UN SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM: THEMATIC FUTURES

This research paper by Jakkie Cilliers proposes a structured process for the UN Security Council (UNSC) to adopt new rules of procedure, involving a sequence of approvals by the UNSC and the UN General Assembly (UNGA), with the International Court of Justice as a final arbiter. It also suggests a mechanism for suspending UNSC members for flagrant violations of the UN Charter.

• The UN Security Council currently operates under Provisional Rules of Procedure (S/96) adopted in 1946, as Article 30 of the UN Charter mandates that the Council adopt its own rules.
• The document proposes a specific timeline and voting threshold for new rules: the UNSC should recommend draft rules to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) by a two-thirds majority within one year of an enabling resolution, and the UNGA must approve them by a two-thirds majority within a subsequent year.
• In cases where the UNSC is unable or unwilling to submit draft rules, the UNGA should finalize and adopt its own version by a simple majority. If no agreement is reached within the UNGA after an additional year, the International Court of Justice would provide a final and binding decision.
• The paper suggests that a member of the UN Security Council could be suspended if they are in flagrant violation of the UN Charter, provided there is a supermajority of 80% of votes, with such suspensions subject to annual review.

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=09-rules-of-procedure

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=09-rules-of-procedure.

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=09-rules-of-procedure |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=09-rules-of-procedure}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }