Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 24th April. World body on Tuesday debated veto power in the Security Council on the second anniversary of a special measure adopted to monitor its use, after the United States vetoed Palestine’s bid for full UN membership.
GA President Dennis Francis emphasised that the Security Council remains unable to collectively address critical peace and security situations in the Gaza, Mali, Syria and Ukraine and North Korea.
He said “At this precarious time of heightened geopolitical tensions and when ongoing and emerging crises demand our urgent and decisive action, it would be a derogation of our duty as the General Assembly if we stood idle and allowed the unrestrained use of the veto to paralyse not only the Council itself but the United Nation’s ability to respond efficiently to questions of peace and security,”.
Many diplomats pointed out that the veto has been used 6 times in as many months regarding Palestine and the ongoing war in Gaza, with some called for urgent Council reform that would further limit or even eliminate the veto privilege.
Francis said the world body and the Council are expected “to work in unison and dedicated to one overarching purpose: saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war” and that the “veto initiative”, approved by the General Assembly in its resolution 76/262, is “a significant breakthrough to involve the entire membership on these issues”.
He underlined the pronounced contrast between the urgent need for decisive action and the prevailing inaction, which undermines the UN’s work and credibility.
Francis said that perhaps, despite Council deadlock being unacceptable, it is precisely for the reason of its state of paralysis that “we must ramp up momentum”.
“If we do nothing, questions on continued relevance of the United Nations will escalate, and public confidence in this institution will increasingly dwindle, with each veto cast perceived as our collective failure to act.”
The vetoes have been used 320 times since the UN inception.
Vetoes have been used 13 times since the General Assembly adopted a resolution designed to foster greater cooperation with the Security Council after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The resolution tabled by Liechtenstein, stated that anytime the veto is used in the Security Council, it triggers a meeting and debate in the General Assembly to scrutinise and discuss the move in a bid to give UN Member States the chance to make recommendations.
The resolutions carry moral and political weight, but are non-binding and do not generally carry the force of international law, unlike some measures agreed by the Security Council.
The debate highlighted cases of veto use, with some permanent Council members defending their right to the privilege.
Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia Dmitry Polyanskiy said resolution 76/262 was conceived of as self-promotion for the penholder.
He said the US has used its veto four times to ensure Israel remains “unimpeded” in its operations in Gaza and regarding Palestine’s bid for UN membership and continues to do so, contrary to the will of the majority of UN Member States.
Russia and China’s veto of a US draft allowed the Council to adopt a resolution tabled days later by its 10 non-permanent members, called for a ceasefire for Ramadan.
“Accordingly, it was the only right thing to do, and it reflected the will of the overwhelming majority of members of the international community,” he said.
“That situation is the best possible response to those that criticise the existence of the veto for permanent members.”
The veto right is the “cornerstone” of the entire UN architecture, and without it, the Council would become “an organ that rubberstamped dubious decisions imposed by a circumstantial majority that would be practically impossible to implement”, he said.
He added that a veto is “the most extreme measure” when other options have been exhausted and an inalienable right, and its use does not violate anything.
Deputy Permanent Representative of the US Robert Wood said the veto initiative is an important innovation, with the five permanent Security Council members bearing their special responsibilities.
US has taken the opportunity to explain its positions when meetings are convened or during meetings of the 10th emergency special session.
“We recognise the veto is at times controversial,” he said.
“This is why the veto initiative is so important to increase transparency and accountability on one of the most contentious aspects of the Security Council’s operations.”
He said the US looks forward to continuing to engage openly and candidly on this challenging issue.
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