‘No one can pretend now that the Security Council is a well-functioning organization,' says Richard Gowan, an expert on UN
As global leaders gather for the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, an unmistakable cloud hangs over the proceedings: growing frustration with the UN.
In a world rocked by Israel's ongoing war in Gaza, the Russian war on Ukraine and the escalation between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, calls for reform of the Security Council, a body long criticized as outdated, have never been louder.
“The majority of leaders speaking at the UN will say that it is time for Security Council reform,” Richard Gowan, the UN director for the International Crisis Group, told Anadolu in an interview.
“No one can pretend now that the Security Council is a well-functioning organization. So getting to reform, negotiating reform, will be difficult, but there is a growing desire to see change,” he said.
The Security Council, dominated by the five veto-wielding permanent members—the US, Russia, China, France and the UK—has been repeatedly paralyzed by their conflicting interests.
Russia's veto has blocked any meaningful response to the wars in Ukraine and Syria, while the US has shielded Israel from international pressure as Tel Aviv's war on Gaza has been ongoing for nearly a year, leaving the council unable to act.
Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year which killed nearly 1,200 Israelis, according to Israeli figures, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
According to Gaza health authorities, Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed nearly 41,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 95,700.
Tensions have also risen between the Hezbollah group and Israel amid escalating cross-border attacks and growing fears of a full-scale war in the region.
- Ongoing wars in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan
According to UN watchers, the situation in Gaza and the escalation in Lebanon will be dominant themes in most leaders' speeches.
“I think that virtually every leader will call for a cease-fire in Gaza. Most will refer to the need for a two-state solution,” Gowan said.
“Sadly, I think events in the region and especially the escalation between Israel and Hezbollah will move quicker than diplomacy at the UN,” he added.
While the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is poised to take center stage, the ongoing war in Ukraine remains a crucial concern.
“Ukrainian diplomats have been concerned that their struggle is overshadowed by Gaza,” Gowan said. “But President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy is here, and I think that President Zelensky will be laying out his plan for victory and trying to get UN members to offer him more support.”
In addition to Gaza and Ukraine, another conflict likely to receive significant attention is the war in Sudan.
“The Biden administration is really trying to raise international attention to the war in Sudan during the high-level week,” Gowan noted, adding that international pressure may be more effective in Sudan's case compared to other conflicts.
- Biden's last UN General Assembly
Yet amid these pressing global issues, there's an undercurrent of uncertainty surrounding the future of US leadership at the UN. As this is potentially President Joe Biden's last appearance at the General Assembly, Gowan reflected on the challenges Biden's administration has faced in balancing support for the UN while navigating the complexities of US domestic politics.
“He's done a lot to support the organization,” he said of Biden. “But he's also alienated a lot of other leaders with his positioning over the Israel-Hamas war. Everyone in the back of their minds will have the November (US presidential) elections and the possibility that a year from now, we might be listening to President (Donald) Trump give another speech at the UN podium. A Trump administration would be very challenging for the world organization.”
