Sanchez calls for reforming the Security Council and abolishing the veto power of permanent members
Quick Look
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for strengthening the role of the United Nations by reforming the Security Council and abolishing the veto power of the five permanent members, during his speech before the United Nations General Assembly, stressing the need to renew the multilateral system to ensure fair representation of all regions of the world.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The Security Council currently consists of 15 members: 10 non-permanent members and five permanent members with veto power (United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China). Sanchez called for its reform to ensure fair representation and end the right of veto, based on the United Nations Charter, which prevents any state from being an arbiter or party to the conflict.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for strengthening the role of the United Nations, adding that the necessary step to achieve this goal is to reform the Security Council and abolish the veto power enjoyed by its five permanent members.
In his speech before the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday evening, Sanchez said that these measures will contribute to revitalizing multilateral action.
Sanchez said: "We must double our confidence in the multilateral system, and we must renew and strengthen it so that it can play the central role it has played in the current century, as it played in the twentieth century."
He added: "We need to reform the Security Council to ensure fair representation for all regions of the world, and to end the veto power of permanent members, because according to what the United Nations Charter stipulates, no country, no matter how powerful, should act as an arbiter and a party to the conflict at the same time."
Earlier, during his speech, Panamanian President Jose Raul Molino also proposed reforming the Security Council to grant permanent membership to countries from Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Security Council currently consists of 15 members: 10 non-permanent members, and five permanent members who enjoy veto power: (the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China).
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The topic of reforming the Security Council and abolishing the right of veto will be discussed at future sessions of the UN General Assembly
Likely · Within months
Diplomatic pressure will increase on current permanent members of the Security Council to support some form of reform
Possible · Within months
Open Questions
- What are the proposed steps to abolish the veto power?
- Will other countries such as Germany or Japan support this reform?
- What is the expected timetable for discussing this reform at the UN?
- How will the current permanent states of the Security Council respond to these calls?
