‘The world is bigger than five'

The current structure of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has long been criticized by some world leaders, stressing that the fate of the world cannot depend on just five states, referring to the veto power of the five permanent member states of the UNSC. The leaders have also urged that significant reforms be made to make the international body more effective to resolve world crises. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticized the U.N. in an annual summit, saying that the current structure of the organization is an obstacle to resolving ongoing problems around the world. In his speech, Erdoğan said: "The world is bigger than five," while Argentinian President Cristina Kirchner also criticized the old structure of the UNSC at the same U.N. summit.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu earlier pointed out the necessity to reform the structure of the U.N., saying that the international body needs to be compatible with "a new balance of power in the world and should [include] all countries, not just the victors of World War II."

Turkey's U.N. envoy, Yaşar Halit Çevik, also addressed the failures of the United Nation to respond to crises at a debate on the operation of the U.N. "A rethinking of how to enable a more effective U.N. response to emerging threats is particularly critical," he said, adding that the organization must adapt its response mechanisms to present-day realities, which are different than 70 years ago.