Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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October 24, 2025 UN
The United Nations Secretary-General addressed the UN Security Council via video link calling for urgent reform of the Security Council, which he said "shaped the course of history" and "prevented the chaos of a major war" but is now in dire need of change.
Speaking from Hanoi, the UN chief began with the story of the Security Council's very first vote in 1946. When the ballot box was inspected before the vote, a note from New York mechanic Paul Antonio—the designer of that very same box—was unexpectedly discovered. "May God be with every Member of the United Nations, and may your noble efforts bring lasting peace to the world," the Secretary-General quoted from the note.
“The Security Council exists for the sake of people,” he emphasized. Antonio Guterres"For the sake of parents who have lost children, refugees left homeless, soldiers who have lost limbs. In every corner of this hall are the shadows of the fallen. But next to them are the hopes of the living."
The Secretary-General noted the Security Council's key historical achievements: helping to stop genocide in Cambodia and dismantle the apartheid system in South Africa, implementing peacekeeping missions in Sierra Leone, Timor-Leste, Liberia and other countries, and creating a global counter-terrorism architecture.
However, according to Guterres, the Security Council's reputation "remains fragile." The Secretary-General condemned instances of Member States acting in violation of the UN Charter, which "undermines confidence in the entire system" and "threatens global security."
In his speech, the UN chief placed particular emphasis on the need to expand the number of permanent members of the Security Council. "Africa, a region where nearly half of all UN peacekeeping missions are deployed, lacks a permanent voice at this table," the Secretary-General noted, adding that Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Asia-Pacific region are also underrepresented.
António Guterres supported initiatives by France and the UK to limit the use of the veto and called on the Security Council to "study them carefully."
Concluding his speech, the Secretary-General addressed the Security Council members: "Be worthy of the olive wreath of peace! The time has come to open the doors and let the light in. Without a Security Council fit for purpose, the world will be in danger."
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