United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is the most powerful teeth of the UN, being the main decision-making body. It is a fifteen-member body, out of which five members (the permanent members, often referred to as the “P5”) hold a unique Veto power over the decisions made by the UNSC. 

When a complaint concerning a threat to the peace or a breach of the peace is brought before the Security Council, the President of the Council or any member state may initiate a resolution.

It is a 15-membered body. Among the 15 members of the Security Council, five hold a unique position—the permanent members, often referred to as the “P5.” These are:

1. USA

The rest of the members are temporary members elected for two years by a 2/3^rd Majority by a secret ballot.

Veto Power of Permanent members

These members possess a powerful tool known as the veto. If any one of these permanent members votes against a resolution, it cannot be passed, regardless of the majority in favour. This rule, known as the veto, ensures that the P5 can block any substantive draft resolution they disapprove of by casting a “negative” vote. Article 27 of the UN Charter states that the concurring votes of the permanent members are required for the adoption of substantive decisions like approving amendments. However, when voting on procedural matters like changing the speaker’s time, a negative vote of a permanent member does not invalidate a decision. A decision on a procedural matter is taken if it secures nine affirmative votes.

Function of UNSC:

UNSC is mandated to discharge the following functions:

1. Maintaining international security and peace in accordance with the objectives of the UN
2. Investigating and making recommendations for peaceful resolution of conflicts among the nation-states
3. Designing plans and proposals in order to encourage disarmament
4. Recommending military action against any state and imposing sanctions or initiating any other measure against the aggressor
5. To recommend admission of new states in the UN
6. Making recommendations to the UNGA for the appointment of the Secretary-General and other appointments
7. The UNSC is best known for its peacekeeping missions. For example, the UNSC brings into notice any event that can threaten world peace, thereby recommending a ceasefire.

Issues in UNSC

Various issues that led to a rise in UNSC reform demand are as follows:

1. There is a great power play in the UNSC as it can issue a binding resolution in the UN. There are various issues regarding the representation of countries in the UNSC.
2. There has been a demand to reform the United Nations in accordance with the changing demand due to changes in the global world order. Further failure of the UN to prevent conflicts between Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine reflects issues in the UNSC system to prevent conflicts.
3. There have been frequent divisions and blocking of key decisions. For example, the UN and UNSC failed to play an effective role in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
4. The P5 countries (United States, China, Russia, France and the United Kingdom) have veto power that allows them to prevent any substantive resolution from being approved.
5. There is no representation of the African continent in the UNSC permanent membership. On the other hand, Europe is over-represented as both France and the UK are permanent members.

Way forward:

Membership reform:

• Increase in permanent members: Increase the number of permanent members to include emerging powers and more geographically diverse nations. For example, countries like India, Brazil, Germany, and Japan have been suggested as potential new permanent members.
• Non-permanent Members: Increase the number of non-permanent members to improve regional representation and allow more countries to participate in the decision-making process.

Veto Power Reform:

The veto should be used only for the core global security issues instead of vested interests. Permanent members should provide explanations for their vetoes to increase accountability and transparency.

Reform in the operation

• Improve the working methods and procedures of the Council to make them more transparent and inclusive.
• Streamline decision-making processes to improve efficiency and reduce deadlock in the Council’s response to international crises.

Implementing these reforms would require broad consensus among member states, particularly the current permanent members, who hold significant influence over any changes to the Council’s structure and functioning. Despite the challenges, pursuing these reforms could help create a more representative, effective, and legitimate UNSC capable of addressing the complex security challenges of the 21st century.

India’s demand for a permanent seat at UNSC

Since its Independence, India’s goal has been to find its rightful place in the comity of nations. It has been demanding the expansion of the UNSC and its inclusion as a permanent member in it.

