Mandatory explanation when exercising veto power by permanent members of the Security Council

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to establish a procedure for public debate… Effectiveness is questionable

A UN resolution was adopted that mandates that if a permanent member of the UN Security Council exercises its veto power, it must convene a UN General Assembly and explain it to member states.

According to the UN website, on the 26th (local time), the UN General Assembly automatically convened the General Assembly within 10 days on issues over which the veto was exercised by the Security Council, and the permanent members of the 193 member states submitted a resolution to explain why the veto was exercised. adopted unanimously. Permanent members have the priority to speak at the general meeting and must disclose the legitimacy of the veto to member countries, and member countries will have a discussion on this.

The resolution does not directly restrict the use of veto power by the five permanent members of the Security Council (P5): the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China. Instead, it is meaningful to the extent that an open discussion procedure has been established when the right to veto is exercised. This seems to be intended to block the reckless exercise of the veto by requiring the permanent member to explain the reason for using the veto once morest the will of other members.

In particular, it is related to the rise of the Security Council reform argument as Russia’s exercise of veto power effectively paralyzed the Security Council following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“There has never been a greater need to innovate (the Security Council) to promote effective multilateralism and ensure that the United Nations plays a key role and has a voice,” said Christian Benabesser, the UN ambassador to the United Nations, who introduced the resolution. explained the background.

However, this resolution has no binding force, raising questions regarding its effectiveness. This is because the permanent members who have used the veto do not have to attend the UN General Assembly discussion.

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