Türkiye urges immediate Security Council reform at UN

Türkiye's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Sedat Onal, has highlighted the imperative and immediate need for Security Council reform, saying the reform process needs to address the current shortcomings of the Council.

"The need for Security Council reform is undeniable and undeferrable," Onal said on Tuesday at a UN General Assembly debate on Security Council reform.

"What has recently transpired in the Security Council attests to this fact," he said, citing the Council's failure to establish a ceasefire and halt human suffering in Palestine "due to its inherent paralysis."

Stressing that the reform process needs to address and eliminate the current shortcomings of the Council, the envoy said: "It must reconcile the objectives of equitable and democratic representation with those of effectiveness and efficiency without sacrificing one objective for the sake of the other."

"This entails a comprehensive and inclusive approach that would benefit and gain the support of all member states. One that will emphasise and prioritise common good over individual national interests," he added.

Council's legitimacy in question

Also speaking at the annual debate, General Assembly President Dennis Francis said that without structural reform, the Council’s performance and legitimacy will continue to suffer.

“Violence and wars continue to spread in regions across the world, while the United Nations seems paralysed due largely to the divisions in the Security Council,” he added.

The Security Council passed a resolution on the conflict on Wednesday, following four unsuccessful attempts since it erupted in early October.

Many UN member states, including Türkiye, believe that reform at the Security Council is more urgent than ever.

In this context, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly called for such reform.