What importance UNSC hold for India

The UNSC is the only organisation that has teeth to bite (called the nucleus of the UN). It can impose sanctions, initiate collective security and peacekeeping operations, and reject/approve UN resolutions and charter amendments. India wants to play a significant role in global governance. Being a permanent member would allow India to strengthen its strategic partnerships with other major powers. With UNSC membership, India can promote its national interest as it allows states to sit at these “high tables” to expand their “power”. It will help India to increase its position as a regional power in South Asia.

Why India should be given a permanent seat in the council?

1. India represents 6^th of the world’s population. An institution like the UN which claims to preserve democratic ideals has a moral obligation to represent the sixth of Humanity in the UNSC.
2. India is becoming an economic and military power and already represents and 10^th of the world economy and therefore has a big influence on the world.
3. India has always acted as a responsible nuclear power. Thus, to suit the emerging multipolar world order, it is logical to provide India with permanent membership in the UNSC.
4. It has been a non-permanent member of the UNSC for seven terms, which shows the influence India possesses in the UN General Assembly.
5. It has been a key member of several international groupings that have played a significant role in international politics, such as the Non-aligned Movement, G-77 and G-4. Thus, it can play an important role as a permanent member of the UNSC.
6. India is one of the largest contributors of troops to UNPKF (United Nations Peacekeeping Missions). India has more than 8,500 peacekeepers in the field, which is more than twice as many as the UN’s five permanent members combined.
7. India was among the founding members of the UN.

During the special session commemorating its 75^th anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the need for comprehensive reforms in the UN to address contemporary global challenges effectively. According to India, the UNSC represents the wisdom of the old world.

He said the UN needs to reform its “outdated structures”, as in the absence of comprehensive change, it faces a “crisis of confidence”. UNSC ignores the permanent representation of 1.5 billion South Asians. This reflects the reality of 1945’s world order.

What is the position of various stakeholders?

There has been a lack of consensus on the degree and scope of reforms in the UNSC.

1. View of Permanent Members: France and Britain advocate the inclusion of G4 and Africa as permanent members, whereas Russia called for the expansion of the UNSC based on broad consensus. China opposes veto powers to new entrants.
2. G-4 (comprising Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan) argue for revamping the UNSC to reflect the realities of the “present world order”. G4 Foreign Ministers Meet, 2020, called for text-based negotiations in a time-bound manner to seek concrete results.
3. Coffee Club, or “Uniting for Consensus”, includes countries like Italy, Pakistan, Mexico, and Egypt, which advocate a consensus-based approach. They are basically opposing regional power to be getting UNSC membership. For example, Pakistan opposes India’s membership, and Italy and Spain are opposed to Germany’s bid for the Security Council’s permanent membership.
4. African Union: The African Union demands two permanent seats in the UNSC to reflect its influence on global affairs.

Proposal on Permanent seat without veto powers

India, on behalf of the G4 nations, presented a detailed model for UN Security Council reform. The proposal suggests increasing the Council’s membership from 15 to 25-26, adding six permanent and four or five non-permanent members.

The G4 model offers flexibility on the veto issue and emphasises addressing the “glaring under-representation and un-representation” of key regions.

UN Peacekeeping

UN Peacekeeping is not explicitly mentioned in the UN Charter, rather it is the extension of the UNSC’s power to take preventive and non-punitive collective action. Dag Hammarskjold, a former secretary-general of the United Nations, proposed it.

Principle of the UN peacekeeping Mission:

Three basic principles guide the UN peacekeeping operations that maintain it as a tool for international peace and security.

1. The first principle is that the consent of the main parties involved in the conflict is required for the deployment of the peacekeeping mission. For a peacekeeping mission to be operated in any conflict zone, parties are required to accept the political process.
2. The second principle requires the impartiality of the United Nations peacekeepers in their dealings with the parties to the conflict.
3. The third principle states that peacekeepers can only use force in self-defence or prevent the mandate with the authorisation of the UNSC.

India’s history at UNPK

India is a major participant in the UN peacekeeping missions.

