Türkiye's Communications Directorate on Tuesday held a panel in a series focused on United Nations Security Council reforms in Cape Town, South Africa.

During the discussions, a panel of academics and scholars stressed that the U.N. Security Council is in urgent need of reform to safeguard international security and peace, provide solutions to global conflicts and save lives. Organized by Türkiye's Directorate of Communications and titled "United Nations Security Council Reform: A New Approach to Reconstructing the International Order," the conference heard speeches from a variety of senior scholars and academics well-versed in international relations who all see the need for the reform of global governance.

Moderated by Turkish scholar Mürsel Bayram, the panel brought together Turkish professor Suay Nilhan Açıkalın, South African economist William Gumede and the head of the South Africa-based civil society group Inclusive Society Institute, Daryl Swanepoel.

The panel kicked off with a video message from Türkiye's Communications Director Fahrettin Altun.

Altun said the U.N. has made significant contributions to peace and stability in various geographies of the world since its establishment.

However, he said the bloc's Security Council needs reform, adding that the U.N. has found itself in desperate straits in the face of recent human tragedies and wars.

Zaheer Laher, the acting chief director of the U.N. Peace and Security's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), also attended the panel via videoconference and said Türkiye and South Africa have a similar approach to U.N. reform.

"As South Africa, we attach great importance to the development of peace and security, human rights, democracy, justice, and the rule of international law in the international arena," Laher added.

Noting that the conflicts in Africa make up a significant part of the Security Council's agenda, Laher said that the continent is only represented by temporary members in the council.

"Africa and Latin America should be represented permanently in the U.N. Security Council," he said.

For his part, Gumede drew attention to the inequality in the current global system dominated by industrialized countries. "We can say that some countries are more equal in the rule of law in this system," he said.

"In this moment of great uncertainty in an evolving world, we need a change in the global system," he stressed.

Swanepoel highlighted that it is impossible for the U.N. to remain unaffected by the geopolitical and economic transformations experienced in the last 77 years.

He argued that if the U.N. wants to be inclusive, it must do so not only in terms of geographical membership but also in terms of geopolitical orientation and cultural influence.

"There is a worldwide perception that this organization is not doing enough to suppress and resolve conflicts. In fact, the U.N. is paralyzed by the interests of its competing members," he added.

Also speaking at the panel, Turkish academic Açıkalın said the Security Council could not meet the expectations of the international system in this chaotic environment.

She stressed the "need to produce solutions with systems that cover the whole of the world and the international community and that work effectively."

In addition, it has been argued that the council exists to safeguard the interests of powerful individual states who maintain sway and influence due to their highly advanced economies and their possession of nuclear arsenals, rather than protecting the interests of the international community and global security

The hypocrisy and double standards of the U.N. have been repeatedly pointed out, with many comparing the hyped-up international reaction to Russia's attack on Ukraine to the silence and neglect in the wake of non-European conflicts and atrocities such as the indiscriminate attacks by Israeli forces on the occupied Gaza Strip. The panelists blamed this on the imbalance of power in the Security Council.

Türkiye has been at the forefront in calling for such changes. These include introducing term limits to the membership of the five permanent members of the council, just like non-permanent members, and removing their veto power, which has prevented the U.N. from carrying out much-needed assistance throughout the world.