The World Votes
Photograph of the United Nations Security Council at its February meeting. Photo courtesy of Agence France-Presse.
On 17 and 18 June, the 193 member states of the United Nations General Assembly voted on the new non-permanent members of the UN Security Council and the 75th General Assembly President.
The Security Council is the highest organ within the United Nations. Its fifteen members are charged with maintaining international stability, overseeing recommendations made by the General Assembly, have the authority to impose international sanctions, and can authorise military and peacekeeping actions.
This year’s elections saw seven countries scramble for the five available seats on the Security Council. Along with the five permanent Security Council members (the United Kingdon, France, United States, People’s Republic of China, and the Russian Federation), another 10 members are elected by the General Assembly, with each country being given a two-year term.
To ensure equilibrium, the non-permanent members are designated into five regional groups: the African Group (three non-permanent seats), Asia and the Pacific Group (2 non-permanent seats), Eastern European Group (one non-permanent seat), Latin American and Caribbean Group (two non-permanent seats), Western European and Others Group (including Canada, United States, Australia, New Zealand, etc.) (two non-permanent seats).
This year, Kenya was chosen to replace South Africa in the African Group, India is to replace Indonesia in the Asia-Pacific Group, Mexico will replace the Dominican Republic in the Latin American-Carrabean Group, and Ireland and Norway will replace Belgium and Germany on the Security Council, according to official results from the United Nations.
The results come as a disappointment from Canadian Prime-Minister Justin Trudeau, who had hoped his country would gain a seat, hiring 13 full-time staff and spending $1.74 million on a campaign. However, the Canadian government faced criticism for its positive voting record in support of Israel, comparative lack of participation in UN peacekeeping and policing operations, and the fact that it has spent the longest amount of historical time on the Security Council, according to The Economist.
Canada ended up getting beat out by Norway, which touted its record on diplomatic engagement, and Ireland, which boasts a long history of commitment to peacekeeping operations and unique perspective as an island nation, as well as support from its fellow European Union members.
Djibouti also saw its candidacy beaten out by Kenya. While both countries campaigned on a platform of participation in UN peacekeeping and diplomatic operations, Kenya had more support from the African Union and the Western bloc.
Usually, African Union members agree on a candidate for the group’s seat before the election, selecting them by subregion. This year’s favoured region, Eastern Africa, saw particular contention due to a disagreement between Islamic and Francophone countries about the selection of Kenya for this year’s candidacy, saying that the group had been too often ignored.
Djibouti garnered the support of the Arab League, Organisation for International Cooperation, and Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (a bloc of mostly French-speaking nations). The Djibouti campaign drew attention to Kenya’s ongoing border dispute with Somalia, suggesting that the issue might make the country ineligible for a leading UN role.
However, the countries supporting Kenya won out by more than 60 votes.
Mexico won its seat by a unanimous vote, running completely unopposed within the Latin American-Caribbean Group.
Along with the Security Council vote, the UN General Assembly also chose a new President to replace incumbent Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, a Nigerian national. The General Assembly President is responsible for overseeing the procedures of the General Assembly, a task that has come with new challenges in the face of COVID-19.
Volkan Bozkır, a Turkish diplomat, was voted into the position by 178 votes, having run unopposed, as reported by The New York Times.
Mr Bozkır has faced criticism for his close relationship with nationalist Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the ruling Law and Justice Party. These criticisms may account for the 11 abstention votes in his selection.
The 193 United Nations members were also asked to fill eighteen seats on the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which is responsible for coordinating economic, social, and development projects in the United Nations.
Argentina, Austria, Bolivia, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Guatemala, Indonesia, Japan, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Mexico, Nigeria, Portugal, the Solomon Islands, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe will assume the open seats in ECOSOC.
All of the newly-elected representatives and officials will take office at the beginning of January 2021, when the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly is gaveled to order.
As the United Nations celebrates its 75th birthday, it faces new challenges and calls for reforms to its bodies, including its engagement with peacekeeping, trade, climate controls, public health, and reform of the Security Council itself, which still represents the post-World War II power structure.
COVID-19 and mounting political crisis will likely shape the next session of the UN General Assembly, and its new heads must now assume their roles as global leaders and pave the way for the next 75 years.
Sources:
‘Turkish diplomat elected President of historic 75th UN General Assembly’. UN News, United Nations, 17 June 2020,
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/06/1066562
‘Why Canada failed to win a seat on the Security Council’. The Economist, The Economist Group, 27 June 2020,
Gladstone, Rick. ‘Mexico, India, Ireland and Norway Win Seats on U.N. Security Council’. The New York Times, The New York Times Company, 17 June 2020,
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/17/world/americas/un-security-council-elections.html