Context: In his final address to the UN General Assembly as Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres called for reform of the Security Council, calling it unjust that Africa still has no permanent seat 80 years after the UN's founding. He warned that global governance institutions still reflect a 'bygone age' and urged a shift towards a rules-based 'networked multipolar' world rather than fragmentation into rival blocs.
Delivering his last high-level address as UN Secretary-General (his second five-year term ends December 2026), Antonio Guterres told world leaders that the Security Council, designed after World War II, no longer reflects today's geopolitical realities. He singled out Africa's continued absence from permanent membership as the "most stunning example" of this imbalance, and called for reform to restore the Council's legitimacy and effectiveness.
Directly relevant to GS2 topics on the United Nations, its organs, and reform debates (G4 nations, African Union's Ezulwini Consensus, veto power reform). It also feeds into broader GS2/GS3 discussions on emerging multipolarity, India's foreign policy positioning, and global governance architecture reform (also relevant to IMF/World Bank quota reform debates).
Test your understanding
Q1.Which grouping of countries, including India, jointly advocates for permanent UN Security Council seats?