"UN Reform Deadlock and Calls for a New Global Charter"
Veto power
right of any UNSC permanent member to block a substantive Security Council resolution.
Multipolarity
distribution of global power among several major centres instead of one or two.
The current international order was built after the collapse of the League of Nations, which had failed to prevent the Second World War. The UN Charter was adopted in 1945, creating a Security Council with five permanent members, the US, UK, France, Russia and China, each holding veto power under Article 27. This structure reflected the power balance of 1945, not today's world. Crucially, changing this structure is extremely difficult: Articles 108-109 require any Charter amendment to be ratified by two-thirds of the General Assembly and by all five permanent members. This means the very institutions accused of blocking reform also hold the exclusive power to approve reform, a built-in contradiction that has stalled every serious proposal for decades.
Since the 1990s, various groupings have tried to break this deadlock. The G4 nations, India, Brazil, Germany and Japan, have pushed for new permanent seats. The Uniting for Consensus coalition opposes this, preferring only more non-permanent seats. The African Union's Ezulwini Consensus demands at least two permanent seats with veto power for Africa. None of these proposals has secured the near-unanimous P5 backing that Charter amendment requires, leaving the Security Council's composition unchanged since 1965, when non-permanent seats were last expanded.
The UN Secretary-General's recent remarks in Delhi mark an unusual shift in tone. A year earlier, he had defended the UN as a moral compass and guardian of international law. His later description of the Security Council as "paralysed" and unable to "put order in the world" signals recognition that the 1945 design no longer matches today's distribution of power. This is not simply a rhetorical shift; it reflects the practical reality that major and middle powers increasingly bypass or discount the UN's central role.
The pattern of absences at the recent UN General Assembly session reinforces this reading. Several heads of state and government stayed away, choosing bilateral engagements or domestic priorities instead. …
Consider the following statements with regard to BRICS:
I.16th BRICS Summit was held under the Chairship of Russia in Kazan.
II.Indonesia has become a full member of BRICS.
III.The theme of the 16th BRICS Summit was 'Strengthening Multiculturalism for Just Global Development and Security'.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The 'Fortaleza Declaration', recently in the news, is related to the affairs of
"The reform process in the United Nations remains unresolved, because of the delicate imbalance of East and West and entanglement of the USA vs. Russo-Chinese alliance." Examine and critically evaluate the East-West policy confrontations in this regard.
Consider the following statements about proposals to reform the UN Security Council:
1.The G4 nations propose expanding permanent and non-permanent categories, including seats for India, Brazil, Germany and Japan.
2.The 'Uniting for Consensus' group opposes the creation of new permanent seats.
3.The African Union's 'Ezulwini Consensus' demands at least two permanent seats with veto power for Africa.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding reform of the United Nations Charter:
1.Amendments to the UN Charter require ratification by two-thirds of the UN General Assembly, including all five permanent members of the Security Council.
2.The G4 grouping comprises India, Brazil, Germany and Japan, all seeking permanent seats on the Security Council.
3.The 'Uniting for Consensus' group supports expanding only non-permanent Security Council seats.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following statements about BRICS:
1.It was originally founded as BRIC by Brazil, Russia, India and China, with South Africa joining later.
2.Indonesia became a full member of BRICS in 2025.
3.The 'Fortaleza Declaration' is associated with a BRICS summit.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Match List-I (Document/Declaration) with List-II (Year of Origin) and select the correct answer using the code below:
List-I:
A.Atlantic Charter
B.UN Charter
C.Covenant of the League of Nations
D.Bretton Woods Agreement
List-II:
1.1919
2.1941
3.1944
4.1945
The Atlantic Charter of 1941, which later formed a basis for the creation of the United Nations, was jointly proclaimed by the wartime leaders of which two countries?
Want the full note, Prelims Facts & MCQ answers?
Create a free account — takes less than a minute.
Create free account