United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday, 22 September called for urgent reform of the UN Security Council, arguing it must be restructured to reflect the realities of the modern world and meet today's challenges with 'legitimacy and effectiveness'. Speaking at the high-level session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Guterres delivered what was his final address to the gathering in his current role.

The Case for Reform

Guterres reminded world leaders that the Security Council was conceived in the immediate aftermath of World War II — a fundamentally different global order. 'The Security Council was designed in the aftermath of World War II. But the world has fundamentally changed since then,' he told the assembled heads of state and government. He stressed that this transformation 'is far from reflected in the Security Council,' underlining a structural mismatch that, in his view, undermines the body's credibility.

Africa's Exclusion Called 'Unjust and Indefensible'

Guterres drew loud applause when he turned to the most glaring gap in the Council's composition — the absence of Africa from permanent membership. 'Today, Africa still has no permanent representation on the Council. A 21st century Security Council without permanent African seats is unjust and indefensible,' he said, calling Africa's exclusion 'stunning.' He was unambiguous: 'This must change.' Notably, much of the Council's peacekeeping agenda is concentrated on African conflicts, making the continent's absence from permanent membership a long-standing structural contradiction.

General Assembly President Backs Intergovernmental Negotiations

General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman, who addressed the session immediately after Guterres, pledged to support the body's reform process. He said he would 'support the General Assembly-led Intergovernmental Negotiations in its work to make the Council more representative, transparent and reflective of the geopolitical realities of our time.' Rahman also singled out Africa, saying: 'Ending Africa's underrepresentation, now, is a question of fairness, justice and, ultimately, the credibility of this Organisation.'

Why This Matters Now

Calls for Security Council reform are far from new — nations including India, Brazil, Germany, and Japan have long campaigned for permanent seats under the so-called G4 grouping. However, the push has gained renewed urgency in the context of the Council's deadlocked response to conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan — all of which have exposed the limitations of a veto-bound structure. Critics argue the current framework allows a handful of permanent members to stall collective action, eroding global trust in multilateralism.

What Comes Next

The path to reform remains steep. Any change to the Security Council's composition requires an amendment to the UN Charter, which itself demands approval from two-thirds of General Assembly members and ratification by all five permanent members — the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China — each of whom holds veto power. The Intergovernmental Negotiations process, backed by General Assembly President Rahman, is expected to continue deliberations, though no timeline for a binding outcome has been set.