<\/p>\n
U.N. Chief Calls for Reform as Economic Power Shifts to the Developing World<\/strong><\/p>\n UNITED NATIONS, January 15, 2026\u00a0 (BNN Web Staff)-<\/strong><\/p>\n United Nations Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres declared on Thursday that the accelerating economic growth of developing nations compared to developed ones demands urgent reforms to the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) and international financial institutions.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery day, the share of developed economies in the global GDP slowly diminishes,\u201d Guterres stated. \u201cEvery day, emerging economies are growing in size, strength, and influence. Every day, South-South trade moves further ahead of North-North trade.\u201d<\/p>\n He argued that \u201cour structures must reflect this changing world,\u201d asserting that the systems that worked in 1945\u2014when the U.N. and major global financial bodies were founded\u2014cannot solve the problems of 2026.<\/p>\n The Secretary-General emphasized that reforming the Security Council is as essential as updating the power structures of international financial institutions.<\/p>\n The Data Behind the Shift<\/strong><\/p>\n The call for reform is backed by hard economic data. According to the U.N.’s World Economic Report released this month, developing economies grew by 4.2 percent last year, significantly outpacing the 2.9 percent growth of developed nations.<\/p>\n The report highlighted India\u2014which has presented its case for a permanent seat on a reformed Security Council\u2014as the world\u2019s fastest-growing major economy last year, expanding by 7.4 percent.<\/p>\n A Final Push for Renewal<\/strong><\/p>\n The address was Guterres\u2019s final annual speech on priorities to the General Assembly during his tenure, as he completes his second term this year. While acknowledging global crises straining international cooperation, he also pointed to positive signs.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s acknowledge that even in this turmoil, we have carved out space for the United Nations in areas where its presence was not guaranteed before,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Notably, Guterres did not name the United States or Russia\u2014both permanent Security Council members frequently accused of violating international law and the U.N. Charter, and of using their veto power to paralyze the council.<\/p>\n \u201cSome, through their actions, seem intent on moving us toward the end of cooperation,\u201d he cautioned, stating they are \u201cshaking the foundations of global collaboration and testing the limits of multilateralism.\u201d He firmly added, \u201cI assure you: We will not give up.\u201d<\/p>\n Without directly naming the U.S., Guterres also referenced the financial crisis facing the U.N., stemming from Washington’s failure to pay its assessed contributions under the U.N. Charter. His speech underscored a pivotal moment for global governance, urging it to catch up with a new economic reality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" U.N. Chief Calls for Reform as Economic Power Shifts to the Developing World UNITED NATIONS, January 15, 2026\u00a0 (BNN<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3525,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[229],"tags":[2448,3469,3470,3467,3463],"class_list":["post-33743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","tag-bnn-web-staff","tag-u-n","tag-u-n-chief","tag-united-nations","tag-united-nations-security-council"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"colormag-highlighted-post":false,"colormag-featured-post-medium":false,"colormag-featured-post-small":false,"colormag-featured-image":false,"colormag-default-news":false,"colormag-featured-image-large":false},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/18e12f979c7dbcc2096868fc531de295a11443c392b4bb6e60ce343131707eaa?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":false,"magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":" U.N. 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