No real UN reform without abolishing veto power: Erdoğan
NEW YORK
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called for comprehensive reform of the U.N. Security Council, including the removal of the veto power held by its permanent members.
In an article on Sept. 22 for Bloomberg titled “The Quest for Global Justice in a Changing World,” Erdoğan said recent crises, including pandemics, energy shocks, disruptions to supply chains and regional conflicts, had “demonstrated the limits of leaving solutions to global challenges to the decisions of a handful of capitals.”
The U.N. Security Council continues to reflect the structure established after World War II, he said, adding that global decision-making mechanisms must now adapt to today’s conditions.
Erdoğan said “a more effective, fair and accountable” system of representation was necessary and called for broader participation in global decision-making.
He has long pushed for reforms to the U.N., often using the slogan: “The world is bigger than five,” which refers to the Security Council’s unrepresentative membership.
For years, the Council has faced claims that its five veto-wielding members — the U.S., the U.K., France, Russia and China — command disproportionate influence.
“It is essential to turn the need for reform into a concrete roadmap,” Erdoğan said. “At the center of this roadmap should be the abolition of the veto privilege.”
He argued that simply adding new permanent members to the Security Council would not resolve the concentration of decision-making power in the hands of a small number of countries.
According to Erdoğan, reform should instead be based on the principle that no country should have the permanent ability to block the will of the majority of the international community.
The president also called for a new balance between the U.N. Security Council and General Assembly.
He proposed strengthening the powers of the General Assembly and creating a Security Council without permanent memberships, with council members elected by the former for fixed terms.
Under an approach outlined by Erdoğan, countries seeking another term would have to regain the confidence of a majority of U.N. Assembly members through elections.
“Representation and accountability of the Security Council before the General Assembly should be enhanced,” he said.
“Developments over the last quarter century, which is a relatively short period in human history, have shown that no balance of power and no international order is permanent.”
Erdoğan said new centers of power had emerged in areas ranging from the economy and security to technology and diplomacy, while international institutions had failed to adapt to these changes at the same pace.
Wars, the climate crisis, irregular migration and economic vulnerabilities have underscored the importance of strong institutions, resilient economies and effective defense capabilities, he added.
The president pointed to the growing importance of secure and sustainable trade, logistics, transportation and energy corridors.
Erdoğan said Asia’s economic weight was increasing, while African countries were seeking stronger representation consistent with the continent’s potential.
He also said developing countries were increasingly voicing their own priorities and argued that regional problems could not always be resolved through methods determined from outside.
“Approaches based on the will of the countries concerned, local conditions and common interests will produce more lasting and stable results,” Erdoğan said.
The president called for countries with the diplomatic capacity, economic resources and ability to communicate with different sides to assume “more active roles” in promoting peace and stability.