NAIROBI, Kenya — United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has renewed calls for urgent reform of the UN Security Council, warning that the body’s credibility and effectiveness depend on broader representation and faster, more decisive action aligned with contemporary global realities.
Speaking on the role of the Security Council under the UN Charter, Guterres said the body holds a unique and unmatched mandate in global peace and security, making reform unavoidable.
“The United Nations Security Council stands alone in its authority to act on behalf of all Member States on questions of peace and security. It alone adopts decisions that are binding on all,” Guterres said.
“No other body or ad-hoc coalition can legally require all countries to comply with decisions on peace and security. This unique mandate makes reform unavoidable.”
Guterres stressed that the Council must adapt to maintain legitimacy in a rapidly changing geopolitical environment.
“That is why reform is essential. That is why we must act without delay to enhance the representation and effectiveness of the Security Council,” he added.
A Powerful but Contested Institution
Under the UN Charter, the 15-member Security Council bears primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. It determines threats to peace, calls on parties to resolve disputes peacefully, and may impose sanctions or authorise the use of force in situations deemed a threat to global stability.
The Council comprises five permanent members — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States — each holding veto power, alongside ten non-permanent members elected for staggered two-year terms.
All UN Member States are legally obligated to comply with Security Council resolutions, particularly those adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. The Council’s presidency rotates monthly among members in English alphabetical order.
Founded in 1945 and headquartered in New York, the Security Council remains one of the UN’s most powerful organs. However, critics argue its structure reflects post-World War II geopolitics rather than current global realities, limiting its legitimacy and effectiveness.
Africa’s Push for Representation
African leaders have emerged as some of the strongest advocates for reform, citing the continent’s continued exclusion from permanent representation despite accounting for 54 UN Member States and being the focus of a significant proportion of the Council’s agenda.
Kenyan President William Ruto has been particularly vocal on the issue. Addressing the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2025, Ruto warned that the global body risks sliding into irrelevance unless it undertakes bold reforms.
“The UN must become fit-for-purpose. Its organs must be reformed, mandates strengthened, and decisions aligned with current realities rather than the 1945 geopolitical situation,” Ruto said.
He cautioned that institutional decline often stems from inaction rather than lack of ideals.
“Institutions rarely fail because they lack vision or ideals; more often, they drift into irrelevance when they do not adapt, when they hesitate to act, and when they lose legitimacy,” he added.
Ruto further argued that Africa’s exclusion from permanent Security Council membership undermines the UN’s moral authority and credibility.
Antonio Guterres
at the African Union headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Photo/Courtesy
“Africa’s exclusion is not only unacceptable, unfair, and grossly unjust; it also undermines the very credibility of the United Nations. Reforming the Council is not a favour to Africa but a necessity for the UN’s own survival,” he said.
Guterres has repeatedly urged Member States to move beyond rhetoric and agree on reforms that reflect today’s political, economic, and demographic realities.
