Chairs: Moksha Atluri, Caitlin Kearns, International Academy
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http://worldnews.about.com/od/israellebanonconflict/a/Israel_Lebanon_.htm |
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5256936.st
Topics 1 and 2: Selection of the Secretary-General and Ethics Reform Inside the UN
Chairs: Moksha Atluri and Caitlin Kearns
Introduction:
Free and transparent democratic elections are often considered a hallmark of a healthy democracy. Many, though, feel that the process of selecting the United Nations Secretary-General, the organization’s head diplomat and administrator, is far from achieving this democratic ideal. Before the end of 2006, a new Secretary-General must be selected to replace Kofi Annan, who will resign at the end of his second five-year term. The selection process will combine the search for a new international leader with the question of ethics reform within the United Nations.
TOPIC 1: ETHICS REFORM:
The Ethics of the Selection Process:
The United Nations Charter offers few guidelines regarding the selection of the Secretary-General. Traditionally, though, only a select group of UN member states has had a significant voice in choosing the new Secretary-General. According to the UN Charter, “the Secretary-General shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.” In practice, the selection has been made by the Security Council and sent to the General Assembly for approval, which has always voted in support of the Council’s decision. Within the Security Council itself, power is concentrated in the hands of the five permanent members (the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and the United States), who each have the power to veto a candidate. In addition, the deliberations of both the Security Council and the General Assembly must be performed in private session, creating a selection process that many feel is far from transparent.
Regional rotation is another customary feature of the selection process. The Secretary-General position has traditionally passed between the major regions of the world, such as Africa, Europe, and Asia. While some feel that this custom is necessary to make the selection process equitable, others feel that the Secretary-General should be chosen based on merit without regard for nationality.
Suggestions for Ethics Reform:
Both inside and outside the UN, many are calling for changes to the procedure for selecting the next Secretary-General. A UNA-USA report suggests an open process with more discussion that allows member states to better understand the viewpoints of each candidate. Many members of the G77, the group of 132 developing countries in the General Assembly, feel that they should be given a greater voice in the selection process, especially larger countries like Egypt, India, Pakistan, Brazil, and South Africa. In order for these nations to have a greater influence, the General Assembly would need to play a greater role in the selection process than simply approving the Security Council’s choice. Some have suggested that the Security Council send multiple candidates to the General Assembly, which could then make the final selection, while others feel that both bodies should discuss all candidates at the same time and then come to a final agreement. Another option would be to allow organizations outside of the UN, such as non-governmental organizations and other international bodies affected by UN decisions, to take part in the deliberation that accompanies the selection of a new Secretary-General. On the other hand, efforts to reduce the Security Council’s influence in the process could spark tension between it and the General Assembly.
Other reforms could also help the international community to select the best Secretary-General. For example, a commission could be established to seek out the best candidates for Secretary-General, since there are currently no specific guidelines regarding the qualities that should be sought out in a potential candidate. The regional rotation practice has also come under question: while the United States does not consider the origin of the candidate a significant factor in the selection process, other nations continue to support the practice. In addition, many would like to see a female Secretary-General take office, an event that may require existing gender barriers to be reduced or removed. Debate has also arisen over the role of the Deputy Secretary-General, whose role is currently quite limited. Annan himself has complained of the overwhelming obligations, from administrative to diplomatic, placed on the Secretary-General; increasing the powers of the Deputy Secretary-General could reduce the strain on the Secretary-General and help him or her perform the role more effectively.
Guiding Questions:
- What is your country’s role in selecting the Secretary-General? Does it feel that the Security Council has too much power in the process? If so, how should power be redistributed? - Does your country agree with the practice of regional rotation? How important is it for different Secretary-Generals to represent diverse regions of the world? - How important is it for women to be represented in the position of Secretary-General? - Should organizations outside of the UN be allowed to take part in the selection of the new Secretary-General? - Should the powers of the Deputy Secretary-General be increased?
Works Referenced and Sources for Further Research - http://www.unsg.org/role.html - An overview of the selection process - http://www.unausa.org/site/pp.asp?c=fvKRI8MPJpF&b=1613453 – A UNA-USA report that includes suggestions for improving the selection process - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/4990954.stm - A BBC article on the selection process - http://www.unsgselection.org/content/ - An organization that wants to increase the transparency of the selection process - http://www.un.org/reform/mru.html - A report by the UN on ethics reform
TOPIC 2: SELECTING THE NEW SECRETARY GENERAL:
Factors to Consider:
As with the selection procedure itself, the UN Charter provides little guidance as to what characteristics a Secretary-General should possess. Generally, the candidate selected for the position is not a household name and comes from a “middle power,” such as Egypt or Peru, rather than a superpower. Thus, the five permanent members of the Security Council generally do not provide candidates for Secretary-General. In addition, the Security Council tends to disapprove of charismatic crusaders who may present a challenge to the Council’s power.
