Veteran Diplomats Urge Sweeping UN Reform to Better Address Global Crises

A UN commission of 14 former foreign ministers presented a global governance report on Tuesday that puts forward guidelines to overhaul the United Nations, including expanding the UN Security Council and clipping the veto powers of its members.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – After a year of preparations, the 158-page comprehensive report was unveiled in the Hague by its co-chairs – former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and ex-foreign policy chief of Nigeria Ibrahim Gambari.

In his remarks on the report, Gambari called for "security sector reform and the rule of law to economic and social recovery and the promotion of human rights."

The 12-point roadmap recommends expanding the membership of the UN’s five-nation core Security Council and promoting a "culture of restraint in the use of the veto."

The initiative also foresees transforming the UN Peacebuilding Commission into a Peacebuilding Council with a focus on conflict prevention; expanding the jurisdiction of the World Court; creating a UN parliamentary advisory body; and establishing a "G20+" group to prevent the spread of cross-border financial shocks.

The expert panel consists of diplomats from Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Tanzania, the United States and the United Nations.

Their report comes ahead of the UN’s 70th anniversary in October, which marks the day its charter entered into force in 1945. A UN anniversary summit is due to take place in September in New York City.