Guterrez urges Security Council reform, says vetoes by great powers block conflict prevention

Secretary-General Gutierrez told reporters in Japan that "what is in crisis is the behavior of superpowers that violate international law" and criticized the use of veto power in the Security Council as enabling impunity, making it harder for the United Nations to prevent and mediate conflicts.

Gutierrez argued the Security Council's current composition "does not guarantee the legitimacy and effectiveness" of the body because it under-represents Africa and Latin America. He said it is "absolutely essential to increase the number of permanent members and to increase the number of nonpermanent members to make the Security Council correspond to today's world." He added that when he began his term, reform was treated as a taboo but that momentum for change is now growing.

Asked how he planned to reform the council and what advice he had for his successor, Gutierrez said it was not in his power to enact reform but that he would advise his successor "to go on fighting, not to be silent, and to claim the need to reestablish justice in the world by reforming the Security Council and, by the way, the international financial architecture." He cited examples of conflicts where external interference and great-power rivalries make prevention more difficult.

The secretary-general linked calls for Council reform to broader institutional changes, referencing the 2024 adoption of the "pact for the future" and the UNIT initiative as parts of efforts to equip the UN for contemporary challenges. He declined to prescribe specific seat allocations or formulas, focusing instead on the need to improve legitimacy and representation.

The press exchange reflected the limits of the secretary-general's formal power: he repeatedly framed reform as imperative but acknowledged that changes will require member-state agreement at the General Assembly and among current Council members.

The press conference is expected to be followed by continued debate on proposals for more representative Security Council membership and on related reforms to global financial institutions.