Asia Underrepresented Among UNSC Permanent Members; This Must Be Corrected, Says Guterres

United Nations: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that Asia remains underrepresented among the permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) and stressed that this imbalance needs to be addressed through long-pending reforms.

Speaking to reporters on Friday (India time) while outlining his priorities for the year, Guterres underlined the urgency of reforming the Security Council, noting that “the centrality of the peace and security system lies in the UN and within” the Council itself.

While maintaining that, as Secretary-General, he could not prescribe the exact shape of a reformed Council, Guterres shared his personal view, saying, “We should have permanent members from Africa in the Security Council, and the same representation from Latin America.”

“I think that probably Asia is underrepresented as well, clearly, and so this rebalancing needs to be done,” he added.

India, which has long sought permanent membership of the Security Council, has proposed reforms along these lines, a position that enjoys broad support among UN member states.

Guterres also criticised countries that have been obstructing the reform process. “It’s very interesting to see that those who criticise the UN for not being effective are the ones opposing the reform of the Security Council,” he said, adding that this resistance is “the reason why the UN can sometimes not be as effective as we all want.”

He did not name specific countries, but a small group calling itself “Uniting for Consensus” — led by Italy and including Pakistan — has stalled the reform process for over a decade by opposing the adoption of a formal negotiating text. In the absence of such a text, negotiations have effectively remained frozen.

The UN chief also expressed support for proposals to limit the use of veto powers by permanent members, which have often prevented the Council from acting on critical global crises.

“I see with a lot of sympathy some initiatives that were presented, namely by two permanent members of the Council, in order to put some limits to the exercise of the right of veto,” he said, referring to proposals by France and Britain.

Under these proposals, the use of vetoes would be restricted “in circumstances of genocide or terrible crimes against humanity.”

“These are the lines of evolution I would like to see the international community come together on, in order to have a reformed Security Council,” Guterres said.

Responding to a question about the Board of Peace set up by US President Donald Trump in Gaza — which was initially approved by the Security Council but is now being expanded in a manner some view as rivalling the UN — Guterres emphasised the unique authority of the Council.

“The Security Council stands alone in its Charter-mandated authority to act on behalf of all members in matters of peace and security,” he said.

“Only the Security Council can adopt decisions binding on all, and no other body or ad hoc coalition can legally require all Member States to comply with decisions on peace and security,” he added.

With inputs from IANS