The current international system is going through an unprecedented crisis of legitimacy and effectiveness, marked by a chronic inability to meet the challenges of this century. The United Nations Charter of 1945, although having constituted a major innovation at its origin, is today considered totally inappropriate, because it was written in a world where nuclear energy, digital technologies and climate change did not exist.
If the UN fulfilled its historic mission by channeling the Cold War and facilitating decolonization, today it faces the impunity of the superpowers and a security architecture paralyzed by narrow national interests.
Faced with this situation, Secretary General Antonio Guterres published the “UN 80” action plan in November 2025. This plan has, however, been criticized for its limited scope: it is an administrative adaptation aimed at resolving the thorny problem of declining financial capacities, but it does not propose the deep political and structural reform required by the evolution of international relations.
The status quo is no longer a viable option, as current peacekeeping mechanisms are tainted by selectivity and geopolitical pressures. It is therefore imperative to move from purely interstate governance to integrated global governance, capable of confronting global threats such as climate disruption to the Earth system.
Establish a new legal order
The legal basis for this transformation lies in Article 109 of the United Nations Charter. This article provides for the convening of a “General Conference” to revise the founding text.
A crucial legal aspect is that this conference cannot be blocked by the veto of one of the five permanent members of the Security Council. A two-thirds majority of Member States and a vote of nine of the fifteen members of the Council (permanent and non-permanent) are enough to pave the way for the modernization of the organization.
With this opportunity, we propose to draw inspiration from the precedent of the American Constitution of 1787. At that time, the framers circumvented the requirement of unanimity of the thirteen Confederate states, by creating a new legal entity with its own rules of membership. This proposal could be examined as part of the reform of international governance included on the agenda of the next G7, which will be held in Evian from June 15 to 17.
Create an Assembly of Peoples
More precisely, we propose the creation of a UN based on a “Second Charter”, allowing States wishing to establish a new legal order without being hampered by the restrictive rules of modification of 1945.
The most radical innovation of this project would be the creation of a Parliamentary Assembly, or “Assembly of Peoples”. Unlike the current General Assembly, where each state has one vote through its executive branch, this new chamber would provide direct representation to the world’s citizens.
The objective is to go beyond strictly national logics to allow the formation of transnational coalitions based on shared interests and values.
The objective is to go beyond strictly national logics in order to allow the formation of transnational coalitions based on shared interests and values. This assembly would act as a catalyst for reform, as it would be less dependent on the immediate diplomatic priorities of governments.
Its composition would be based on the principle of degressive proportionality. This mechanism ensures that, with population being the main variable, less populated states obtain proportionally more seats in order to avoid being marginalized by demographic giants like China or India.
Reform the Security Council
The reform of the Security Council is the central pivot of this Second Charter, aiming to remedy its lack of representativeness and its recurring paralysis. The Council would increase from fifteen to twenty-five members, including the five current permanent members, but above all a new category of five “long-term” members, elected for a renewable mandate of six years and fairly representing the main regions of the world (Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean and Western Europe). In addition, fifteen non-permanent members would be elected for three years to ensure a more equitable rotation.
The most significant innovation lies in the framework of the right of veto: in the event of a blocking of a permanent member, the General Assembly and the new People’s Assembly could, by a simultaneous vote with a two-thirds majority in each chamber, decide that a resolution would nevertheless enter into force. This would give the international community the capacity to act in the face of crises.
Creation of the Earth System Council
At the same time, the creation of the Earth System Council would fill a crucial gap in the UN architecture by establishing environmental protection as a fundamental pillar of global governance. This new main body, composed of 54 members elected by the General Assembly, would be responsible for ensuring that planetary limits are not exceeded, coordinating global environmental policies and harmonizing international law in this area.
This Council would have a powerful operational body, the World Environment Agency, which would replace the current United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and would be endowed with real executive powers, relying on a group of scientific experts.
A drastic financing reform
The project also proposes a radical reform of UN financing. Currently, the UN relies primarily on earmarked voluntary contributions, which allow donors to impose their own priorities at the expense of the public interest.
The proposed solution requires each Member State to pay a compulsory contribution, calculated from its gross national income (GNI), for example from 0.1%. Although this amount represents only one twenty-fifth of average global military spending, it would guarantee the financial autonomy and predictability of UN programs.
Ultimately, the system would evolve towards the generation of “own resources” – such as a tax on financial transactions or levies on carbon emissions –, thus definitively freeing the organization from the vagaries of national budgets.
Redirect spending
The Second Charter would also provide for the development of protocols aimed at realizing the unfulfilled promises of Articles 26 and 43 of the 1945 Charter, which were never implemented, to give tangible meaning to the concepts of disarmament and collective security.
Pending the finalization of this work, the idea is to create a Peace Force, recruited directly by the UN, in order to guarantee a rapid and impartial response to protect civilians and prevent genocide, without depending on the uncertain political will of national capitals.
This force would be inseparable from a progressive, global, verifiable and irreversible disarmament program. The objective is to gradually redirect the 2,700 billion dollars spent each year on national armaments towards sustainable development, health and education.
These reform proposals are ambitious, but build on existing legal and institutional possibilities. Whether adopted in whole or in part, these proposals aim to spark a broad international debate on how to adapt global governance to the realities of the 21st century.
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