NEW YORK — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council, including the abolition of the veto power held by its permanent members, arguing that the international system must better reflect today’s global realities.
In an article for Bloomberg titled “The Quest for Global Justice in a Changing World,” Erdogan said recent crises, including pandemics, energy shocks, supply-chain disruptions and regional conflicts, had demonstrated the limitations of an international decision-making system in which a small number of countries retain disproportionate influence.
The UN Security Council’s five permanent members — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States — each have the power to veto substantive resolutions.
Stressing that global decision-making mechanisms must now adapt to today’s conditions, he said the UN Security Council continues to reflect the structure established after World War II.
Erdogan said “a more effective, fair and accountable” system of representation was necessary and called for broader participation in global decision-making.
He argued that reform efforts should focus on eliminating that privilege rather than expanding permanent membership and granting veto powers to additional countries.
Erdogan has long pushed for reforms to the UN, often using the slogan: “The world is bigger than five,” which refers to the Security Council’s unrepresentative membership.
He said Turkey’s call should be understood as an appeal for a broader distribution of responsibility in the international system.
“It is essential to turn the need for reform into a concrete roadmap,” Erdogan said. “At the center of this roadmap should be the abolition of the veto privilege.”
He argued that simply adding new permanent members to the Security Council would not resolve the concentration of decision-making power in the hands of a small number of countries.
According to Erdogan, reform should instead be based on the principle that no country should have the permanent ability to block the will of the majority of the international community.
Instead, Erdogan proposed a Security Council without permanent members, with countries elected by the UN General Assembly for fixed and rotating terms. States seeking to return to the council would have to secure the support of a majority of UN members through a fresh election.
He also called for the powers of the General Assembly to be strengthened and for the Security Council to become more accountable to the wider UN membership.
“Representation and accountability of the Security Council before the General Assembly should be enhanced,” he said.
He argued that the international order of the future could not be built by preserving the hierarchies of the past.
“Developments over the last quarter century, which is a relatively short period in human history, have shown that no balance of power and no international order is permanent,” he said.
Erdogan said new centers of power had emerged in areas ranging from the economy and security to technology and diplomacy, while international institutions had failed to adapt to these changes at the same pace.
Wars, the climate crisis, irregular migration and economic vulnerabilities have underscored the importance of strong institutions, resilient economies and effective defense capabilities, he added.
The president pointed to the growing importance of secure and sustainable trade, logistics, transportation and energy corridors.
Erdogan said Asia’s economic weight was increasing, while African countries were seeking stronger representation consistent with the continent’s potential.
He also said developing countries were increasingly voicing their own priorities and argued that regional problems could not always be resolved through methods determined from outside.
“Approaches based on the will of the countries concerned, local conditions and common interests will produce more lasting and stable results,” Erdogan said.
He called for countries with the diplomatic capacity, economic resources and ability to communicate with different sides to assume “more active roles” in promoting peace and stability.
Erdogan also addressed economic inequalities, saying expectations that globalization would broadly distribute prosperity had not been fully realized.
He said income disparities had deepened, while technological and economic dependencies had become new areas of competition.
“For global justice to be achieved under these changing circumstances, responsibilities must be shared fairly,” Erdogan said, adding that developing countries’ right to development and access to the financing they need should be secured.
Erdogan said Türkey would continue using its extensive international relations and experience in multilateral diplomacy to support efforts to reform the international system.
“We support efforts to abolish the veto privilege, give elected members greater weight in decision-making processes and strengthen the role of the General Assembly,” he said.
He said cooperation among countries from different regions around common principles would strengthen the legitimacy and representative capacity of the international system.
“Permanent peace in today’s world cannot be achieved by multiplying blocs that are disconnected from one another and do not communicate with one another,” Erdogan said.
“For a more just world, we must bring together the experience, capacity and will of different regions on common ground.”
Source: Saudi Gazette
