UNSC calls International Community to Unite on Afghan Crisis

August 17, 2021

Secretary General of United Nations, Antonio Guterres, has asked the international community to unite and use all available instruments in order to ensure Afghanistan is not used as safe haven for terrorists again.

Key Points

UN Security Council met for second time in a week under India’s Presidency to discuss Afghanistan.
Secretary General also urged all parties, including the Taliban, to exercise utmost restraint and called to end violence immediately.
He also called for the rights of Afghans to be respected and asked Afghanistan to follow all the international agreements to which it was a party.

United Nations Security Council (UNSC)

UNSC is one among six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It is responsible for ensuring international peace and security. It also recommends admission of new UN members to the General Assembly and approves any changes to the UN Charter. It is the only UN body that have the authority to issue binding resolutions on member states.

Power of UNSC

Powers of UNSC comprises of:

To establish peacekeeping operations
To enact international sanctions and
To authorize military action.

History

Security Council was set up after World War II to address the failings of League of Nations in maintaining peace across the world. First session of UNSC was held in January 1946.

Members of UNSC

It comprises of fifteen members. Out of it, five are permanent members namely, China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and United States. Permanent members can use the veto power on any substantive resolution. Other ten members are elected on a regional basis for a term of two years.