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The main purpose of the United Nations Security Council is to maintain international peace and security.

In this article, an interesting topic discussed in 2021 will be looked at.

The United Nations Security Council posts contents of their discussions on twitter for the public.

Said contents published on twitter will be used in the coming article.

United Nations Security Council

To begin, this article will shed light on the United Nations Security Council.

The United Nations Security Council is responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security.
Some of the topics of discussion:

• Prevention of conflict
• Maintenance of peace
• Dispatch of missions
• Peacebuilding
• Supporting elections
• Peacebuilding through development
• Action for peace
• Disarmament
• Space policy
• Colonial independence
• Reconstruction and development
• Sustainable development
• Economic development
• Social development
• Disaster risk reduction

As listed above, the topic of discussion is very diverse.

As it is an international organization, decisions made have a heavy impact.

The UN Security Council is comprised of 15 members: five permanent members and ten non-permanent members.

Further information on the members will be given in the subsequent section.

Permanent Members of the UN Security Council

Permanent members are a part of the Council long-term.

Changes of these members do not happen predominantly.

In the present day, these are the permanent members:

• The United States
• China
• The United Kingdom
• France
• Russian Federation

These five sovereign states were allies and victors of World War II.

They are also known as “P5”.

P5 has the power of veto over any bill.

In other words, if any of the five members reject a bill, it will not pass.

Non-permanent Members of the UN Security Council

The General Assembly elects, by vote, five of the ten non-permanent members for two-year terms every year.

Candidates are first selected on a regional basis.

They are then approved by the UN.

Non-permanent members of the year 2022 are as follows:

• Brazil
• United Arab Emirates
• Ghana
• Gabon
• Albania
• India
• Ireland
• Kenya
• Mexico
• Norway

The Chair of the Security Council rotates monthly in alphabetical order.

News Reported on Twitter by the UN Security Council

From here, contents pulled from the official Security Council Report twitter will be examined.

The following are topics that were brought up focusing on international peace and security:

• Situation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia
• The election of 5 of the non-permanent members of the Council
• Risk of famine in Yemen
• Earthquake in Haiti
• Vote on Afghanistan sanctions resolution
• Security Council reform
• Briefing on Myanmar’s humanitarian situation
• Establishing Syrian Constitutional Committee

Details are explained in the following sections.

Situation in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia

Civil war in Ethiopia is escalating.

This crisis was initiated by the attack of Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) on the federal military base in November of 2020.

The Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed Ali ordered a military attack on these forces led by TPLF, causing countless casualties.

The Ethiopian government has declared a nationwide state of emergency.

Numbers show that more than 7 million people in Northern Ethiopia are in need of humanitarian assistance.

In addition, more than 5 million are facing food shortages.

In Tigray alone, more than 400,000 people are living in famine-like conditions.

This is due to the fact that the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) as remained suspended since the strike on the capital of Tigray in October 2021.

Some aids have been able to arrive.

However, since the last shipment, it has been over four months.

Even though the needs of humanitarian aid is increasing rapidly, the lack of access has forced humanitarian assistance to be cut down.

Freely being able to access regions affected by conflict is an issue.

The situation in northern Ethiopia remains highly unpredictable and volatile, with ongoing fighting in multiple locations and dynamic lines of contacts significantly impacting humanitarian access and response and putting civilians at great risk.

The situation in northern Ethiopia remains highly unpredictable and volatile, with ongoing fighting in multiple locations and dynamic lines of contacts significantly impacting humanitarian access and response and putting civilians at great risk.

Ethiopia – Northern Ethiopia Humanitarian Update Situation Report, 16 Dec 2021｜OCHA

Election of the Five Non-permanent Members

Non-permanent members for the year 2022 to 2023 were elected at the 75th General Assembly.

The following nations were chosen:

• Albania
• Brazil
• Gabon
• Ghana
• United Arab Emirates

These five, newly elected nations, will join the other nations elected before 2022.
The previously elected nations are as follows:

• India
• Ireland
• Kenya
• Mexico
• Norway

It is the first time for Albania to be chosen as a non-permanent member.

In the past, Brazil has been selected ten times, Gabon and Ghana three and United Arab Emirates once.

With this election, United Arab Emirates has issued a commitment promising to be more engaging in tackling current challenges such as gender inequality and terrorism.

Risk of Famine in Yemen

The crisis in Yemen that has lasted more than six years has had a devastating effect on the Yemeni people.

It is said that Yemen is currently facing the worst humanitarian crisis.

It is facing the worst famine in decades, and solving the conflict is the only way to help put an end to this.

The Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) has issued statements to help relieve civilians from famine, malnutrition and livelihood.

The focus is on food assistance, reduction of cholera and infectious diseases, and provision of fundamental services to displaces persons.

Unfortunately, humanitarian aid of 2020 was reduced significantly due to the lack of funding.

Following this, the HRP is urging donor countries to help provide immediate assistance to Yemen.

Security Council Reform

Improving the UN Security Council faces financial problems in the UN.

This reform comes from the lack of representation and the need to increase the number of member seats.

In addition, many states have strongly urged for the UN Security Council to reflect modern realities, as it is still centered around the victors of WWII.
Issues arising from reformation:

• How to increase the number of permanent members
• Handling of veto rights

Most member states are in favor of this reform.

However, some members are in opposition due to the fear of factors such as losing vested rights and neighboring nations becoming permanent members.

Furthermore, since permanent members have the power of veto, there is a possibility that these discussions are rejected.

Therefore, proposals that do not favor permanent members are often not supported.

Briefing on Myanmar’s Humanitarian Situation

The Rohingya people of Myanmar are facing a crisis.

By March 2019, there were more than 909,000 displaced people of Rohingya seeking refuge in Ukiah, Bangladesh.

Most live in one of 34 camps.

Their psychosocial needs have not been met.

In February 2021, the UN Chief made clear that the “reports of continued violence, intimidation and harassment by security personnel are unacceptable.”

Establishing Syrian Constitutional Committe

It has been two years since the revision of Syrian law was started.

This drafting of the new constitution will focus on processes that will aim to support a peaceful future, after the ten years of war.

The Syrian Constitutional Committee is composed of 50 representatives of the Syrian government, 50 representatives of Oppositions and 50 representatives of Syrian civil society appointed by the UN.

UN Special Envoy, Geir Pederson, warned them to focus on understanding the principles first in order to achieve it.

The process of drafting a new constitution for Syria has been “a big disappointment” UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen concluded on Friday. Following the end of discussions in Geneva, a consensus on how to move forward was not achieved, he added.
‘Big disappointment’ over lack of Syria constitution agreemen – UN News

United Nations Security Council

The UN Security Council’s objective and purpose is to preserve international peace and security.

By following their official twitter account, anyone can be kept up to date with what is being discussed.

Everyone should be interested in world peace and security.