Dominican Republic: Challenges as a member of the Security Council
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As a new member of the UN Security Council, the Dominican Republic will be able to preside over the essential political situations
The Dominican Republic started the year stepping hard. For the first time in its history, it will be part of the Security Council of the United Nations. The country will not only be a member, but through January the organization will preside.
Leer en español: República Dominicana: Los retos como miembro del Consejo de Seguridad
In a press conference, the country's foreign minister, Miguel Vargas, stipulated that the central line of the interim presidency in this body will be oriented "on the impacts on peace and security caused by natural catastrophes or environmental degradation."
Other challenges that will have to be assumed will be the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, as well as the situation in Haiti, a country in which the UN already has a special mission, as reported by NTN24. According to the official website of the UN, the agency has the challenges of "strengthening national human rights institutions to guarantee due process and access to justice, improve the protection of women and children, and fight against sexual and gender violence."
The role of the Caribbean country
As described on the official website of the UN, when chairing the Security Council, the Dominican Republic "will respond to crises around the world according to a case by case analysis and will have a wide range of options." It will also have to "determine when and where a United Nations peacekeeping operation should be deployed."
Therefore and when a controversy arises, the agency will have the power to intervene so that both sides reach an agreement through peaceful means. However, they may also impose economic sanctions or "authorize the use of force to enforce the mandates," as the UN emphasizes.
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The challenges that come in this first month
One of the primary geopolitical challenges that the United Nations Security Council will have to analyze is a possible intervention by the agency in the crisis affecting Venezuela.
The petition was expressed by the president of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, in an official statement published on January 10. Thus, the fifth point of the document states that "we urgently need the support of the multilateral system, especially the Security Council of the United Nations, which must address the crisis affecting Venezuela."
Also in the same document, the president said that Chile would not recognize the second term of Nicolás Maduro, who recently swore his new presidency in the Supreme Court of Justice and amid international criticism.
Chile no reconoce el régimen ilegítimo de Maduro en Venezuela. Entregamos nuestro absoluto respaldo a la Asamblea Nacional e instamos a Maduro a transferirle de forma provisional el Poder Ejecutivo para q convoque pronto nuevas elecciones democráticas, libres y transparentes. pic.twitter.com/plfXLgN65k
— Sebastian Piñera (@sebastianpinera) 10 de enero de 2019
On the other hand, another of the challenges that the Dominican Republic will face as president of the United Nations Security Council will be the situation in Nicaragua, this is due to the fact that several countries in Latin America have considered submitting the report that recommends judging the president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, as reported by NotiAmérica.
The same media affirms that the report, made by inter-American experts, would suggest sentencing Ortega for crimes against humanity. Given the crisis, one of the worst in its extended mandate, Nicaraguans took to the streets for a controversial reform of social security.
Before the violent response of the authorities to try to calm the demonstrators, around 300 people died, and more than 1000 were injured. Added to the above is that for the next elections the vice president and wife of Ortega, Rosario Murillo is a potential candidate for the presidency.
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The crisis in Yemen
One of the central issues that appear within the line that the Dominican Republic had was the case in the African country that for 3 years had to endure a crisis, political and social by the struggle of control in Yemen. Since last year, the UN has approved a resolution which, within 30 days, aims to monitor and support the Stockholm Agreement (which protects human health and the environment).
The discussion of the subject is given since, in the last days, 6 soldiers of the Army of the country died after an attack of a drone sent by the rebel group conformed by the Houthis, a branch of Shiite Islam.
With this attack, the treaty of Hodeida (which was signed in December to stop the attacks of both sides and which was mediated by the UN), could be affected and more attacks could occur. Despite the fact that the United Nations envoy, Martin Griffiths, announced that more progress had been made in this agreement, the reality is that the Security Council, led by the Dominican Republic, will have to intervene so that the crisis is not sharpening.
LatinAmerican Post | Laura Viviana Guevara Muñoz
Translated from "República Dominicana: Los retos como miembro del Consejo de Seguridad"