Consistent with the regional rotation system, many nations, including China, Russia, and the African Group, believe that it is Asia’s turn to provide the new Secretary-General. Others, such as the United States, feel that the honor should fall to Eastern Europe. There is also disagreement over which qualities and skills the Secretary-General should possess: while the United States, United Kingdom, and Japan see the Secretary-General primarily as the administrator of the many organizations that comprise the United Nations, others see the position as primarily diplomatic. Some also hope that the new Secretary-General will be willing to reform the UN’s structure and encourage action rather than debate alone. Another factor to consider is whether the chosen candidate should be a UN outsider, who may be able to use his fresh perspective to revitalize the organization, or an insider who is familiar with the structure and procedures of the UN.
Whatever characteristics the new Secretary-General possesses, he or she will face the challenge of filling the divide between the more developed countries of the north and the less developed countries of the south. Another key issue is the adaptation of the UN’s structure to its modern role as a global peacekeeper and provider of emergency relief, a role that the founders of the UN did not expect the organization to take on. Other priorities for the new Secretary-General may include establishing firm anti-terrorism policy, strengthening the Human Rights Council, combating genocide, and achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The new Secretary-General will also need to regain trust for the United Nations and its leader following the infamous Oil-for-Food scandal, in which Kofi Annan’s son was implicated.
Candidates for Secretary-General:
- Ban Ki-moon, South Korean Minster of Foreign Affairs and Trade - Jayantha Dhanapala, Senior Adviser to the President of Sri Lanka - Surakiart Sathirathai, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand - Shashi Tharoor of India, UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information
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Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein of Jordan,
Ambassador to the United Nations
In addition to these five official nominees, dozens of other candidates have been proposed, and new candidates may still be proposed before the final selection.
Guiding Questions:
- Does your country feel that Asia should provide the next Secretary-General? - Should the next Secretary-General be a strong leader, or should he take a more discreet approach to the position? - Should the new Secretary-General be a UN insider, or would a candidate who has mainly worked outside of the UN be better able to improve the organization? - What are the most important issues facing the UN today, from your country’s perspective? How does your country want these issues to be addressed?
Works Referenced and Sources for Further Research:
- http://www.unsg.org/candidates.html - A list of the candidates - http://www.unsg.org/support.html - The views of each Security Council member on the selection of the next Secretary-General - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5334820.stm - A BBC article on the five official candidates for Secretary-General, including information on their views and policies - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4232629.stm - A BBC article on the Oil-for-Food scandal |
The Conflict in Lebanon
The conflict started July 12 when the Hezbollah, a militant Islamic
group established to protect Lebanon from the Israelli invasion,
launched rockets across the Lebanense border, targetting many Israeli
border towns. They also staged an attack and three Israeli soldiers were
killed and two were kidnapped. Israel responded by imposing a blockade
and hitting several targets in southern Lebanon, they hit two airports
and a military air strip. Hezbollah reacted by firing rockets, and
damaging the Israeli town of Haifa. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
announced that in order for Israel to call a ceasefire, Hezbollah must
disarm, end its rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, and return the
kidnapped soldiers.
Syria pledged its full support of Hezbollah and the Iranian president,
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned Israel not to attack Syria.
There were 45 killed and more than 100 wounded in southern Lebanon due
to Israeli airstrikes. the Israeli airstrike also killed 17 Hezbollah
militants. The UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and British Prime
Minister Tony Blair called for an international peacekeeping force. Only
two days after, four Israeli soldiers are killed and six wounded, the
United States gives Israel one week to rout out Hezbollah militants
before it will support a ceasefire. The Israeli army then called up its
reservists, preparing for possible ground offensive in Lebanon.
Soon after, the United States rushes delivery of precision bombs to
Israel and US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice rejects calls for
ceasefire, calling the violence in Lebanon "birth pangs of a new Middle
East."
Three days later four UN observersare killed because of Isralli
airstrikes, an act Kofi Annan calls "apparently deliberate". UN Security
Council condemnation of the Israeli airstrike is vetoed by the United
States.
In Qana, Lebanon, over 50 Lebanese civilians and more than thirty
children killed by Israeli air strike, igniting international outrage.
Israel announces a 48-hour cessation of air strikes, giving 24-hours for
Lebanese civilians to leave southern Lebanon through "humanitarian
corridors" to be coordinated by the UN. UN says it was not given enough
time to mobilize the effort. On August first, Israeli troops push across
border into Lebanon, killing 20 Hezbollah militants.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gives several interviews to the
international press in which he affirms Israel's intention to cripple
Hezbollah, but welcomes the role of an international peacekeeping force
in the very near future and says Israel has no intention of broadening
the fight to the rest of Lebanon. While this is happening, Hezbollah
leader Hassan Nasrallah warns that Hezbollah will fire rockets at Tel
Aviv if Israel attacks Beirut, and an Iraqi Shia leader calls for a
"million man march" in support of Hezbollah.
Israel and Hezbollah agree to a UN-brokered ceasefire to go into effect
Monday, August 14, 2006. The ceasefire will provide for the release of
the two kidnapped Israeli soldiers and for a buffer zone in southern
Lebanon patrolled by Lebanese military and UN peacekeepers.
Committee Mission:
Delegates should be apprised of the most recent news regarding the situation in Lebanon, including the Israeli embargo on Lebanon and reparations discussion. It should also be prepared to review the UN mission there and its success. Should a crisis develop, delegates may need to respond quickly.