New members to UNSC

The 193 members of the United Nations General Assembly has elected Sweden, Bolivia, Ethiopia and Kazakhstan to serve on the UNSC for a period of two years, starting from 1 January 2017. With this, now only one non-permanent Council seat remains to be filled.

• The newly-elected countries will replace Spain, Malaysia, New Zealand, Angola and Venezuela.

Background:

Under the UN Charter, the Security Council has the primary responsibility for international peace and security, with all UN Member States required to comply with Council decisions.

• The Security Council has 15 members, including five permanent. The five permanent members, each with the power of veto, are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Other current non-permanent members are Japan, Egypt, Senegal, Ukraine and Uruguay.
• The Council’s 10 non-permanent seats are allocated according to a rotation pattern set by the Assembly in 1963, to ensure a proportionate representation over time from the different parts of the world: five from African and Asian States; one from Eastern Europe; two from Latin American States; and two from Western European and Other States.
• The Security Council is also responsible for determining the existence of a threat against peace and to respond to an act of aggression. It is also responsible for finding peaceful means to settle a conflict or a dispute between States.
• In some cases, the Council can resort to sanctions or even authorize the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security.
• The Security Council also recommends to the General Assembly the appointment of the Secretary General and the admission of new Members to the United Nations.