Why UN Charter should be reformed

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OPINION

By Dr M. Munir Safieldin

The United Nations (UN) stands at a critical crossroads. After nearly eight decades of guiding humanity towards peace and security, its foundational architecture now hinders rather than helps its ability to address today’s most pressing global challenges.

Seven structural flaws undermine the UN’s effectiveness and legitimacy:

First, the Security Council’s exclusive veto power allows any single permanent member to block collective action, even when a broad consensus exists. This has paralysed responses to urgent crises from Ukraine to Gaza, costing countless lives while eroding faith in multilateralism.

Second, the absence of Global South representation in permanent Security Council seats perpetuates an outdated North-South imbalance that undermines the council’s credibility and effectiveness.

Third, the concentration of power in the Security Council sidelines the General Assembly and weakens accountability to the broader membership, creating a democratic deficit at the heart of global governance.

Fourth, the UN Charter’s amendment provisions require concurrence from all permanent members, effectively locking in the status quo power dynamics and preventing necessary reforms.

Fifth, anachronistic “enemy state” provisions from World War II remain in the charter, a relic of a bygone era that contradicts the principle of sovereign equality.

Sixth, the charter lacks protections for international justice institutions against politically motivated sanctions designed to obstruct accountability.

Finally, there is no fair appeal mechanism for nations subjected to coercive sanctions outside the Security Council framework, leaving vulnerable states without recourse.

These structural distortions contradict the UN’s founding promise of equal sovereignty, enabling impunity and exacerbating great power rivalry. To reclaim its moral authority and operational effectiveness, the UN must embrace comprehensive reform. The path forward is clear: The General Assembly must be repositioned as the highest UN authority, with oversight over the Security Council to strengthen democratic legitimacy.

The Security Council requires fundamental restructuring: phasing out veto privileges, creating permanent seats for Global South members, and establishing accountability mechanisms to the wider membership.

The charter must explicitly protect international justice bodies and their personnel from politically motivated sanctions.

A robust appeal mechanism for unfair sanctions must be established to protect vulnerable states.

The charter amendment process must be unlocked to allow for periodic modernisation, and obsolete provisions, such as the “enemy state” clauses, must be excised.

While obstacles to reform are formidable, they are not insurmountable. Through strategic coalition-building among influential non-P5 states, co-ordinated diplomatic engagement, mobilisation of the General Assembly, and principled institutional leverage, the international community can create conditions for meaningful change.

The time has come for the P5 to acknowledge a sobering reality.

If they continue to obstruct the collective will of the majority of member states, these nations may ultimately exercise their sovereign right to withdraw from the organisation and establish a more representative alternative.

The legitimacy of any international body rests on the voluntary participation of its members, and no institution, not even the UN, is too big to fail when it ceases to serve its foundational purpose.

The stakes could not be higher. Without reform, the UN risks following the League of Nations’ path toward irrelevance. With reform, it can fulfil its promise as humanity’s best hope for addressing shared challenges through co-operation rather than confrontation.

The choice before us is clear: accept a governance system increasingly misaligned with global realities or summon the political courage to renew the UN as the pre-eminent forum for multilateral co-operation. The world needs, and deserves, a relevant, democratic and effective UN that truly represents all peoples and nations. History will judge this generation not by its declarations but by its determination to strengthen the architecture of global peace and security when it matters most. The moment for decisive action has arrived.

The writer is an independent public policy analyst and a former senior staff member of the United Nations. msafieldin@gmail.com