Editing United Nations (section)

=== Representation and structure ===
Core features of the UN apparatus, such as the [[United Nations Security Council veto power|veto]] privileges of some nations in the [[Security Council]], are often described as fundamentally undemocratic, contrary to the UN mission, and a main cause of inaction on genocides and [[crimes against humanity]].<ref>Oliphant, Roland. [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/04/end-security-council-veto-to-halt-aleppo-violence-un-human-right/ "'End Security Council veto' to halt Syria violence, UN human rights chief says amid deadlock"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128191532/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/04/end-security-council-veto-to-halt-aleppo-violence-un-human-right/ |date=28 January 2020 }}, ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', Dated 4 October 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2020.</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-31617141 |title=Amnesty calls on UN powers to lose veto on genocide votes |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200306134557/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-31617141 |archive-date=6 March 2020 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=25 February 2015 |access-date=10 May 2020}}</ref>

Jacques Fomerand state that the most enduring divide in views of the UN is "the North–South split" between [[North–South divide in the World|richer Northern nations and developing Southern nations]]. Southern nations tend to favour a more empowered UN with a stronger General Assembly, allowing them a greater voice in world affairs, while Northern nations prefer an economically [[laissez-faire]] UN that focuses on transnational threats such as terrorism.{{sfn|Fomerand|2009|p=civ}}

There have been numerous calls for the [[Reform of the United Nations Security Council|UN Security Council's membership to be increased]], for different ways of electing the UN's secretary-general, and for a [[United Nations Parliamentary Assembly|UN Parliamentary Assembly]] (UNPA).<ref>Brauer, M., & Bummel, A. (2020). A United Nations Parliamentary Assembly: A Policy Review of Democracy Without 18 Borders.</ref>

In the context of ongoing United Nations reform discussions, Noble World Foundation (NWF) proposes changing the structure of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) by shifting membership and veto power from individual states to regional organizations like the [[European Union]]. This proposed shift is in line with the UNSC's existing practice of basing the selection of non-permanent members on regional representation. Shifting to regional organization-based membership in the UNSC aims to reduce deadlock caused by individual state vetoes. A prime example of this issue was observed on 25 February 2022, when Russia used its veto power to block a resolution against its invasion of Ukraine, thereby underscoring a significant weakness in the UNSC's functioning. NWF's proposal is intended to improve the effectiveness and decision-making process within the UNSC.<ref>{{cite web |title=The urgent need for UNSC reform: A path to global peace |url=https://indiapost.com/the-urgent-need-for-unsc-reform-a-path-to-global-peace/ |website=India Post |date=15 December 2023 |access-date=15 December 2023 |archive-date=21 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231221065201/https://indiapost.com/the-urgent-need-for-unsc-reform-a-path-to-global-peace/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The European Union: The World's Biggest Sovereignty Experiment", CFR World 101 |date=14 February 2023 |url=https://world101.cfr.org/understanding-international-system/building-blocks/european-union-worlds-biggest-sovereignty |publisher=[[The European Union]] |access-date=24 December 2023 |archive-date=21 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231221065204/https://world101.cfr.org/understanding-international-system/building-blocks/european-union-worlds-biggest-sovereignty |url-status=live}}</ref>

In response to concerns regarding the pace of progress under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), recent studies have suggested institutional reforms to enhance the integration of ecological concerns in UN decision-making processes.<ref>Constantinou, C. M., & Christodoulou, E. (2024). On making peace with nature: Visions and challenges towards an ecological diplomacy. ''Review of International Studies'', ''50''(3), 579–599. doi:10.1017/S0260210524000172</ref> Scholars affiliated with the Planet Politics Institute and The Planetary Democrats have proposed the creation of an Earth System Council, modelled after the UNSC, and a Planetary Parliament, alongside the proposed UNPA, to provide formal representation for ecological interests within the UN system.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Burke |first1=Anthony |title=Across Species and Borders: Political Representation, Ecological Democracy and the Non-Human |date=2020 |work=Non-Human Nature in World Politics: Theory and Practice |pages=33–52 |editor-last=Pereira |editor-first=Joana Castro |url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-49496-4_3 |access-date=2025-01-09 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-49496-4_3 |isbn=978-3-030-49496-4 |last2=Fishel |first2=Stefanie |editor2-last=Saramago |editor2-first=André|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Winters |first=Joseph |date= |title=What if nature had a voice in legislation? A 'planetary parliament' could give it one. |url=https://grist.org/looking-forward/what-if-nature-had-a-voice-in-legislation-a-planetary-parliament-could-give-it-one/ |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=[[Grist]] |language=en-us}}</ref>