World

Guterres Urges UN Council Reform, Indonesia Eyes 2029–2030 Seat

Stateline MEDIA Newsroom•October 20, 2026•5 min read

UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged reform of the UN Security Council at a forum in Jakarta on Monday (19/10/2026), judging that the composition of its five permanent members is no longer relevant and that some of its members are instead triggering wars. Amid growing proposals for a permanent African seat and restrictions on the veto, Indonesia reaffirmed its support for reform while also putting itself forward as a candidate for a non-permanent Security Council seat for the 2029–2030 term.

Key Facts

Monday (10/19/2026): UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC) at the Foreign Policy Circle Talks forum titled 'Eight Decades of the United Nations: What's Next?' at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Central Jakarta. Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Arrmanatha Nasir also attended the event.
Guterres assessed that the composition of the five permanent members of the Security Council — the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China (three European countries, one North American, one Asian) — is irrelevant to today's world. He also highlighted the irony that several permanent members have themselves started wars in disregard of international law, which limits the UN's ability to maintain world peace.
UNSC structure: 15 members — five permanent members with veto power and ten non-permanent members elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. Reform proposals on the table: the African Union's Ezulwini Consensus demands at least two permanent seats for Africa with veto power; Spain proposes abolishing the veto; the French-Mexican initiative pushes for restricting the veto in cases of mass atrocities.
At the 81st UN General Assembly (September 2026), Guterres stressed: 'A 21st-century Security Council without a permanent African seat is unjust and indefensible.' But structural reform is difficult: amending the UN Charter requires two-thirds support in the General Assembly and ratification by two-thirds of member states, including all five veto powers.
Indonesia has served four times as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (1973–1974, 1995–1996, 2007–2008, and 2019–2020) and is now running for the 2029–2030 term — announced by Foreign Minister Sugiono on 26/9/2026 in New York under the theme 'Fostering Unity, Advancing Peace'. Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir stressed that Indonesia will push for a more effective, representative, transparent, and democratic Security Council: 'The Security Council must be a space for creating solutions, not a space where vetoes happen.' Indonesia is also among the largest contributors of UN peacekeeping troops since 1957, including long-term deployment in Lebanon through UNIFIL.

Guterres: UN Security Council Composition No Longer Reflects the World

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an overhaul of the UN Security Council (UNSC) structure because the composition of its permanent members is considered to no longer reflect current world conditions. The statement was made by Guterres at the Foreign Policy Circle Talks forum titled 'Eight Decades of the United Nations: What's Next?' at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Central Jakarta, Monday (19/10/2026), attended by Indonesian Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir.

"We must also reform the Security Council. The permanent members of the Security Council currently consist of three European countries, one North American country, and one Asian country. Is this composition relevant to today's world? Does this body reflect the realities of today's world? Clearly not," said Guterres.

Guterres also highlighted the bitter irony that several permanent members are themselves involved in triggering armed conflict. "Unfortunately, today we are seeing permanent members of the Security Council sometimes starting wars while disregarding international law, which ultimately severely limits the UN's ability to advance world peace and security," he said. The statement was made at the close of his official visit to Indonesia, October 17–19, 2026, which included a meeting with President Prabowo Subianto and a review of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) Peacekeeping Mission Center (PMPP) in Bogor.

Proposals on the Table: African Seats to Veto Limits

The UN Security Council currently has 15 members: five permanent members — the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China — each holding veto power, plus ten non-permanent members elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. This composition has barely changed since the UN was founded in 1945.

A number of concrete proposals have emerged. The African Union's Ezulwini Consensus demands at least two permanent seats for Africa with the same rights and privileges as current permanent members, including veto power. Guterres has repeatedly supported it — at the 81st UN General Assembly in September 2026 he asserted that a 21st-century Security Council without a permanent African seat is unjust and indefensible. Spain went further by proposing the abolition of veto power altogether, while the French-Mexican initiative pushes for restricting the use of the veto in cases of mass atrocities.

Its biggest challenge is structural: amending the UN Charter requires the support of two-thirds of the General Assembly and ratification by two-thirds of member states, including all five veto holders — meaning any veto holder can block reforms that curtail its own power.

Indonesia's Position: Non-Permanent Member Candidate 2029–2030

Indonesia is taking an active role in this reform discourse. In a bilateral meeting with Guterres, Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir conveyed three strategic messages: commitment to UNSC reform along with Indonesia's candidacy as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2029–2030 period, strengthening multilateralism, and support for Palestine.

The candidacy was announced by Foreign Minister Sugiono at the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, 26 September 2026, with the campaign theme 'Fostering Unity, Advancing Peace'. Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir emphasized that, if elected, Indonesia would push for a more effective, representative, transparent, and democratic Security Council. "The Security Council must be a space for creating solutions, not a space where vetoes occur," he stressed.

Indonesia is no newcomer to the UNSC: it has held a non-permanent seat four times, in 1973–1974, 1995–1996, 2007–2008, and 2019–2020, and held the UNSC presidency in August 2020. Indonesia is also among the largest contributors of UN peacekeeping troops since 1957, including a long-term assignment in Lebanon through UNIFIL.