The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council cannot be modified but additional permanent members could be added, the U.S. envoy to the global body said Wednesday.
Speaking at an oversight hearing at the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said she launched a discussion at the Security Council in September during the 77th session of the U.N. General Assembly and noted U.S. President Joe Biden's call for reform.
"We have to make this Council more inclusive and more representative," she said.
But she stressed that the "permanent five" was built into the U.N. charter, adding: "I can't change that."
"But we can change, and add additional permanent members, as well as additional elected members of the council," she said.
She said she has been engaged with countries in all regions in the last few months with the "idea of moving forward on some kind of reform that allows us to bring new countries into the Security Council."
"Japan currently is an elected member. India was elected member for the past two years and both of them have expressed desires to be permanent members," she said.
The efficacy of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) has been questioned, especially after the Russian war against Ukraine. Russia, one of the five permanent members of the UNSC, is accused of using its veto power to block resolutions related to Ukraine.
Other permanent members of the UNSC are the U.S., U.K., France and China.
During the General Assembly in September, Biden, among other leaders, brought up the issue, calling to expand the Council's membership, saying permanent seats should be granted to nations in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has long been calling for a restructuring of the U.N.'s top decision-making body with his mantra: "The world is bigger than five."
"A U.N. General Assembly where all the member countries are equally represented and which reflects the common will of the international community should definitely be strengthened," Erdoğan previously said.
He added that a "more democratic, more transparent, more active and more accountable" Security Council is an expectation shared by the international community.
"It is obvious that the U.N. should assume a more active role in resolving crises which claim the lives of thousands of innocent people every day, and in ensuring sustainable development," Erdoğan said.
Erdoğan has long criticized the unrepresentative nature of the Security Council's five permanent members, urging reform under the slogan: "The world is bigger than five." He argued that because the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council – the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China and Russia – use their veto power for their own interests, the disadvantaged countries are paying an "unfair price."
"It is not possible for the U.N. Security Council, which acts by considering the priorities of only five permanent members, to prevent conflicts and establish peace, stability and security," Erdoğan often voiced.