VETO
POWER IN UNSC - INTERNATIONAL
News:
U.S. Gaza ceasefire
resolution vetoed by China, Russia at UN Security Council
What's
in the news?
●
Russia and China vetoed a U.S. draft UN Security
Council resolution that called for an "immediate and sustained
ceasefire" in Gaza along with "the release of all remaining
hostages" held by Hamas.
Veto
Power in the UNSC:
●
The United Nations Security Council’s five permanent members can veto or reject
any substantive resolution.
●
A member’s abstaining vote does not influence whether or not the resolution is
accepted.
●
Procedural
votes do not affect the veto authority.
History
of the Veto:
●
Article
27
of the United Nations Charter outlines these points.
○
Each member has a veto.
○
A majority of nine members must vote
affirmatively on procedural questions.
○
An affirmative vote makes all other
decisions of nine members, including the permanent members’ concurring votes.
●
If a party is involved in a disagreement,
it must abstain from voting in the decision-making process.
●
As stated in Article 27(3), only permanent
members of the Council have the authority to make all substantive decisions on
behalf of the entire organization.
Right
to Veto:
●
The creators of the United Nations Charter
conceived that five countries — China, France, the USSR (which was succeeded in
1990 by the Russian Federation), the United Kingdom and the United States —
because of their key roles in the establishment of the United Nations, would
continue to play important roles in the maintenance of international peace and
security.
●
They were granted the special status of Permanent Member States at the Security
Council, along with a special voting power known as the “right to veto”.
●
It was agreed by the drafters that if any
one of the five permanent members cast a negative vote in the 15-member
Security Council, the resolution or decision would not be approved.
●
All five permanent members have exercised
the right of veto at one time or another.
●
If a permanent member does not fully agree
with a proposed resolution but does not wish to cast a veto, it may choose to
abstain, thus allowing the resolution to be adopted if it obtains the required
number of nine favourable votes.
Countries
with Veto Power:
●
The Security Council’s five permanent
members have veto power.
○
China
○
France
○
Russia
○
United Kingdom
○
United States.
Critics call it
undemocratic and say it’s a catalyst for conflict, but advocates say it’s a
tool for world peace.
Go
back to basics:
UN
Security Council:
●
The United Nations Charter established six
main organs of the United Nations, including the Security Council.
Objective:
●
It was given the primary responsibility to
maintain international peace and
security.
Uniqueness
of UNSC:
●
All members of the United Nations agree to
accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council.
●
While other organs of the United Nations
make recommendations to Member States, only
the Security Council has the power to make decisions that member states are
then obligated to implement under the Charter.
Important
takeaways:
●
A representative of each of its members
must be present at all times at UN headquarters so that the Security Council
can meet at any time as the need arises.
●
The Security Council takes the lead in
determining the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression.
●
It calls upon the parties to a dispute to
settle it by peaceful means and recommends methods of adjustment or terms of
settlement.
●
In some cases, the Security Council can
resort to imposing sanctions or even
authorise the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and
security.
Members
of UNSC:
●
The Council is composed of 15 members.
●
Five
permanent members are: China, France, Russian Federation,
the United Kingdom, and the United States.
●
Ten
non-permanent members are elected for two-year terms by the
General Assembly.