UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday urged an "update" the world body to effectively address contemporary global crises.
"Born out of the ashes of World War II, our organization was the result of a global commitment to 'save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,'" Guterres told the Security Council.
Describing the UN as "essential, one-of-a-kind meeting ground to advance peace, sustainable development and human rights" for eight decades, Guterres said: "But eight decades is a long time."
"We have the hardware for international cooperation, but the software needs an update. An update in representation to reflect the realities of today," he said.
Noting that the "update" is also needed to "redress historical injustices," he said it is also needed to "ensure countries adhere to the purposes, principles and norms that ground multilateralism in justice and fairness."
Guterres pointed to rising global threats, from economic inequality to the effects of artificial intelligence, as further reasons for reform.
"Terrorism and violent extremism remain persistent scourges. We see a dark spirit of impunity spreading," he said, adding that "the limitless promise of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence is matched by limitless peril to undermine and even replace human thought, human identity and human control."
Guterres highlighted the "Pact for the Future," adopted in September, as a blueprint for necessary reforms.
"At its heart, the Pact for the Future is a pact for peace, peace in all its dimensions," he said.
He said that the pact calls for strengthened multilateral cooperation, and reaffirms sovereignty and territorial integrity and new strategies to prevent conflicts and maintain stability.
"The pact also recognizes that the Security Council must reflect the world of today, not the world of 80 years ago, and sets out important principles to guide this long-awaited reform," Guterres said, noting that the council "should be enlarged and made more representative of today's geopolitical realities."
The UN chief called on Security Council members to "overcome the divisions that are blocking effective action for peace."
"The world looks to you to act in meaningful ways to end conflicts and ease the suffering these wars inflict on innocent people. Council members have shown that finding common ground is possible," he said.
"Even in the darkest days of the Cold War, the collective decision-making and vigorous dialogue in this Council maintained a functioning, if imperfect, system of collective security," he said, and urged it "to summon this same spirit, continue working to overcome differences and focus on building the consensus required to deliver the peace all people need and deserve."
Guterres reinforced his plea for global unity and a renewed commitment to an updated UN, and said, "Multilateralism is only as strong as each and every country's commitment to it."
