Reforming the Security Council

Almost everyone agrees the UN needs reform. There are two kinds:

• reforming its structures and processes, above all the Security Council;
• reviewing the issues the UN should deal with (for example, terrorism and development).

How the Security Council works:

• Five permanent members (the P-5) have a veto: a 'no' vote by any one of them blocks a decision, however many others vote yes.
• Ten non-permanent members are elected for two years at a time and cannot be re-elected straight away. They have no veto.

Why reform: in 1992, the General Assembly passed a resolution with three complaints:

• the Council no longer reflects today's political realities (it was set up in 1945);
• its decisions mostly follow Western values and interests;
• it lacks fair representation of the developing world.

Who should become a new permanent member? Many criteria have been proposed: a major economic power, a major military power, a big contributor to the UN budget, a large population, a country that respects democracy and human rights, and one that makes the Council more diverse in geography, economy and culture. Each criterion helps some countries and hurts others, so no agreement has been reached.

Some changes have been made. At the 2005 world summit, members agreed to:

• create a Peacebuilding Commission;
• set up a Human Rights Council (working since 19 June 2006);
• reach the Millennium Development Goals;
• create a Democracy Fund;
• wind up the Trusteeship Council, whose job (overseeing colonies' path to independence) was done.