• Indian troops participated in the Korean War (1950-53), the Israel-Palestine conflicts, and Cyprus operations (1964). In these missions, many top officers participated, like General KS Thimaya, who lost his life.
• India has one of the largest all-time contributions (~1,80,000 troops), has had the highest causalities (more than 150 deaths), and has contributed to a women’s unit.

Advantages of the Peacekeeping missions:

• UN Peacekeeping operations display India’s commitment to the objectives of the UN Charter to achieve global peace.
• It is a tool of smart power for India. It establishes India’s credentials as a responsible proponent of global peace, trains India’s military personnel in advanced combat, and provides them with handsome salaries.

Issues in UN Peacekeeping:

Peacekeeping missions face various issues as follows:

• Lack of clear mandate: Peacekeepers often have broad responsibilities that cause confusion among peacekeepers about their roles and responsibilities, particularly in complex conflict situations. The vague mandate is unable to protect civilians and political protests.
• Complex civil wars and hostile situations (e.g. Rwanda, Siera Leone, Angola): In this situation, forces are exposed to complex political cleavages and volatile security situations in civil war-torn areas. In this situation, no agreements are honoured, and different parties can’t be trusted.
• Changing responsibilities: In conflicting situations, forces have the dual responsibility of securing regions and protecting the vulnerable. Besides, they are also called for police operations and rebuilding logistics like rail and road.
• Unilateralism and politicisation of UNSC in appointing missions, for example, the delay in the mandate for Bosnia-Herzegovina (1994), led to the Srebrenica genocide (8000 deaths)
• Insufficient resources: Many peacekeeping operations suffer from inadequate resources, including limited funding, equipment, and personnel. This resource gap affects the ability of peacekeepers to carry out their duties effectively.
• Human Rights violation: Some concerns were also raised regarding human rights violations by the peacekeeping forces. UN peacekeeping forces also indulge in sex abuse and prostitution.

Reforms in UN Peacekeeping

Lakhdar Brahimi Commission (2000), also known as the Panel to Review UNPK operations, was established in 2000 by then-UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

The commission was created in response to a series of high-profile failures in UN peacekeeping missions during the 1990s, including the Rwandan Genocide (1994) and the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia (1995).

Some recommendations are:

• Clear mandate: The report highlighted that peacekeeping missions need clear, credible, and achievable mandates.
• Enhanced Resources: The report recommended improving the UN’s ability to deploy peacekeepers rapidly in response to emerging crises. This included the creation of a strategic reserve of resources.
• Focus on “intelligence”: Report stressed the need for improved information and intelligence capabilities to guide mission planning and operations. This would involve better early warning systems and a more robust analysis of potential threats.
• Strengthen coordination: The report stressed the need for improved coordination between UN agencies, regional organisations, and international partners.

Related FAQs of UNSC

1. Why is the UNSC considered the most powerful organ of the UN?

The UNSC has the authority to make binding decisions, impose sanctions, authorize military action, and deploy peacekeeping missions. Its five permanent members (P5) also hold veto power, giving it real decision-making teeth.

2. What is the ‘veto power’ and who holds it in the UNSC?

Veto power allows any of the five permanent members (USA, UK, France, Russia, and China) to block any substantive resolution, regardless of majority support. This can prevent action even if 14 members agree.

3. Why does India want a permanent seat at the UNSC?

India wants to reflect its global stature—being a large democracy, major economy, responsible nuclear power, and a top contributor to UN peacekeeping. It believes its inclusion would make the UNSC more representative and credible.

4. What are the major criticisms of the current UNSC structure?

The UNSC is seen as outdated, unrepresentative (e.g., no African permanent member), and often deadlocked due to veto use. Its failure to address recent crises like the Ukraine war or Israel-Palestine tensions fuels reform demands.

5. How does India contribute to UN Peacekeeping Missions?

India is one of the largest contributors to UN Peacekeeping, with over 1.8 lakh troops deployed historically. It also contributed the first all-women peacekeeping unit and has made significant sacrifices for global peace.