A fresh push to prevent deadlock at the United Nations Security Council is gaining momentum, with the United Kingdom joining a France-Mexico initiative seeking voluntary restraint on the use of the veto in cases of mass atrocities.
The initiative, launched by France and Mexico in 2015, calls on the five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the UK and the United States, to voluntarily refrain from using their veto when genocide, crimes against humanity or large-scale war crimes are being committed. France says 128 countries now support the political declaration, including 21 that joined in the past four months.
The UK’s decision makes it the second permanent member, after France, to formally support the initiative.
The proposal is aimed at ensuring the Security Council can act in situations involving mass atrocities rather than being blocked by a single permanent member’s veto.
However, the initiative is voluntary and does not remove or legally alter the veto power established under the UN Charter. A formal change to the veto rights would require an amendment to the Charter and ratification by all five permanent members.
