We must reform the Security Council: UN chief Guterres in final UNGA address
The UN Secretary-General delivered his final address to the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), as his second five-year term concludes in December 2026
The address called for reform of the UN Security Council, stating that the body's composition no longer reflects contemporary geopolitical realities
The speech specifically highlighted that Africa continues to have no permanent seat on the Security Council, describing this as "unjust and indefensible"
The address closed a nearly ten-year tenure during which the UN pursued a system-wide reform agenda alongside recurring calls for Security Council restructuring
Selection and Appointment of the UN Secretary-General (Article 97)
Article 97 of the UN Charter provides that the Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council. Because this is a Security Council recommendation, it is a non-procedural matter under Article 27, meaning any one of the five permanent members (P5) can block a candidate through the veto — making the Secretary-General's selection itself an illustration of how P5 primacy shapes even the UN's administrative leadership.
Key Details
- By convention (not the Charter text), Secretaries-General serve five-year terms, renewable for a second term
- Guterres was first appointed in 2016 for the term beginning January 1, 2017; the Security Council recommended his second term via Resolution 2580 (2021), and the General Assembly appointed him for a second term (January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2026) through Resolution 75/286
- Regional rotation and, increasingly, calls for a woman Secretary-General are informal norms, not Charter requirements
- The Secretary-General is both the UN's chief administrative officer (Article 97) and has a political role under Article 99, which allows bringing matters threatening international peace to the Security Council's attention
This being Guterres's final UNGA address underscores that his term-limited tenure is ending on the fixed date set by the 2021 appointment resolution, with the selection process for his successor now beginning under the same Article 97 procedure.
The UN80 Initiative — Secretariat and Budget Reform
Separate from Security Council reform, Guterres launched the UN80 Initiative in March 2025, marking the UN's 80th anniversary, to overhaul the efficiency and structure of the UN Secretariat and wider UN system — a reform track within the Secretary-General's own administrative authority, unlike Security Council reform which requires member-state and Charter-level change.
Key Details
- Three stated priorities: improving operational efficiency, reviewing how member-state mandates are implemented, and exploring structural consolidation of overlapping UN agencies
- The Secretariat's budget (about $3.7 billion) was targeted for a roughly 20% cut in 2026, with an estimated 6,900 potential job reductions from a Secretariat workforce of about 35,000
- Distinct from Security Council reform: UN80 addresses administrative/budgetary efficiency of the Secretariat, while Security Council reform requires a UN Charter amendment under Article 108
Guterres's final UNGA week combined this administrative reform push (UN80, within his own mandate) with the political call for Security Council reform (which requires member states to act after he departs), showing the two-track nature of "UN reform" as a concept.
The Ezulwini Consensus and Africa's Exclusion from the Security Council
The Ezulwini Consensus is the African Union's common position on UN Security Council reform, adopted in 2005 at Ezulwini, Eswatini. It is the basis for Africa's demand — reiterated in the Secretary-General's address — for permanent representation on the Council, since the current five permanent seats (fixed at the UN's founding in 1945) exclude the entire African continent.
Key Details
- The Ezulwini Consensus demands at least two permanent seats (with veto power) and five non-permanent seats for Africa, reflecting that the majority of African states were still under colonial rule when the UN was founded and had no voice in designing the Council
- The Security Council's last structural expansion was in 1965, when non-permanent seats were increased from 6 to 10 (raising total membership from 11 to 15) via a Charter amendment under Article 108 — the only successful precedent for enlarging the Council
- The 2024 Pact for the Future, adopted by the General Assembly, commits member states to pursue Security Council reform, including addressing "the historical injustice against Africa," "without delay" — the strongest political commitment to reform since the 1960s
- Since any Charter amendment needs ratification by two-thirds of member states including all five permanent members (Article 108), African representation cannot be added without unanimous P5 consent
The Secretary-General's direct language on African exclusion reflects the Ezulwini Consensus position and signals continued high-level backing for it, even though implementation remains blocked by the Article 108 unanimity requirement among the P5.
- Guterres's second term: January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2026 (ends this term)
- Security Council composition: 15 members — 5 permanent (China, France, Russia, UK, US), 10 elected non-permanent
- Last Security Council expansion: 1965 (11 to 15 members) — the only successful Charter Article 108 amendment enlarging the Council
- Ezulwini Consensus (2005): demands 2 permanent seats with veto + 5 non-permanent seats for Africa
- UN80 Initiative: launched March 2025; targets ~20% Secretariat budget cut and roughly 6,900 job reductions in 2026
- This UNGA high-level week opened the UN's 81st General Assembly session (sessions numbered consecutively since the first in 1946)