Veto power of UNSC Permanent Members

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The United Nations is set to debate a provision that would require the five permanent members of the body’s Security Council to justify invoking their veto powers.

United Nations Security Council

It is one of the UN’s six main organs and is aimed at maintaining international peace and security.
It held its first session on 17th January 1946 in Westminster, London.
Headquarters: New York City.
Membership: The Council is composed of 15 Members:
- Permanent members with veto power :
  - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
- Ten non-permanent members : Albania ,Brazil,Gabon,Ghana ,India,Ireland ,Kenya ,Mexico ,Norway,United Arab Emirates
  - More than 50 United Nations Member States have never been Members of the Security Council.

What is Veto power?

Striking down a resolution: The UNSC veto power is the power of the five permanent members of the UNSC to veto (strike down) any “substantive” resolution.
The veto power originates in Article 27 of the United Nations Charter, which states:
- Each member of the UNSC shall have a vote.
- Decisions of the UNSC on procedural matters shall be made by an affirmative vote of nine members.
- Decisions of the UNSC on all other matters shall be made by an affirmative vote of nine members, including the concurring votes of the permanent members.
This means that a negative vote from any of the permanent members will block the adoption of a draft resolution.
- A permanent member that abstains or is absent from the vote will not block a resolution from being passed.
Although the “power of veto” is not mentioned by name in the UN Charter, Article 27 requires concurring votes from the permanent members.
- For this reason, the “power of veto” is also referred to as the principle of “great power unanimity” and the veto itself is sometimes referred to as the “great power veto”.

Which P5 member has used the most vetoes?

The first veto ever recorded was in 1946, when the Soviet Union blocked a draft resolution regarding the withdrawal of foreign troops from Lebanon and Syria.
Russia/Soviet Union has almost half of the total number, with 143 vetoes.
- Since 1992, after the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia has been the most frequent user of the veto, followed by the US and UK.
The US has cast 83 vetoes, the first being cast in 1970 when it, alongside the UK, rejected a resolution that would have condemned the UK for not using force to overthrow the white?minority government of the former republic of Rhodesia.
The UK, meanwhile, has used the veto 32 times, the first such instance taking place in 1956 during the Suez crisis.
France, which also used its veto on the Suez crisis resolution alongside the UK, had applied a veto for the first time in 1946.
China has used the veto the least out of all permanent members just 16 times.

Do vetoes work in emergency sessions in the General Assembly?

Vetoes cannot be applied during emergency special sessions in the General Assembly.
The resolution that allowed emergency special sessions to come into existence is known as the ‘Uniting for Peace’ resolution.
The General Assembly, when not in session, can convene an emergency special session at the request of the Security Council or of a majority of its own members.

What about veto restraint in case of genocide, crimes against humanity?

Some member states have appealed for reforms in the UN, specifically for permanent members to exercise restraint of veto in cases of genocide.
- This remains an ongoing discussion in the UN.
After the 2005 World Summit, Costa Rica, Jordan, Liechtenstein, Singapore and Switzerland, collectively nicknamed the Small Five (S5) suggested permanent members refrain from using a veto to block Council action aimed at preventing or ending genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In 2012, the S5 disbanded but its agenda was taken up by various other member states in the years following.
France and the UK have been the only two permanent members to show some form of support on this issue.

Arguments against the veto

The veto power has been criticised for its undemocratic nature: A single country can prevent a majority of the Security Council from taking any action.
Some critics see veto power exclusive to the permanent five as being anachronistic, unjust, or counterproductive.
On the matter of veto power, India along with the other G4 countries (Brazil, Germany, and Japan) has previously stated that if given a permanent seat on the UNSC, it would not use the veto for a period of 15 years.
Veto is the most undemocratic element of the UN, as well as the main cause of inaction on war crimes and crimes against humanity, as it effectively prevents UN action against the permanent members and their allies.
The US routinely casts lone vetoes against resolutions criticising Israel. The permanent members also veto resolutions that criticise their own actions.
Amnesty International claimed that the five permanent members had used their veto to promote their political self interest or geopolitical interest above the interest of protecting civilians.

Arguments in favour for the veto

Supporters regard the veto as an important safeguard in international relations.
India has been at the forefront of a years-long effort to reform the Security Council, saying it rightly deserves a place as a permanent member.
Supporters of veto power regard it as a promoter of international stability and a check against “snap” military interventions.

Source: TOI

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