US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he was in favor of a major reform of the UN Security Council by increasing the number of its members.
In a speech at the UN podium, the US president called in particular to “increase the number of permanent and non-permanent members” of this important UN body so that the countries of Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean can be represented over there.
Emmanuel Macron also called for Security Council reform before the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. He believes that the members of the Security Council “are no longer the only ones who have a voice” and that it is necessary “to work more broadly for the international consensus necessary for peace.”
The goal is for it to be “more representative, to welcome new permanent members, to be able to fully play its role by limiting its right to veto in the event of massive crimes,” said the French president.
The Security Council has permanent members (currently 5: the US, UK, France, Russia, and China) and non-permanent members (currently 10). The Charter of the United Nations gives them primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.
A reform debated for more than 40 years
The Security Council is competent to determine the existence of a threat to the peace or an act of aggression and recommend means to solve them. “In some cases, it can impose sanctions, or even authorize the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security,” the UN explains on its website.
The reform of the Security Council has been debated for more than 40 years, says the UN. Geographical representation and the use of the right of veto are among the most frequently mentioned points. The way Russia has used its veto power since the Ukraine invasion has prompted the United States to take matters into its own hands and push for enlargement.
In April, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution asking the five permanent members of the Security Council to justify their use of the veto. However, this resolution is not binding.
Reform is a particular demand from Japan and many developing countries. “It is time to defend the just and legitimate African demand on the reform of the Security Council,” Senegalese President Macky Sall, head of the African Union, insisted on Tuesday.
Source: BFM TV
