United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has cautioned member states about the serious consequences of continued inaction on United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reform, as the body's restructuring process remains mired in a deadlock of nearly two decades. The warning was conveyed by UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq on Monday, 5 October 2026, in response to remarks made by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar that the Council must reform to remain relevant.

What the UN Leadership Said

Deputy Spokesperson Haq acknowledged that any reform requiring amendments to the UN Charter can only be undertaken by member states — not unilaterally by the Secretary-General. He clarified that the UN leadership's role is limited to encouraging countries to move forward and alerting them to the risks of inaction.

Haq noted that Guterres has consistently argued that as the United Nations has grown, the Security Council must also expand to become more representative of its wider membership. Guterres has also, repeatedly, called for African nations to be included among the Council's permanent members.

Why Reform Is Overdue

The current architecture of the UN Security Council reflects geopolitical realities that crystallised after World War II, when the victorious powers shaped the organisation and retained permanent seats with veto powers. Since then, UN membership has nearly quadrupled from its founding in 1945 — a point Jaishankar explicitly raised during his remarks.

Critics argue that this framework has failed to reflect contemporary global realities, leaving out emerging powers with vast populations and significant economic weight. Notably, Africa — which constitutes the largest regional grouping within the UN and is the focus of numerous UN peacekeeping operations — has no permanent representation on the Council, a glaring structural gap that reform advocates have long highlighted.

The IGN Deadlock

The Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) process on Security Council reform has remained deadlocked for nearly two decades. Supporters of reform allege that a small group of countries — including Italy and Pakistan — have used procedural mechanisms to deliberately slow progress in the negotiations.

This comes amid renewed urgency: during the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly last month, numerous world leaders renewed calls for immediate UNSC reform. The chorus of voices pressing for change has grown louder, even as the machinery of multilateral consensus remains stuck.

India's Push for a Formal Text

India and several allied nations have called for the adoption of a formal negotiating text that would define the agenda, record progress in discussions, and allow negotiations to advance in a structured manner. Under the current arrangement, talks effectively restart with each new General Assembly session, erasing whatever incremental progress has been made — a procedural design that critics say serves the interests of those opposed to reform.

Responsibility for any eventual breakthrough, Haq stressed, rests with member states, particularly through the General Assembly and the Security Council itself. As calls for reform intensify from New Delhi to Nairobi, the question is no longer whether the Council needs to change, but whether member states can muster the political will to act before the deadlock hardens further.