the creation of the organization were made in 1941, when the Atlantic Charter was founded and the Declaration was signed by the government of the USSR. At that time, the leaders of the largest countries managed to formulate the main task, which was to find a way to peaceful international relations. The following year, in Washington, twenty-six states participating in the anti-Hitler coalition signed the United Nations Declaration. The name of this document in the future will form the basis of the name of the organization. In 1945, at a conference attended by the USSR, the United States, China and the United Kingdom, a final document was created, which later became the UN Charter. June 26 - the date of signing this agreement - is considered the day of the united nations.

Contents of the UN Charter

This document is the embodiment of the democratic ideals of mankind. It formulates human rights, affirms the dignity and worth of each life, the equality of women and men, the equality of different peoples. According to the Charter, the UN's goal is to maintain peace throughout the world and to settle all kinds of conflicts and disputes. Each member of the organization is considered equal to others and is obliged to fulfill in good faith all the obligations assumed. No country has the right to threaten others or use force. The UN has the right to intervene in hostilities within any state. The Charter also emphasizes the openness of the organization. Any country can become its member.

Principle of work of the UN

This organization does not represent the government of any country and can not issue laws. Its powers include providing funds that help to eliminate international conflicts, as well as the development of political issues. Each country that is a member of the organization can express its opinion. The main organs of the United Nations are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Trusteeship Council, the Economic and Social Council, and finally the Secretariat. All of them are in New York. The International Court of Human Rights is located in Europe, to be exact, in the Dutch city of The Hague.

The UN Security Council

In the light of constant military conflicts and unrelenting tension between some countries, this body acquires special importance. The UN Security Council includes fifteen countries. It is worth noting that ten of them are periodically elected according to a certain procedure. Only five countries are constantly on the UN Security Council: Russia, Britain, China, the United States and France. In order for the organization to make a decision, it is necessary that at least nine members vote for it. Most often the result of meetings are resolutions. During the existence of the Council, more than 1,300 were accepted.

How does this body function?

During its existence, the UN Security Council has acquired a certain number of methods and forms of influence on the situation in the world. The body can express condemnation to the state if the actions of the country do not comply with the Charter. In the recent past, members of the UN Security Council were extremely dissatisfied with the policy of South Africa. For the conduct of apartheid in the country, the state was repeatedly convicted. Another situation in Africa, in which the organization intervened, was the military action of Pretoria against other countries. Numerous resolutions have been created in this regard at the UN. Most often, the appeal to the state implies the cessation of hostilities, the demand for the withdrawal of troops. At the moment, the United Nations Security Council is most concerned about Ukraine. All the possibilities of the organization are aimed at resolving the conflict situation and reconciliation of the parties. Similar functions have already been applied during the resolution of Palestinian issues and during the military operations in the countries of the former Yugoslavia.

Historical digression

In 1948 the UN Security Council developed a method of settlement, such as the use of groups of observers and military observation missions. They had to control how the state, to which the resolutions were sent, complied with the requirements for the cessation of hostilities and armistice. Until 1973 such observers were sent only by permanent members of the UN Security Council from among Western countries. After this year, the mission began to include Soviet officers. They were sent to Palestine for the first time. Many monitoring bodies still control the situation in the Middle East. In addition, the permanent members of the UN Security Council form missions that operate in Lebanon, India, Pakistan, Uganda, Rwanda, El Salvador, Tajikistan and other countries.

Cooperation with other organizations

The activities of the Council are constantly accompanied by collective work with regional bodies. Cooperation can be of a wide variety, including regular consultations, diplomatic support, peacekeeping activities, observation missions. A meeting of the UN Security Council can be held jointly with the OSCE, as happened during the conflicts in Albania. The organization also unites with environmental groups to regulate the situation in the west of the African continent. During the armed conflict, the UN unified with the CIS peacekeeping forces.
In Haiti, the Council cooperated with the OAS in the framework of the international civilian mission.

Security Council Tools

The system for settling world conflicts is constantly being improved and modernized. Recently, a method has been developed to control nuclear and environmental threats, warnings about hotbeds of tension, mass emigration, natural disasters, famine and epidemics. Information on each of these areas is constantly analyzed by specialists in these fields, which determine how great the danger is. If its scale really causes alarm, the President of the UN Security Council will be informed of the situation. After that, decisions will be made about possible actions and measures. If necessary, other UN bodies will be involved. Priority of the organization is preventive diplomacy. All instruments of a political, legal and diplomatic nature are aimed at preventing disagreements. The Security Council actively promotes the reconciliation of the parties, the establishment of peace and other preventive actions. The most commonly used tool is a peace-keeping operation. More than fifty such events took place during the existence of the UN. PKO is understood as a set of actions of impartial military, police and civilian personnel aimed at stabilizing the situation.

Control over the imposition of sanctions

The Security Council includes several subsidiary bodies. They exist to monitor the UN sanctions. Such bodies include the Board of Governors of the Compensation Commission, the Special Commission on the Situation between Iraq and Kuwait, Committees in Yugoslavia, Libya, Somalia, Angola, Rwanda, Haiti, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Sudan. For example, in Southern Rhodesia, close monitoring of the economic situation has led to the elimination of the racist government and the return of independence to the citizens of Zimbabwe. In 1980, the country became a member of the UN. The effectiveness of control was also evident in South Africa, Angola and Haiti. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that in some cases the sanctions had a number of negative consequences. For neighboring states, the measures taken by the United Nations resulted in material and financial damage. However, without intervention of the situation would lead to much more severe consequences for the whole world, therefore some costs justify themselves.

Rules of the Charter regarding the Council

Despite the fact that sometimes the consequences can be quite controversial, this UN body should function without interruption. This is decided by the Charter. According to him, the organization is obligated to make decisions as quickly and effectively as possible. Each member of the Security Council must constantly be in touch with the UN for immediate execution of its functions in an emergency situation. The interval between sessions of the body should not be more than two weeks. Sometimes this rule is not observed in practice. According to average estimates, the Security Council meets for official sittings about seventy-seven times during the year.