Summary
There is almost universal recognition that Security Council membership and working methods are obsolete and that there is a need for reform. However, the process of reform has been dragging on with very little achievements since the 1965 expansion of the Council’s membership. This paper undertakes an historical voyage through the previous attempts to reform the Council, and after assessing the current proposals on the table, it ends by summing up some recommendations. These include expanding the membership, allowing members to be re-elected immediately for consecutive terms, and restricting the use of veto.
About the author
Dr. Vesselin Popovski is a Senior Academic Programme Officer in the Peace and Security section at the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS). A former Bulgarian diplomat, he gained his PhD from King’s College, London. He undertakes research and postgraduate teaching and supervision in the fields of international relations, peace and security, international law, human rights, international criminal justice, and governance.
