President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called for abolishing veto powers and permanent membership at the U.N. Security Council, arguing that global decision-making can no longer be left to a handful of countries.
Writing in an article for Bloomberg, Erdoğan said the council still reflected the order established after World War II and urged a concrete roadmap for reform.
“At the center of this roadmap should be the abolition of the veto privilege,” he wrote.
Adding more privileged members would expand the existing system rather than resolve the concentration of decision-making power, Erdoğan argued.
Under his proposal, all council members would be elected by the General Assembly for fixed, rotating terms.
Countries seeking another term would have to secure the backing of a majority of members again.
He also called for greater powers for the General Assembly and stronger council accountability to it.
A broad coalition should be formed within the assembly around the principle that no state should be able to permanently block the will of most members, he wrote.
Erdoğan linked the proposals to his longstanding assertion that “the world is bigger than five,” referring to the council’s permanent members: the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China.
Pandemics, energy crises, supply chain disruptions and regional conflicts had exposed the limits of leaving responses to global crises to a few capitals, he said.
International institutions had failed to keep pace with the emergence of new centers of economic, technological and diplomatic power.
He pointed to Asia’s growing economic weight and Africa’s demands for stronger representation, while urging safeguards for developing countries’ right to development and access to finance.
Erdoğan also advocated a greater role for regional countries in resolving conflicts, with approaches reflecting local conditions, shared interests and the wishes of the countries concerned.
Türkiye would continue to use its diplomatic experience and international ties to support reform, he wrote, arguing that lasting peace required cooperation across regions rather than the proliferation of blocs that do not communicate.
