UK Supports Limiting UN Security Council Veto Power

The United Kingdom has joined France and Mexico in calling for limits on the veto power of the UN Security Council in cases of genocide and serious crimes against humanity.

The French Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that the UK is now part of the French-Mexican effort, which aims to stop the veto from preventing the Security Council from responding to mass atrocities.

This plan would limit the veto power for permanent members of the Council in cases of genocide, crimes against humanity, and other serious breaches of international humanitarian law.

"A single Permanent Member of the Security Council can block a resolution, even if a majority of Members support it. That’s known as the veto right."

"Today, the way the Security Council operates is that if one of the five permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) uses its veto, a resolution cannot be adopted. Even if it is supported by a majority, no decision can be taken," the Ministry stated.

Mexico and France first suggested this initiative in 2015. Now, 128 countries reportedly support it.

The UK is the second permanent member of the Security Council to support this initiative, following France.

The French Ministry also mentioned that 20 other countries have backed the UK-Mexican initiative this year.

The five permanent members of the Security Council are China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US. They hold the power to veto resolutions.

Under the new initiative, permanent members are expected to promise to voluntarily avoid using the veto in cases of mass atrocities.

"The goal: to keep the Council from being paralysed when faced with the most serious crimes," the statement added.

Now that the UK has signed on, the initiative is just one country away from reaching a two-thirds majority of UN member states.

But even if it passes with a two-thirds majority, the resolution would not be binding. Still, officials hope this will make it harder for a permanent member to use its veto in emergencies.