Australia and the UN Security Council

Australia and the UN Security Council

In just over a week, PM Anthony Albanese will be speaking at the United Nations General Assembly where he’s expected to continue the push for Australia to be a part of the UN Security Council in 2029 and 2030. If we get the nod, it will be the first time we’ve had that job since 2014 - so we thought we’d have a look at:

• What the Security Council actually is

• What it does

• And what it would mean for Australia if we were part of it

🙋🏻‍♀️ This newsletter was written by Andrew Williams

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Remind me about the United Nations...
The United Nations (or the UN) was formed after World War II, and the idea was for it to be a central body where world nations would work together to solve global problems - and perhaps most importantly, prevent another major global conflict. 

That’s a big undertaking…
It is… Particularly as it doesn’t have an army or law-making power, and any country can ignore what it suggests. But there’s one room where that isn’t quite true - the UN Security Council.

What’s the UN Security Council?
It’s an internal group of 15 countries, and the decisions it makes binds all members of the UN. It’s the only part of the UN that can authorise the use of force and set up peacekeeping missions - and it also basically decides who gets appointed as the UN Secretary-General. 

Is getting a seat on it a big deal?
Yep… Now, while there are 15 members of the UN Security Council, there are only 10 open seats. That’s because 5 seats are permanently occupied by the US, France, China, Russia and the United Kingdom - together, the victors of World War II.

That’s an interesting dinner party…
Quite… If you’ve been following world affairs over the last (gestures broadly…), they’re 5 countries that seem to have increasingly less in common as time goes by. So they’ve got 5 of the 15 seats, and they also have something called veto power, which we’ll come back to in a moment. 

What happens with the other 10 seats?
They’re shared between the other members of the United Nations. A seat on the Security Council lasts for 2 years, and 5 new members are elected every year. 

How do countries nominate for a seat?
The allocation of the seats is divided up by region. So Australia doesn’t compete against, say, Mauritius or Argentina for its seat. We’re in a group called Western European and Others, along with New Zealand and Canada. To claim our seat on the Security Council, we’d need two-thirds of the UN to vote for us - around 130 countries. 

How do we get that done?
Well, some big-time wheeling and dealing is required, especially when the other countries in our group are places like Spain, Germany, Israel and Türkiye - all countries with major international sway.  

What does the UN Security Council actually do?
It votes on resolutions. To pass one, it needs 9 of 15 votes. If you’re a country on the Security Council, you get an opportunity to draft those resolutions. They might include things like continuing peacekeeping missions in certain areas, or deciding to issue sanctions on a country it believes isn’t acting in the international interest, or endorsing a peace plan in a war-torn region.

How does it work?
If you’re on the Security Council, you can put those things on the agenda - especially if you’re chairing it, which each country gets a couple of month-long shots at doing. But even if you draft a resolution, get majority support for it and most countries vote in favour of it, you can still hit a snag….

What could get in the way?
We mentioned earlier that the permanent 5 members have veto powers. So the UK, US, China, Russia or France can block a plan if they’re not on board. An example might be if a country wanted to sanction Russia for its war against Ukraine - good luck with that… 

Is voting on resolutions compulsory?
No… Sometimes, if a country is broadly against something but doesn’t want to deal with the political blowback that might come with a veto, it can abstain. 

Why is Australia gunning for a seat on the Security Council?
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the world is arguably more uncertain and on edge than it’s ever been, so a seat on the Security Council would give Australia a stronger voice in international discussions. And PM Anthony Albanese says that middle powers (think Australia, Canada, South Korea) need to play a bigger role in world affairs, so that the UN doesn’t just become a place where the big powers veto each other.

If we get the nod, when would our turn be?
We’re looking to get our spot in 2029-2030. The vote for that happens in June 2028, so it’s a long leadup. In fact, it’s been going since 2015 when then Foreign Minister Julie Bishop first announced our plans to try for the Security Council. A lot of time and work has gone into our bid, and we’re keen for it to happen.

How did we use our spot last time?
Probably the most significant event of that period was when MH17 was shot down over Ukraine with dozens of Australians on board. At the time, Australia drafted a resolution where international investigators would get access to the crash site and the victims would be returned home.

Did it get passed?
Yes… Even Russia - which was eventually held responsible for the incident - didn’t veto it. It asked for some changes to the wording, but ended up voting for it. So that was a case where diplomacy and negotiation got things done. And while it’s hard to say if the investigators would have got access if Australia hadn’t been on the Security Council, it almost certainly helped. 

Is everyone on board with our bid?
While the Coalition is keen, the idea doesn’t have unanimous support. First of all, the bid costs money - probably tens of millions of dollars. And there’s a belief from some non-supporters who say that if any of the big 5 countries can veto something Australia wants to do, our power is pretty limited. Plus, there’s our relationships with the other countries, and our standing in the world to consider…

Just explain that a bit more…
If you’re on the Security Council, you have to take a position on most things - even if that position is abstaining. Every vote is recorded. Right now, if there’s a particularly contentious issue being voted on - and there’s no shortage of those going around - Australia isn’t in the room. But if we get this seat, our stance on world issues would be a lot more visible.

So it could put us in a tricky position?
Yep… For example, if an issue comes up that sees our biggest trading partner, China, and our strongest security partner, the US, on opposite sides, being on the Security Council would really put us in the spotlight.

Any examples of that happening last time?
Yes… In 2013, Australia had to take a stance on things like a French bombing of rebels in Mali, and the use of chemical weapons against people in Syria - there’s nowhere to hide when you’re on the Security Council. But the government has decided the risk is worth the reward.

What are the next steps?
We’ll see what sort of reaction PM Albanese gets when he addresses the UN on 24 September. Along with promoting our campaign for a seat on the Security Council, he’s likely to speak about priorities in our region, so climate change, security in the Indo-Pacific, and restoring peace to the Middle East. After that, it’s back to lobbying other member countries to vote for us in June 2028.

Onto our Recommendations

Listening: This podcast that the Lowy Institute did with Gary Quinlan, who was Australia’s Ambassador to the United Nations the last time we were on the Security Council.

Reading: The UN is currently deciding who the new Secretary-General is going to be - it’s currently Antonio Guterres, but his term ends at the end of this year. So the race is on to work out the new person - we’ve got a good guide from PassBlue on that…  

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