Calls to reform the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) have circulated almost since the Council's creation in 1945, intensifying after the end of the Cold War and again during the UN's 60th anniversary in 2005. Reform debates generally focus on four interlinked issues: the size of the Council, the categories of membership (permanent vs. non-permanent), the veto held by the P5 (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States), and working methods such as transparency and consultation with troop-contributing countries.
Several blocs have advanced competing proposals through the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) process, established by General Assembly decision 62/557 in 2008:
- G4 (Brazil, Germany, India, Japan) — seek new permanent seats for themselves plus African representation, and additional non-permanent seats.
- Uniting for Consensus (UfC), sometimes called the "Coffee Club," led by Italy, Pakistan, Mexico, and others — opposes new permanent seats and favors expanding only the non-permanent category, often with longer or renewable terms.
- African Union, through the Ezulwini Consensus (2005) — demands two permanent seats with veto rights and additional non-permanent seats for Africa.
- L.69 Group — a cross-regional bloc of developing states pushing for expansion in both categories.
- ACT Group (Accountability, Coherence, Transparency) — focuses on working-methods reform, including a voluntary pledge to refrain from using the veto in cases of mass atrocities.
Any structural change requires amending Articles 23, 27, and 108 of the UN Charter, which needs a two-thirds vote in the General Assembly and ratification by two-thirds of UN members, including all five permanent members — a high bar that has blocked substantive reform since the 1965 enlargement from 11 to 15 members.
In MUN committees, delegates often draft reform clauses in GA Plenary, Legal Committee, or specialized simulations. Realistic proposals usually combine modest expansion, veto restraint mechanisms, and procedural transparency rather than full P5 abolition.
Example
In 2005, the G4 nations (Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan) jointly submitted a draft resolution to the UN General Assembly proposing six new permanent seats and four new non-permanent seats on the Security Council; the draft was never put to a vote.