Turkish Presidency holds “UN Security Council Reform” panel in Amsterdam

Faculty Member Prof. Özden Zeynep Oktav from Istanbul Medeniyet University, Department of International Relations, Member of the European Parliament Ryszard Czarnecki, and Project Manager of the Diplomatic World Institute Alberto Turkstra participated in the panel, which was moderated by Prof. Giray Sadık, Director of the European Studies Research Centre.

The panel started with a video message from the Presidency's Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun. Director of Communications Altun stated in his message that the UN was founded in 1945 by 51 countries, including Türkiye, with the aim of “maintaining and preserving international peace and security” and added that there are currently 193 UN members.

Emphasizing that since its founding, the UN has significantly contributed to promoting peace and security in different parts of the world, Director of Communications Altun said that the UN's current organizational structure must be reformed since the organization has proven incapable of responding to human tragedies and wars in the recent past and today, failing to live up to expectations set by the international community.

“This request from Türkiye is an opportunity for the system to revise itself”

After the panel, Faculty Member Prof. Özden Zeynep Oktav from Istanbul Medeniyet University, Department of International Relations stated that Türkiye communicated to the world that the UN structure must be reformed, and this request from Türkiye is an opportunity for the system to revise itself.

Oktav remarked: “Türkiye is not a revisionist country or one that left the status quo with a request for reform in the UN system; rather, it contributes significantly to the upkeep of the current system. I want to emphasize the alliance's lack of support for Türkiye and how indifferent it is to the threats that Türkiye confronts. We can list these as the alliance countries' indifference in the face of Türkiye's fight against terrorism and the challenges posed by the migration flow.”

Highlighting the significance of Türkiye's role in the Ukraine war, particularly for the security and stability of Europe, Oktav said:

“Priority one is food security. The agreement that permits grain exports from Ukraine was signed in Istanbul. Of course, Europe appreciates the role that Türkiye has played in this regard, but I wanted to reiterate it at this meeting. The lack of hegemonic power in the international system is another problem I emphasize. I tried to explain that we consistently view America as a hegemonic power that favors protracted wars rather than a hegemonic power that contributes to the security and stability of the international system. Unfortunately, America has been a supporter of protracted wars in Syria and Ukraine. Türkiye still views America as an ally for itself, though. The goal of America is to occupy countries like Russia and China with their own regions to stop their expansion into new territories and weaken their power, but this does not serve global peace. “

Emphasis on the UN's need to reform

Member of the European Parliament Czarnecki said in his speech, which began with a history of the UN, that the organization was ineffective at resolving global issues and it needed to undergo reform.

Czarnecki remarked, “Frankly speaking, there are some situations where the UN is not very effective. Challenges are varied and new everywhere, especially now. We call for a more effective and functional UN.”

Czarnecki went on to say: “If we look at the Permanent Security Council, there are five permanent members in this council. This structure looks like a picture from 1945, which was taken 77 years ago. The world has changed significantly since then, and our situation is very different now, but this significant structure continues to function as it did 80 years ago. This paradox is quite serious and cannot be sustained long-term. There must be a more equitable distribution for this council to adequately represent the current structure and be able to resolve conflicts and develop solutions to international crises.”

“We all know that the UN needs to undergo this drastic reform”

Project Manager of the Diplomatic World Institute Alberto Turkstra concurred that the UN needs to undergo reform, as well.

Turkstra said: “We all know that the UN needs to undergo this drastic reform. Looking at the global structure, we need to reform the UN to ensure global peace and security. We are unable to accomplish this using 20th-century techniques. The conflicts in Syria and Iraq illustrate this. This is evident from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This is demonstrated by the fact that the UN Security Council is currently powerless to stop it. Hence, Security Council reform is one of the most crucial topics.”

Noting that the UN Security Council has had a reform agenda since 1979, Turkstra argued that the right conjuncture could never be found on this issue and that the current structure does not represent the proper balance of power. (ILKHA)