Based on a government decision 2002 the Government of Finland presented Finland's candidacy for a non-permanent seat in the Security Council for 2013-14 from the Western European and Others Group (WEOG). The election will take place in autumn 2012.
The United Nations (UN) was established in 1945. It is the only international organisation, which has nearly every nation in the world among its membership and which plays a comprehensive/ general and multidisciplinary role in a variety of fields. The UN enjoys a high degree of legitimacy.
Because of the change in the global operational environment, the UN faces big challenges. The change reflects the altered character of the relations between superpowers between the superpowers, the emergence of new financial and political hubs of power from among the developing countries and, above all, the emergence of new global threats to security. In addition to the UN's traditional tasks related to crisis management, development, and human rights, the organisation is expected to seek solutions to such comprehensive security problems as climate change, the spread of contagious diseases, terrorism, crime, natural catastrophes and migration. Global challenges can be addressed only by pursuing close multilateral cooperation, and the UN provides the best framework for such cooperation. In today's world, the UN’s role is more important than ever before.
Finland joined the UN in 1955 when the world was in the middle of the Cold War. The membership strengthened the position of a small country in international politics, and the UN became an important part of Finland’s foreign policy.
Finland considers that the UN is the key instrument of multilateral cooperation and wants to strengthen its operational capacity. Finland wants to make the world a safer and fairer place through intensified international cooperation. Finland exerts influence on decision-making within the UN primarily through the General Assembly and also by applying for a seat in the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council.
The Security Council is one of the UN's main organs, and, under the Charter, it has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. When necessary, the Security Council may authorize the use of force for the restoration of peace or the prevention of a threat to peace. The instruments available to it include diplomacy, political positions, peacekeeping operations, sanctions, and, as a last resort, the use of force. The Security Council also plays a central role in the implementation of the responsibility to protect (R2P), embraced by the World Summit of 2005.
In accordance with the UN Charter, the Security Council must be organised so that it can ensure prompt and effective action by the United Nations. The Security Council has five permanent members (Great Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States) and ten non-permanent members. The non-permanent members are elected by the General Assembly for two years at a time. The vote is secret, and winning requires the two thirds of the votes cast. Each autumn, an election is held to elect successors for half of the non-permanent members who are due to retire. The non-permanent seats are much sought after and the number of candidates within the electoral categories may exceed the number of seats becoming vacant. Finland belongs to the Western European and Others Group (WEOG) for which two seats are available every other year.
Competition for the Security Council's rotating seats is keen, and winning in the election requires active campaigning over several years. Finland's strengths include a solid profile in the UN: during the 50 years of membership, Finland has played a stronger role in the organisation than its size would suggest. Finland has made its name as an active, resourceful and reliable player. Finland has been active in, for example, human rights and development matters, certain sectors of disarmament and work aiming at strengthening international law. Finland’s comprehensive and long-term approach to the activities can also be considered one of its assets. Participation in the UN peacekeeping activities started as early as in 1956, and over 50 000 Finnish peacekeepers have served in more than 30 different operations. Finland continues to be a reliable supporter of the UN peacekeeping activities, possessing competence in both military and civilian crisis management. In civilian crisis management, Finland is one of the key trailblazers in the world.
Finland makes its experience and expertise in peacekeeping and peacebuilding available to the Security Council. We also want to contribute to the dialogue on comprehensive security; we believe that security depends on economic and social development and that international security cannot be addressed as a phenomenon detached from these two aspects. Finland wants to carry its responsibility as a member of the international community; our candidacy for a seat in the Security Council is a reflection of this objective.
UN official language versions of the “Finland to the UN Security Council in 2013–2014” web publication
Below please find links to the six UN official language versions of the “Finland to the UN Security Council in 2013–2014” web publication.
Content administrator Unit for UN and General Global Affairs
Updated 10/28/2011