UN chief calls for Security Council reform to curb superpower veto impunity
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for expanding UN Security Council membership to address the impunity of veto-wielding permanent members. Speaking in Japan on the final day of his official visit marking 70 years of UN cooperation, Guterres emphasized that current international institutions are not effective enough at solving global challenges.
The Security Council currently has five permanent members—China, France, the UK, US, and Russia—who possess veto power, plus 10 non-permanent members with no veto. Guterres stressed that only one Asian country is represented despite the continent accounting for half the world's population, with no African or Latin American representation.
"This is a serious problem of legitimacy and ineffectiveness," Guterres said, calling for both permanent and non-permanent member expansion. He highlighted how superpowers violate international law with impunity and use their veto power to guarantee this freedom, making it difficult to contain the dramatic increase in global conflicts. When bad examples come from superpowers, middle-sized powers worldwide think they can act without punishment, he noted.