ISS African Futures

The document argues that reforming the UN Security Council is essential for the overall functionality and legitimacy of the United Nations. It highlights the failure of the current veto-wielding permanent members to prevent conflicts and advocates for a transition toward a Council based on electoral mechanisms and current global power and population dynamics to ensure its decisions carry greater force and legitimacy.

• The author asserts that reform of the UN Security Council is a prerequisite for any meaningful reform of the United Nations as a whole, as the Council sits at the top of UN functionality. A reformed Council is expected to enable improvements across other UN structures and agencies.
• The current structure of the UNSC is criticized for failing to prevent conflicts, partly due to the influence of its five permanent members, some of whom have been directly involved in those conflicts. This view was echoed in June 2025 by Ban Ki-moon and Helen Clark.
• While the UNSC currently maintains legitimacy as the only executive body with binding decisions on international peace and security, the author warns that this status may not last indefinitely. The current intergovernmental deadlock indicates a need for a bold shift toward prioritizing global concerns over national interests.
• The document argues that delaying reform increases the difficulty of implementation due to rapid power shifts and global turbulence. A proposed alternative is a Council based on electoral mechanisms and principles that reflect current population and power dynamics, which would likely be more cautious than a Western-dominated Council but possess greater legitimacy and authority.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). ISS African Futures. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=19-un-security-council&topic=11-conclusion

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. ISS African Futures. n.d. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=19-un-security-council&topic=11-conclusion.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=ISS African Futures |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=19-un-security-council&topic=11-conclusion |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndiss, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{ISS African Futures}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=19-un-security-council&topic=11-conclusion}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }