UN Secretary General Says Security Council Needs Composition Reform And Work Methods After Stalls In Ukraine And Gaza

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. (Wikimedia Commons/US Mission/Eric Bridiers)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday lamented the failure of the UN Security Council in response to the Hamas-Israeli conflict and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying it was necessary to reform the agency, assessing the conflicts had weakened its authorities.

Speaking at the opening of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Secretary General Guterres said the UN Security Council was often deadlocked and "cannot act on the most important issues of peace and security today".

"The lack of unity of the Security Council in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and in Israel's military operations in Gaza following the horrific terror attack by Hamas on October 7, has been very, perhaps fatally, damaging to its authority," Secretary General Guterres said.

"The board needs serious reforms to its composition and work methods," he continued.

The United States last week again vetoed a UN Security Council resolution draft, blocking calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Israel's attack on Gaza.

This is the third veto of Uncle Sam's country against a draft resolution since the start of the current battle on October 7.

An estimated 1.5 million Gazans are crammed into tents and temporary shelters in the city of Rafah bordering Egypt, most of whom have fled from their homes further north to avoid Israeli attacks.

Secretary General Guterres, who described Rafah as at the heart of humanitarian aid operations in the Palestinian enclave, said large-scale Israeli attacks there would have devastating consequences.

"Israel's overall attack on the city will not only scare the more than a million Palestinian civilians who took refuge there, but will also be the last nail in the coffin of our aid program," he said.

It is known that the flow of aid entering Gaza from Egypt has decreased, and the collapse of security makes it increasingly difficult to distribute incoming food, according to UN data and officials.