The president of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly said on Thursday that the UN Security Council was failing in its responsibility to maintain international peace and security.
Dennis Francis’ remarks came during a session on Council reform at the UN General Assembly, during which he noted that conflicts and wars continue to spread in many parts of the world. Francis emphasised that the UN was “paralysed” in confronting these challenges because of divisions within the UN Security Council. He said:
During this major transformation, the UN Security Council remains dangerously unable to fulfill its basic duty to maintain international peace and security.
Francis stressed that unless there is structural reform in the Council, the credibility of the entire United Nations, not just the Security Council, will be in question.
The main purpose of the United Nations, established 75 years ago, on 24 October 1945, after the end of the Second World War, is the maintenance of international peace and security. To ensure “prompt and effective action”, the signatory states to its Charter established a central body, the Security Council, with primary responsibility in this area.
The Security Council was originally established on the principle of responsibility and capacity rather than on the principle of representation. It consisted of five permanent members – the victors of the Second World War (China, France, Russia, the UK and the US) – and six non-permanent members elected by the General Assembly for a two-year term.
