(MENAFN) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for a revamp of the Security Council, urging world leaders to make the institution "fit for purpose" in a time of escalating international challenges.

Speaking to the council virtually in observance of its 80th anniversary, Guterres combined reflections on history with a pointed warning regarding the vulnerability of the global system.

"The council is a vital necessity, and a powerful force for good, but at the same time, its legitimacy is fragile," Guterres remarked.

He acknowledged the council’s decades-long achievements, highlighting its role in aiding Cambodia’s recovery from genocide and South Africa’s shift from apartheid, as well as peacekeeping efforts in Sierra Leone, Timor-Leste, and Liberia. Above all, he noted, the UN framework has "given us 80 years without the chaos of a great power war."

Yet, Guterres cautioned that recent rifts and unilateral measures by member nations—operating outside the mandates of the UN Charter—have weakened the council’s moral influence.

"Reform of the Security Council is imperative, and long overdue, for the maintenance of global order and safety. This includes expanding the membership," he emphasized, supporting proposals to broaden the council’s composition to more accurately mirror 21st-century realities.

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