UN Security Council
The Security Council is the most powerful UN body. It has primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. It can take binding decisions, usually under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which deals with threats to peace and security. Its decisions and recommendations under Chapter VI – on the peaceful settlement of disputes – have great political force. The Council has five permanent members: China, France, Russian Federation, UK and USA, and 10 non-permanent members are elected to serve on the Council for two years.
The Council has a range of country situations and themes on its agenda and meets in continuous session. It increasingly recognizes the importance of human rights for maintaining peace and security. AI works for the strongest human rights provisions to be incorporated in the Council’s decisions, including when UN peace missions are established or reviewed.
AI country concerns include: Afghanistan, Chad, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories, Kosovo, Myanmar, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Sudan.
AI works also for implementation of the specific Security Council resolutions on Women Peace and Security, including resolutions 1325 (2000), and 1820 (2008), which encourage women’s participation in peace talks, and additional measures to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.
Accountability for international crimes. AI advocates for the Council to condemn war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, to ensure that peace agreements concluded under its auspices exclude an amnesty for such crimes and for suspected perpetrators to be brought to justice. AI seeks Council referrals, if necessary, of such international crimes to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and urges effective cooperation with the ICC and with ad hoc criminal tribunals for Rwanda and for the former Yugoslavia, until they have fully completed their substantive work. More on international justice
Counter-terrorism and human rights. The Council’s work on counter-terrorism has demonstrated a human rights-deficit that is only just beginning to be addressed. Key concerns are: greater recognition of the importance of human rights in the work of the Council’s Counter Terrorism Committee, enhanced interaction with UN human rights bodies and ensuring that fair and clear procedures are created in the Council’s listing processes of terrorist suspects.
The Council has a range of country situations and themes on its agenda and meets in continuous session. It increasingly recognizes the importance of human rights for maintaining peace and security. AI works for the strongest human rights provisions to be incorporated in the Council’s decisions, including when UN peace missions are established or reviewed.
AI country concerns include: Afghanistan, Chad, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories, Kosovo, Myanmar, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Sudan.
AI’s thematic concerns include:
Protection of civilians. AI advocates for the Council to ensure adherence of all parties to a conflict to international human rights and humanitarian law, and enhance the protection of civilians. When it establishes or renews peacekeeping mandates, the Council should make full use of the Aide Memoire it adopted in 2009 to help analyse and diagnose key protection issues for Council action.AI works also for implementation of the specific Security Council resolutions on Women Peace and Security, including resolutions 1325 (2000), and 1820 (2008), which encourage women’s participation in peace talks, and additional measures to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.
Accountability for international crimes. AI advocates for the Council to condemn war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, to ensure that peace agreements concluded under its auspices exclude an amnesty for such crimes and for suspected perpetrators to be brought to justice. AI seeks Council referrals, if necessary, of such international crimes to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and urges effective cooperation with the ICC and with ad hoc criminal tribunals for Rwanda and for the former Yugoslavia, until they have fully completed their substantive work. More on international justice
Counter-terrorism and human rights. The Council’s work on counter-terrorism has demonstrated a human rights-deficit that is only just beginning to be addressed. Key concerns are: greater recognition of the importance of human rights in the work of the Council’s Counter Terrorism Committee, enhanced interaction with UN human rights bodies and ensuring that fair and clear procedures are created in the Council’s listing processes of terrorist suspects.
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