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Why the United Nations Security Council needs to be reformed
The world and its geopolitical realities are a far cry from the situation in 1945 when the UN Charter was adopted, making reform of the Security Council one of Germany’s key priorities.
Despite all the impasses, the UN Security Council remains the international community’s central organ for safeguarding peace and managing conflict. The Security Council has far-reaching powers and, unlike the UN General Assembly, can adopt resolutions that are binding under international law and that, if certain conditions are met, can even authorise the use of military means.
However, in its current composition, the Security Council no longer reflects the geopolitical realities of the 21st century. That is why many members of the United Nations, including Germany, are calling for the composition and working methods of the Security Council to be adapted to the current realities with a view to upholding the authority and legitimacy of the Security Council and to strengthening the role of the United Nations as a whole.
Germany is coordinating its endeavours here as part of the Group of Four (G4) together with Brazil, India and Japan to bring about a comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council. These are the key demands of the G4:
- Adding six new permanent members to the Security Council (two seats each for Asia and Africa and one seat for the Western European and Others Group and the Latin American and Caribbean Group respectively);
- Adding four or five non-permanent members to the Security Council (one seat each for Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean as well as eastern Europe and one or two seats for Africa); and
- Reforming working methods.
The G4 reform proposal would above all give Africa more weight in the UN Security Council. This is important because the continent very clearly lacks the representation it deserves. The vast majority of United Nations members are in favour of comprehensive reform of the Security Council, including the addition of new permanent and non-permanent seats. However, the intergovernmental negotiations involving an informal plenary of the UN General Assembly underway since 2009 have thus far failed to produce tangible results.
Why Germany wants a permanent seat on the UN Security Council
With its broad international engagement, Germany is working in many different ways to further the goals of the United Nations – for example by deploying troops for international peace missions, by providing comprehensive financing for sustainable development, stabilisation and humanitarian assistance and by engaging in systematic efforts to protect human rights. Furthermore, if voluntary and regular contributions are taken together, Germany is the second-largest contributor across the UN system as a whole. Together with co-chair Namibia, Germany recently brought the negotiations on the UN Pact for the Future to a successful conclusion, a Pact designed to strengthen the United Nations’ ability to act and its efficiency as the cornerstone of the multilateral, rules-based global order.
Since joining the United Nations more than 50 years ago, Germany has become one of the most committed champions of effective multilateralism under the auspices of the United Nations. In total, Germany has served as a non-permanent member of the Security Council six times, thus assuming particular responsibility for international peace and security. Germany stands ready to firmly anchor this engagement as a responsible and committed partner with a permanent seat. Nonetheless, Germany is applying for a non‑permanent seat on the Security Council for the 2027/28 term.
Why is the Federal Government not calling for a permanent seat for the EU?
According to the UN Charter, only states, not international organisations such as the EU, can become members of the United Nations and its organs. That is why the EU has enhanced observer status in the UN General Assembly.
Should new permanent members also have the right of veto?
Together with its G4 partners, Germany is proposing that new permanent members initially dispense with the right of veto and that the question of veto rights be finally clarified in a second step at a review conference 15 years after the amendment of the Charter enters into force.
How would reform of the UN Security Council come about?
Security Council reform requires an amendment to the United Nations Charter. The relevant procedure as set out in Article 108 involves a two-stage process:
- Stage one: The General Assembly, in which all 193 member states have one vote each, must approve the reform by a two-thirds majority (that is, at least 129 states).
- Stage two: This amendment must then be ratified by at least two thirds of the member states, including the five permanent members of the Security Council, in accordance with national procedures. When the Security Council was enlarged for the first and, to date, only time in 1963, this process took around one and half years.
Difficult negotiations lie ahead. However, Germany and its partners are working for reform of the UN, not just in New York but also at our many missions around the world.
What is the current composition of the United Nations Security Council?
The United Nations Security Council has 15 members:
- Five permanent members (Britain, China, France, the United States and Russia)
- Ten non-permanent members: Currently: Algeria, Guyana, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and South Korea (until the end of 2025) as well as Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia (until the end of 2026).
The non-permanent members are elected on a regional basis for a two-year term by the General Assembly. It is not possible to be re-elected immediately after holding a seat.
