UK backs limiting UN Security Council veto power — Premium Times Nigeria
The United Kingdom has joined an initiative by France and Mexico to limit the use of veto power by permanent members of the UN Security Council in cases of genocide, crimes against humanity, and other grave violations of international humanitarian law.
Voluntary renunciation of the veto
As Premium Times Nigeria reports, France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs announced the United Kingdom’s accession late on Monday evening. The Franco-Mexican initiative provides that permanent Security Council members will voluntarily refrain from using the veto in situations involving mass crimes.
The French foreign ministry noted that one permanent member of the Security Council can block a resolution even if it is supported by the majority. If the veto is used by China, France, russia, the United Kingdom, or the United States, a decision cannot be adopted.
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Support from states
France and Mexico first proposed this initiative in 2015. According to the French Foreign Ministry, it has been supported by 128 states, with another 20 countries joining it this year. The United Kingdom became the second permanent member of the UN Security Council, after France, to support the initiative.
The initiative provides for a voluntary commitment and therefore does not establish a legally binding ban on the use of the veto. Its aim is to prevent the paralysis of the Security Council in response to the gravest crimes and to make it more difficult to use the veto for political purposes in emergency situations.
