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One of the issues to be hotly debated at the UN this year is reforming the Security Council, which was formed from the ashes of World War II, when much of the world was still under colonial rule.

Permanent members – the five nations with permanent seats and veto power within the Security Council — “dictate the terms of international peace and security,” she added. 

The permanent members, also known as P5, include the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, France and China.

Here’s a look at how P5 members have used their veto power to block resolutions on key issues recently:

Last week, Oxfam, a British-founded confederation of 21 independent non-governmental organizations, called for UNSC reform, saying the body needed to “stop the ‘Permanent Five’ from being their own ‘judge and jury.’”

A new Oxfam report released last week found that permanent members “are exploiting their exclusive voting and negotiating powers to suit their own geopolitical interests. In doing so, they are undermining the Council’s ability to maintain international peace and security,” it said.

Still, there’s hope. Dayal pointed to “Pact for the Future” adopted by the UN on Sunday, “Pact for the Future,” in which heads of state made 56 pledges on multiple priorities, including Security Council reforms.

In his opening remarks at the Summit of the Future where the pact was adopted, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that the UNSC has become “outdated and its authority is eroding.” 

“Unless its composition and working methods are reformed, it will eventually lose all credibility,” he warned. “We must take the first decisive steps towards updating and reforming international cooperation to make it more networked, fair and inclusive – now. And today, thanks to your efforts, we have,” he added.

The pact is designed to open a path toward reform by “explicitly endorsing African permanent membership,” according to Maya Ungar, UN analyst at the International Crisis group. But the pact is nonbinding, so “the reality of it being attained is in the very distant future,” she added.