SA heads UN Security Council
2 March 2007
South Africa replaced Slovakia as the president of the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, only two months after it was given a non-permanent seat on the body.
The Security Council presidency is held by its members in turn according to the English alphabetical order of their names, with each president holding office for one month.
"We assume this responsibility fully aware of the current global political situation and will thus work with all members of the Security Council to ensure a collective response to these global challenges," said Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
The Security Council consists of five permanent members with veto powers - China, Russia, the US, UK and France - and 10 non-permanent members who sit on the council for two years. Currently these are Belgium, Ghana, Indonesia, Italy, Slovakia, South Africa, Peru, Panama, Qatar and Republic of the Congo.
While other UN bodies can make recommendations to governments, the Security Council is the only body whose decisions member states are obliged to carry out.
Security Council decisions on procedural matters are made when at least nine of the 15 members vote in favour, while decisions on substantive matters also require nine votes, including the concurring votes of all five permanent members.
Any of the five permanent members therefore have the power to veto any decision, a power given to them under the UN Charter.
The United Kingdom will assume the Security Council presidency in April, followed by the United States in May.
Source: BuaNews
