UN Security Council 'unfit for purpose'

The United Nations Security
Council is "tired, out of step
and increasingly unfit for
purpose", according to a
report by Amnesty
International.
Amnesty's global human rights
report directly criticised
permanent security council
member Russia for its use of a
veto to forestall intervention
in Syria, despite thousands of
UN-documented civilian deaths
and months of human rights
abuses in the country.
Amnesty claims that Russia,
which counts Syria as a major
export customer, was
protecting its own interests in
repeatedly refusing to join in
condemnation of Bashar al-
Assad's regime.
"The courage shown by
protesters in the past 12
months has been matched by
a failure of leadership that
makes the UN Security Council
seem tired, out of step and
increasingly unfit for purpose,"
Amnesty said in its report.
Salil Shetty, the organisation's
secretary general, said
politicians had responded to
pro-democracy protests with
"brutality or indifference".
"Governments must show
legitimate leadership and
reject injustice by protecting
the powerless and restraining
the powerful. It is time to put
people before corporations
and rights before profits," he
said
"In the last year it has all too
often become clear that
opportunistic alliances and
financial interests have
trumped human rights as
global powers jockey for
influence in the Middle East
and North Africa," he said.
"The language of human rights
is adopted when it serves
political or corporate agendas,
and shelved when
inconvenient or standing in
the way of profit."
Shetty also criticised
"emerging powerhouses" such
as India, Brazil and South
Africa who have been
"complicit in their silence".
"There is a clear and
compelling case for the
situation in Syria to be
referred to the International
Criminal Court for
investigation of crimes against
humanity. The determination
of some UN Security Council
members to shield Syria at
any cost leaves accountability
for these crimes elusive and is
a betrayal of the Syrian
people," said Shetty.
Political reforms within the
Security Council member
states, as well the completion
of an Arms trade Treaty in
July, would be the "acid test"
for the UN, the report said.
"Ousting individual leaders –
however tyrannical – is not
enough to deliver long-term
change," Shetty added.
"Governments must uphold
freedom of expression at
home and abroad, take
international responsibilities
seriously, and invest in
systems and structures that
ensure justice, freedom and
equality before the law."
Source: Defencemanagement News