A new wave for the reform of the security council of the United Nations : great expectations but little results

Abstract

The reform of the Security Council of the United Nations (UNSC) has been an elusive issue at the United Nations (UN). While practically al Member States agree on the need to change the structure of the most powerful body of the world organization, so far there has been no agreement about what elements of that reform or about the substance of the reform itself. In 2008, after more than 15 years of discussion in the Open Ended Working Group (OEWG) with little progress, the General Assembly of the United Nations (UNGA) requested the OFWG to start intergovernmental negotiations on February 19,2009. The general idea was that it should be easier for the Member States to agree on those issues where agreement existed, and to leave the most difficult issues for later.