The United Nations Organisation aims to maintain international peace. With reference to its organs and agencies, answer the following:
What is the composition of the Security Council? What is the term of the non-permanent members?
Topic: Composition of the Security Council
Answer
The Security Council consists of FIFTEEN members: (1) FIVE PERMANENT MEMBERS — the United States of America, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and China. Each has the power of VETO, so that a single negative vote can block any substantive decision. (2) TEN NON-PERMANENT MEMBERS, elected by the General Assembly on the basis of geographical distribution. A retiring member is not eligible for immediate re-election.
The term of the non-permanent members is TWO YEARS, five of them retiring each year.
Four marks: give the total, the five permanent members by name, the ten non-permanent, and the two-year term. The veto is the detail that must appear — it is what makes the five permanent members different, and it is the most criticised feature of the UN. Note the arithmetic that examiners like: a substantive decision needs 9 of the 15 votes INCLUDING the concurring votes of all five permanent members.