5 countries elected as non-permanent members of UNSC
United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) elected South Africa, Indonesia, Dominican Republic, Germany and Belgium as non-permanent members of UN Security Council (UNSC). They will have two-year term beginning January 1, 2019.
These five non-permanent members were elected according to the following pattern
- Two seats for Group of African states and Group of Asia-Pacific states,
- One for the Group of Latin American and Caribbean states
- Two seats for Western European and other states.
UN Security Council (UNSC)
UNSC is most powerful and one of the six principal organs United Nations. Under UN Charter it has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. It has 15 members, including five permanent ones with the power of veto. The five permanent members are China, France, Russia, UK and US. 10 non-permanent members are elected for two-year terms each. Its powers include establishment of peacekeeping operations, establishment of international sanctions, and authorization of military action through UNSC resolutions. It is only UN body with authority to issue binding resolutions to member states.
Functions of UNSC
UNSC is responsible for determining existence of threat against peace and to respond to act of aggression. It is also responsible for finding peaceful means to settle conflict or dispute between states. In some cases, it resorts to sanctions or even authorise use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security. It also recommends to UNGA appointment of UN Secretary General and admission of new members to the UN.
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Month: Current Affairs - June, 2018