CIDOB notes internacionals 225, published in January 2020, discusses the importance of enhancing the multilateral system's effectiveness, particularly focusing on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The document highlights several issues with the current functioning of the UNSC, including its inability to effectively address international peace and security due to the permanent members' veto power and the inoperability that arises from this mechanism.
The paper argues for an increase in the Council's representativeness through geographical and regional considerations, acknowledging the historical overrepresentation of some regions. It suggests that the Council should also be more representative of countries' commitment to maintaining international peace and security, and the new distribution of power in the international society surpassing the geopolitical structure of 1945.
Additionally, the paper advocates for a "plural representation" approach, which includes considering factors beyond geographical ones, such as the impact of states on global governance, their vulnerability to threats like climate change, their stance against mechanisms of global governance, their civilizational identity, and their role in regional integration processes. The author also notes that the current global order has not been accompanied by a consistent evolution of global governance institutions, highlighting the resistance against changes in multilateral institutions, which has led to the emergence of less institutionalized mechanisms.
The paper emphasizes that these different factors need to be considered in the context of the increasing heterogeneity of the international society, where traditional criteria of power distribution, economic inequality, and ideological dimensions have been joined by other factors such as state's position in global governance, vulnerability to external threats, civilizational identity, and regional integration status. The author also points out that the lack of adaptation of the international system to these changes has led to a fragmented system, characterized by the existence of parallel institutions and ongoing questioning of the Council's representativeness.
