UK foreign secretary James Cleverly calls for reform of UN Security Council

The Rt Hon James Cleverly made the remarks during his opening address to the 2023 Chatham House London conference.

News release Published 29 June 2023 1 minute READ

Press Office

Opening the Chatham House London Conference, the UK foreign secretary James Cleverly has made a speech calling for reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

‘We want to see permanent African representation and membership extended to India, Brazil, Germany and Japan,’ he said.

‘I know this is a bold reform. But it will usher the Security Council into the 2020s.’

Cleverly made the remarks as part of a broader speech outlining the need for ‘a reformed and reinvigorated multilateralism system’ to deal with global challenges such as migration, security, development, debt, protectionism, climate change, future pandemics, conflicts, and humanitarian crises.

He also outlined the need for sustainable public finances for low and middle-income countries, reform of international financial institutions, new rules for the World Trade Organization (WTO) to reflect today’s digital economy, and a multilateral approach to managing artificial intelligence (AI).

Read his speech in full