SOME PERSPECTIVES ON THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM PROPOSALS

Abstract

The calls for reform of the UN Security Council, which are as old as the organization itself,
have been in the international spotlight again with the wars in Syria and Ukraine and the
vetoes that Russia (and China) used to block any measure regarding them. In this paper, I will
briefly present and critically discuss the three groups of proposals that are mostly given for
reforming the Council: the enlargement proposals, the proposals for reforms of the working
methods of the Council, and the proposals for reforms of the veto. All of these proposals have
some merit (albeit different) and try to address some deficiency in the functioning or design
of the Council. Therefore, despite the low likelihood of success, all of these reform proposals
should be pursued because they (at the very least) serve as a tool for putting pressure on the
permanent members to uphold their responsibilities that to the UN and the international
community as a whole.