[opiniojuris] Kristen Boon: Open Security Council Debates: Substance and Process

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Posted by Kristen Boon:
Open Security Council Debates:  Substance and Process
http://www.opiniojuris.org/posts/1188587516.shtml


   The Security Council held an open debate on [1]Conflict Prevention in
   Africa this week (following up on the implementation of Resolution
   1625 (2005)) on the same subject. The debate was notable in substance
   because of its emphasis on the Councilâs role in conflict prevention.
   The Security Council is the UNâs primary organ with jurisdiction over
   threats to international peace and security, but its role in conflict
   prevention has often been contested. Sometimes the objections are
   related to the Councilâs limited capacity to engage in preventative
   work. The Council is after all a political body meant to act quickly
   and decisively to international crises. It is made up of permanent and
   non-permanent members with a small secretariat â it has neither the
   staff, budget nor mandate to engage in structural issues that may
   contribute to conflict like poverty (although it has of late been
   creating working groups and committees to fulfill some of its new
   responsibilities on counter- terrorism in particular).
   Other objections to the Councilâs engagement in preventative work
   arise from states wary of the potential encroachment of the Councilâs
   jurisdiction. For some states, what the Council terms ânew and
   emerging threatsâ may well be matters of domestic concern they would
   prefer to manage themselves. This concern was particularly apparent
   during the Councilâs April debate on [2]Climate Change. In this weekâs
   debate, [3]preventative work was discussed primarily with reference to
   the early warning capacity afforded by greater cooperation with other
   institutions such as the African Union and the Peacebuilding
   Commission. As such, it signals the growing relevance of the Council's
   legal relationship with other organizations, whether regional, or
   within the UN system.
   In process, this week's debate is illustrative of the increasingly
   important role of open debates in the Security Council. In the last
   two years the Security Council has held open debates on emerging
   issues such as climate change, natural resources and conflict, the
   rule of law and threats to international peace and security. Given the
   failure to date to find a formula for a reformed and more
   representative Security Council, open debates interject transparency
   into the working methods of what has historically been a restricted
   conversation.

References

   1. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=23624&Cr=security&Cr1=council
   2. http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sc9000.doc.htm
   3. http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sc9105.doc.htm