At ASEAN Summit, Guterres Renews Call For UN Security Council Reform

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 (Bernama) -- United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has reiterated the need to reform the UN Security Council (UNSC), describing the body's current structure as outdated and unrepresentative of today's geopolitical realities.

He said the UNSC, established in the aftermath of World War II, faces both legitimacy and effectiveness problems, which create an imbalance and undermine the council's credibility.

"Legitimacy, because its composition no longer corresponds to the reality of today's world. We have three European permanent members – France, the United Kingdom (UK), and Russia – and only one from Asia. There is no permanent member from Latin America or Africa. 

"This shows that the Security Council doesn't correspond at all to the world of today. That is why it is so important to have an African representation. It is also important to have an increase in the permanent representative from Asia," he said in a press conference ahead of the 15th ASEAN-UN Summit held in conjunction with the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits here, today. 

On the issue of effectiveness, Guterres said the veto power held by the five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the UK, and the United States – often hampers the UNSC's ability to act decisively on global crises.

In this regard, he welcomed proposals from France and the UK to limit the use of veto power in specific circumstances, saying the initiative deserves serious consideration.

"I think it would be very interesting if the members of the Council would seriously consider those proposals," he added.

Apart from the five permanent members with veto power, the UNSC also have 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly.

The 10 members of the current term are Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Somalia. 

Malaysia previously called for the reform of the UNSC, as the permanent members can veto any consensus agreed by the majority of UN members.

 Meanwhile, Guterres said the proposed 18.8 per cent reduction in staff by 2026 is part of a broader effort to enhance efficiency and not a response to the organisation's liquidity crisis following funding cuts from the US. 

 "What we are doing is recognising that we can improve, be more efficient, more cost-effective and deliver on our mandates more effectively. What we are doing is recognising that we can improve, that we can be more efficient, more cost-effective, and more able to provide, in full respect of our mandates, to the people we care for in a more efficient way.

"That is the reason why there will be a number of reductions of positions in the Secretariat, but not the same everywhere. In particular, everything that relates to support for developing countries in the field, in order for them to be able to overcome the present difficulties, will not be reduced," he said.

-- BERNAMA