Canada and the United Nations Security Council, 1999–2000 – a reassessment

Abstract

During its recent 1999–2000 term on the UN Security Council, Canada performed as a major power and made a distinct impact both on procedural and substantive issues. Canada's activities on the Council stressed three principal themes, which had been articulated during the campaign for a Council seat: improving the Council's transparency and accountability; restoring the Council's leadership and credibility in international security operations; and promoting human security. Concerning transparency, Canada was able to get the Council to schedule more open meetings and to hold broader thematic debates, as well as expand consultations with non‐members and NGOs. Regarding leadership and credibility, under Canada's energetic leadership of the Angolan sanctions committee, sanctions against the Angolan rebels were significantly tightened, thereby helping to bring the long Angolan civil war to an end and improving UN sanctions regimes at large. With respect to human security, by scheduling frequent thematic debates, Canada managed to establish the concept as part of the prevailing discourse of the Security Council and to incorporate specific Chapter VII language for the protection of civilians into new peacekeeping mandates. Not all Canadian initiatives succeeded, e.g., attempts to get the civil wars in Chechnya and Sudan on the Council agenda failed to get the necessary support from other members. The challenge now facing Canada as non‐member of the Council is to maintain some of the momentum that was achieved during its two‐year term.