At the 80th United Nations General Assembly, which opened last week in New York, member states focused on a sweeping agenda that included calls for Security Council reform, the demand for greater representation of the Global South, and the urgent need to overhaul the UN’s structure under the UN80 initiative. Climate change and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goal’s (SDGs) drew sharp criticism over slow progress and financing gaps, while technology governance, especially around AI, and the perils of unilateralism and sanction regimes also featured prominently. Conflicts in Africa, Gaza, Ukraine, and elsewhere, coupled with debates on debt relief, rules-based order, sovereignty, and human rights, underscored the message that reform is indispensable if the UN is to remain legitimate and effective.
As the UN marks 80 years since its founding, it stands with a legacy of significant accomplishments. The organization has played a central role in ending colonial rule across numerous regions, preventing the outbreak of major global wars, responding effectively to humanitarian crises, and coordinating the international fight against deadly pandemics. Through the adoption of the SDGs, it has guided development agendas and laid important foundations for global climate action. These achievements are worthy of acknowledgment and commendation.
Nevertheless, these successes cannot overshadow the pressing need for institutional reform and renewal. A key priority is ensuring fair and meaningful representation of the Global South within the international security and financial systems. Persistent issues such as bias, inconsistency, and double standards continue to challenge the credibility of the UN. While reform is needed across several areas, this article focuses specifically on the long-overdue transformation of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). In the context of the UN80 initiative, the organization must take bold, effective reform measures to remain legitimate, relevant, and responsive to the realities of today’s global landscape.
The UNSC remains one of the most powerful bodies in the international system. Established in 1945 in the aftermath of World War II, the Council was tasked with safeguarding international peace and security. Its structure reflects the geopolitical realities of the mid-20th century: five permanent members—the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia (formerly the Soviet Union) were granted permanent seats and the power to unilaterally veto any resolution. Ten additional non-permanent members are elected on a rotating basis, representing various regions, but without veto power. This arrangement entrenched the dominance of the World War II victors, leaving the broader international community with limited influence in the Council’s decision-making processes. While such a framework may have seemed necessary in 1945, the world has changed dramatically since then.
Today, global power dynamics are increasingly multipolar. The influence and assertiveness of the Global South, comprising regions like Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and parts of Asia have grown significantly. Yet, the Security Council remains largely frozen in time. Africa, with 54 member states and home to some of the world’s most pressing peace and security issues in the UNSC itself, has no permanent representation on the Council. Latin America, too, is absent. Meanwhile, emerging powers, despite their economic weight and diplomatic influence, remain sidelined from permanent membership. These exclusions raise serious questions about the Council’s legitimacy, effectiveness, and fairness. The absence of these voices undermines the UNSC’s credibility and its ability to respond to global challenges. As the Global South continues to grow in influence, their exclusion breeds resentment and reduces global trust in the UN system.
These concerns took center stage once again at the General Assembly held last week. Leaders from across Africa, Latin America, Asia, and beyond echoed a common demand: reform the Security Council to reflect today’s geopolitical realities and ensure equitable global representation. The President of Ethiopia, Taye Atske Selassie, along with several African leaders, underscored the fundamental inconsistency of a system that claims inclusivity and justice while excluding entire continents from the Council’s permanent decision-making structure. They argued that reform is not a symbolic demand; it is a necessity for global trust and legitimacy.
Ethiopia has consistently championed the establishment of a fair and inclusive global governance system, aligning itself with the Common African Position articulated through the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration, which call for at least two permanent African seats on the Council with full veto rights. As a country that plays a pivotal role in regional peace and security, hosts the African Union headquarters, and is one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping missions, the inclusion of countries like Ethiopia in a reformed Security Council would not only reflect Africa’s rightful place in global decision-making but also enhance the Council’s legitimacy, diversity, and effectiveness in addressing today’s complex challenges.
Perhaps the most controversial feature of the UNSC is the veto power. This mechanism allows any of the five permanent members to block any substantive resolution, regardless of the majority’s support. In practice, the veto has paralyzed the Council in many critical situations, such as the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, where the interests of P5 members were at stake. As a result, necessary actions were delayed or prevented altogether, leaving millions vulnerable and undermining the credibility of the entire UN system. At UNGA 80, Global South leaders called for either a curtailment or complete abolition of the veto, arguing that its continued use obstructs timely, fair, and effective responses to international crises.
Reforming the Security Council is not only a matter of fairness but a matter of functionality. The world faces challenges that no single nation or group can manage alone: climate change, pandemics, food insecurity, terrorism, and protracted conflicts. Addressing these issues requires inclusive and collective decision-making. When large swaths of the world’s population particularly in Africa and Latin America are excluded from permanent representation, the Council’s solutions risk being incomplete, biased, or lacking legitimacy. Reform would enhance the Council’s ability to mobilize global consensus and build trust in multilateral responses.
The discussions at the General Assembly made one thing abundantly clear, the legitimacy of the international system depends on how well it reflects and includes the realities of its member states. The UNSC, as currently composed, reflects a post-war order from eight decades ago, not the diverse, interconnected world of 2025. Ethiopia’s President and other Global South leaders reiterated that the time for half-measures and endless debate is over. What is needed now is a bold, decisive, and inclusive reform process under the UN80 initiative, a major reform drive launched by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in March 2025, as the United Nations marks its 80th anniversary. The global south expects a process that results in permanent representation for Africa and Latin America and strengthens the UN’s credibility. Otherwise, if such calls continue to face a wall, then, as the Finnish President Alexander Stubb warned: “If countries from the Global South, from Latin America, from Africa, from Asia, do not get agency in the system, they will turn their backs against the United Nations.”
Reforming the Security Council is not just an institutional adjustment; it is a moral and strategic imperative. A fairer, more inclusive, and more effective Council will not only restore trust in the UN but also enable it to fulfill its original mission of preserving peace, promoting justice, and representing the shared aspirations of humanity. As the UN marks 80 years, it must not only celebrate its past but also confront its future. The calls made at UNGA 80 ring with urgency. Reforming the Security Council is the first and most vital step toward revitalizing the UN and ensuring it remains a cornerstone of international cooperation in the century ahead.
Ambassador Nebiyu Tedla Negash is the director general of Public Diplomacy Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia .
Contributed by Nebiyu Tedla Negash (Amb.)
