About the Permanent Members in the United Nations
The United Nations was formed after World War II to replace the League of Nations. In many ways, it functions very much like the League. Its primary mission is to secure world peace. The Permanent Members of the United Nations are also the primary members of the United Nations Security Council. This important body also has other member states elected for terms of two years.
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The Facts
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Fifty countries signed the UN charter on June 26, 1945, in San Francisco, California. They adopted the mandate of the League of Nations--to promote peace and economic and social development.
The only permanent members of the United Nations Security Council are China, Russia, France, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The Security Council's permanent members are the only countries that have the power to veto UN decisions. A veto by any permanent member blocks execution of a Security Council decision.
The Security Council has 10 additional elected member countries. Nine votes are needed in order for procedural matters to pass in the Security Council. Many UN actions require the approval of the five permanent members along with the votes of countries that do not have veto powers.
History of
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A total of 251 vetoes has been used in public sessions to block Security Council decisions during the history of the United Nations. Permanent Security Council members also used their vetoes 43 times in private, closed sessions related to UN Secretary General nominations.
The USSR (Russian Federation) and the United States have exercised the majority of vetoes of the Security Council's decisions.
France has only used its veto power 18 times, while China has a record of only two vetoes, both related to the recognition of Taiwan as a sovereign nation. -
Evolution
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Since it was established, the UN membership has expanded tremendously from 50 nations to 192.
At the time of the Security Council's creation, more than half of the member states did not exist as independent nations. Many were overseas territories or colonies of one of the permanent members.
Numerous reform efforts have been proposed to enhance UN operations, address Security Council functions and improve representation and participation of the nations that have joined the United Nations since 1945.
Significance
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The Security Council's primary mission is to enact policies that ensure peace. In accordance with the UN Charter, all member states are obliged to respect Security Council decisions.
Most member states agree that the composition of the Security Council does not reflect the present UN membership. However, some countries propose to disband the Security Council, along with its veto powers, while others have called for increasing the number of permanent members, effectively giving veto powers to additional countries.
Effects
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Many argue that the threat of a veto renders the Security Council ineffective, since the permanent members have historically used their vetoes to block actions considered contrary to their national interests.
Critics have cited dramatic attempts at coercion by the United States in pursuit of approval of its policy in Iraq as the textbook example of the breakdown of the function of the Security Council.
Even though U.S. allies did not openly support the U.S. policy in Iraq, the potential for the U.S. to use its veto power meant that the U.S. could circumvent any Security Council decision regarding its Iraq policies.
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