St. John's, Antigua - As the United Nations prepares to choose its next secretary-general, calls for a restructuring of the world body are putting a spotlight on an institution whose decision-making architecture was created after World War II and still gives disproportionate power to its five permanent Security Council members.
The debate comes as the Security Council narrows a field that initially included eight candidates, five of them women, in a process that could result in the first woman leading the United Nations since its creation more than 80 years ago.
Guyana’s Ambassador to the UN, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett remains a strong contender after the latest straw poll on September 29, 2026 while the Antigua and Barbuda-backed candidate María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés is likely to exit the race after low ratings from the Security Council.
The latest poll was taken on September 29 where only 3 of the 15 members on the Security Council said they favoured her as a candidate.
Her ratings are only above Ecuadorian diplomat Ivonne A-Baki who received one encouragement.
In previous straw polls Espinosa has consistently placed amongst those with the lowest ratings.
The Security Council has 15 members - five permanent members, China, France, Russia, Britain and the United States, and 10 elected members. A formal recommendation requires at least nine votes and no veto from a permanent member before the General Assembly appoints the secretary-general.
Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet withdrew from the race on Sept. 20 after receiving one "encourage" vote, 11 "discourage" votes and three "no opinion" votes in the third Security Council straw poll.
The next secretary-general is due to take office on Jan. 1, 2027, succeeding António Guterres, whose second term ends on Dec. 31.
A system built for another era
The secretary-general selection is unfolding alongside a wider debate about whether the United Nations' institutions adequately reflect the world it represents.
It is widely believed that the organization's power structures continue to reflect the circumstances in which the United Nations was created under colonialism.
The United Nations had 51 founding members in 1945. Today, it has 193 member states, many of which were not independent when the organization was established.
Critics of the existing structure argue that the permanent members' veto power allows a small group of states to block Security Council action and preserve an imbalance in decision-making power.
The debate has included calls for greater representation for small island developing states (SIDS) and Africa on the Security Council.
Ambassador and Permanent Representative Dr Walton Aubrey Webson made the call in Antigua and Barbuda’s statement to the 81st UN General Assembly on Monday.
He insisted that “The United Nations reform program must extend to the security council - its composition, its decisions and its capacity to act.” He joined 147 other members that have called from P5 members to restrain from using voluntary veto powers in situations of mass atrocities.
Questions have also been raised about whether the United Nations' institutional structure should be adapted to reflect the geographical, racial and linguistic diversity of its membership and whether decisions are still disproportionately informed by Western models and perspectives.
The System is Under Pressure
The United Nations' 2026 regular budget is approximately US$3.45 billion, covering its core work on peace and security, sustainable development and human rights.
The UN represents the vice of its 193 member states and employees, staff and volunteers globally. Yet, the General Assembly approved 2026 budget is about 7% below the approved 2025 budget. With unprecedented ongoing conflicts, climate challenges and world power struggles its financing has decreased significantly with the United States - one of the body’s permanent seats - cutting its contribution by $2 billion.
There have also been discussions about whether overlapping functions among UN agencies could be reduced or consolidated. Such changes, however, would require decisions by member states, which ultimately determine the mandates and structures of the organization's bodies.
Those measures however are largely determined by the P5s who are using veto power to push back and maintain their power.
On September 18, 2025, a draft called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, release of hostages and lifting of restrictions on humanitarian aid. The other 14 Security Council members voted in favour; the U.S. vetoed it. That veto has led to an ongoing war which has had significant economic impact globally, increasing the cost of fuel and commodities.
Meanwhile, Caribbean leaders during last week’s High Level Meetings stressed on the need for international cooperation to realise the UN charter of global peace and security.
Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley said in her UN address that “where populations face genocide, crimes against humanity or large scale war crimes, the veto should not be allowed to paralyse the UN Security Council when action is most urgently needed”.
“That is why people are losing trust in the United Nations and its Council.”
Sylvanie Burton, President of the Commonwealth of Dominica in her address to the general assembly voiced “we believe international law must apply equally to all nations and must be applied consistently.”
She said the credibility of multilateralism depends on fairness as much as it does on delivery.
The question of who succeeds Guterres is also tied to longstanding regional expectations. The next secretary-general is widely expected to come from Latin America and the Caribbean, although there is no formal rule requiring regional rotation.
And while the current field includes several Latin American and Caribbean candidates, the United States for example has said it will not support a candidate simply because she is a woman or because she comes from Latin America or the Caribbean, making clear that gender and regional considerations will not alone determine its position this time.