Security Council 'Unfit for Purpose', Says Amnesty International

Security Council 'Unfit for Purpose', Says Amnesty International - IPS ipsnews.net
UNITED NATIONS, May 24, 2012 (IPS) - Amnesty International delivered a scathing condemnation of global and national leadership in its 2012 global human rights report on Tuesday, conveying profound disappointment in such leadership for its failure to match the determination and resilience of ordinary civilians in their resistance to repressive regimes.

The report deemed the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council "increasingly unfit for purpose", according to Salil Shetty, secretary-general of Amnesty International, one of the world's most prominent non-governmental organisations (NGOs) focusing on human rights.

The report cited several areas of failure and called for a strong Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) with human rights provisions to ensure that politicians prioritise human rights over profit and power.

The veto power of the Security Council's five permanent members, China, France, Russia, the UK and the U.S., who also happened to be among the world's top arms suppliers, is "problematic", said José Luis Díaz, head of office and U.N. representative at Amnesty's U.N. office in New York.