♤ The following are just some of the criteria that have been proposed for new permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council. A new member should be::

o A major economic power

o A major military power

o A substantial contributor to the UN budget

o A big nation in terms of its population

o A nation that respects democracy and human rights

o Country that would make the Council more representative of the world’s diversity in

terms of geography, economic systems, and culture.

♤ A related issue was to change the nature of membership altogether. Some insisted, for instance, that the veto power of the five permanent members be abolished. Many perceived the veto to be in conflict with the concept of democracy and sovereign equality in the UN and thought that the veto was no longer right or relevant.

♤ As the UN completed 60 years of its existence, the heads of all the member-states met in September 2005 to celebrate the anniversary and review the situation.

♤ Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has made proposals to reform the United Nations since beginning his term in January 2017. In A speech in September 2017 he said “Our shared objective is a 21st century UN focused more on people and less on process…more on delivery and less on bureaucracy.”