UN SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM: THEMATIC FUTURES

This research paper proposes a structured mechanism for the mandatory periodic review of the UN Security Council (UNSC) to prevent deadlocks and ensure the body's functions, composition, and rules remain current.

• The author proposes that the UN General Assembly (UNGA) implement a mandatory review of the UN Security Council's rules of procedure, composition, role, and functions every 30 years. This process would involve a self-reflective report and recommendations created by the UNSC, adopted via normal voting, and then submitted to the UNGA for discussion and potential remedial action, with the entire review to be completed within three years.
• To resolve deadlocks where the review process fails to reach a conclusion within three years, the document suggests binding arbitration by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which would have one year to resolve the matter. If this arbitration necessitates an amendment to the UN Charter, the proposal suggests it be passed by a simple majority of UNGA members and by more than half of UN members at the national level.

APA

Cilliers, J. (2026). UN SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM: THEMATIC FUTURES. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=19-un-security-council&topic=08-regular-reviews

Chicago

Cilliers, Jakkie. UN SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM: THEMATIC FUTURES. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=19-un-security-council&topic=08-regular-reviews.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cilliers |first1=Jakkie |title=UN SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM: THEMATIC FUTURES |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=29 March 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=19-un-security-council&topic=08-regular-reviews |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cilliers2026security, author = {Cilliers, Jakkie}, title = {{UN SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM: THEMATIC FUTURES}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=19-un-security-council&topic=08-regular-reviews}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }