Highlight 44/2022 – Security Council veto power needs to be reformed
Goga Gelitashvili, 28 October 2022
The ability of a permanent member to stop draft resolutions from being adopted by voting “no” is called the “veto” and is arguably one of the most notorious features of the United Nations (UN) Security Council. This veto has been part of UN since it was founded and there are some that share the view that this system requires reform while others consider that this system helps to maintain peace in the world, particularly between the most powerful nations. The latter was the preferred view during the “Cold War” and tended to obscure the disadvantages to others, particularly developing countries.
But what does it mean to have a veto in the Security Council? Having five permanent members in the Security Council with the right of veto, means that they already have an advantage over other countries because they can put an end to initiatives that are important to other countries through the arbitrary exercise of that veto. In recent times, it has been observed that the mere threat of the exercise of a veto is enough to see countries withdraw initiatives that they would like the Security Council to consider. This also unofficially means that other countries will need to appease all five permanent members before presenting their initiatives to the Security Council in order to ensure their safe passage towards adoption.
What will happen if we abolish the veto power in Security Council? This question captures the most important discussion regarding the Security Council’s relevance and future role in international governance. We also need to keep in mind that if the permanent members of the Security Council do not agree to abolish or modify the veto system, it will not happen. However, imagine a Security Council without that veto. If the removal of the veto leads to the five permanent members discontinuing their membership, it could lead to the collapse of the Security Council and perhaps the collapse of the UN as whole. This would see UN’s demise unfold similarly to that of the League of Nations. Following 1927, various member countries of the League of Nations withdrew their membership and in 1939, its fate was inevitable when important countries confirmed their withdrawal, particularly Germany, Italy and Japan.
The reform of the veto power is no simple feat and in assessing how to reform that veto power, we must first reach agreement between all UN members to change the UN Charter. On 30th September 2022, during the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, Ukraine’s representative described the Security Council as “a broken pillar” of the UN. The main issue is the willingness of its five permanent members to change the UN Charter and surrender the veto that affords them immense privilege and assessing how to ensure that their willingness to surrender this veto is not short-lived, which would likely lead to their future discontent with the Security Council and the UN system as a whole. Reassessing the Security Council veto will require a holistic review of the UN system and will likely provide the foundations to redefine the social contract for international governance.
Goga Gelitashvili, Highlight 44/2022 – Security Council veto power needs to be reformed, 28 October 2022, available at www.meig.ch
The views expressed in the MEIG Highlights are personal to the author and neither reflect the positions of the MEIG Programme nor those of the University of Geneva.