Call to abolish UN veto power to restore global action on human rights violations

Abolish VETO power to enable the United Nations to be able to be an effective defender of human rights, with the power to end human rights violations

On this World Human Rights Day (10 December) we, the 19 undersigned groups, organizations and trade unions express our greatest disappointment that the United Nations that was expected to defend and promote human rights have failed in its objects, and the expectations of the peoples of the world.

It is still possible to rectify this dilemma, if and only if the member states of the United Nations are committed to abolish the VETO power that is now with the 5 Permanent member States – Russia, China, France, United States of America and the United Kingdom, so that it can no longer impede the UN from defending and promoting human rights, and ensuring justice be done.

VETO violates principle of sovereign equality

The UN Charter, in Article 2(1) states, ‘The Organization is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its members.’ This fundamental principle of EQUALITY is violated if the United Nations continue to allow a class of ‘super members’, who can use their VETO power to prevent actions advocated by even the majority of UN member States.

VETO prevents UN from ending human rights violations

The preamble of the UN Charter clearly states the obligation of the UN is ‘to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small,’. Thus, the UN acts for human rights, not just when States commit extra-territorial human rights violations but also human rights violations within the jurisdiction of respective States, regardless they are UN members or not. Thus, the UN protects human rights of ALL human persons, and not just rights of member States.

Through the various UN processes, including the UPR process, the UN and UN member States has called on member States to move away from injustices and human rights violations, and calls on States and others to enact rights protecting laws, and abolish laws, practices and even policies that are in violation of human rights. As such, the UN has worked to promote, amongst others, women rights, indigenous rights, environmental rights and the rights of human rights defenders. It has opposed ethnic cleansing, genocide, forced labour

However, the United Nations have been prevented from doing the needful, by reason of abuse of power of some of the permanent 5 by the use of the VETO – that has effectively prevented UN from fulfilling its intended duties to human rights, especially when the perpetrator and collaborators of rights violation, are ‘friends’ of VETO power holding States, or the said VETO power holding States themselves.

The will of the majority of UN member States in issues of human rights can thus be IGNORED or prevented by the use of the VETO. Of late, this has happened in several countries including Palestine, Myanmar and Ukraine.

The VETO has been used to block UN actions. “Instead of being a vehicle for action, the Security Council has too often become an instrument of deadlock. “We see the consequences in places like Gaza, in the persecution of the Rohingya, and in the war in Ukraine,” he [Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim] said in his keynote address at the Common Action Forum (CAF) 2024.

The abolition of the VETO power will restore true sovereign equality in the United Nations, and will allow the UN to be a more effective tool to act against violation of human rights and injustices.

If perpetrators do not heed the call of the UN to stop human rights violations and restore justice, the UN can then take further actions in the form imposition of sanctions, and even cause the United Nation’s forces to enter into the area of rights violations, to not just protect victims, but to also cause perpetrators to do the needful to restore justice including the return of people back to their land and property, and to ensure justice be done.

VETO power CAN be ABOLISHED

The VETO power can be abolished, whereby the UN Charter, amongst others, in Article 108 states that ‘Amendments to the present Charter shall come into force for all Members of the United Nations when they have been adopted by a vote of two thirds of the members of the General Assembly and ratified in accordance with their respective constitutional processes by two thirds of the Members of the United Nations, including all the permanent members of the Security Council.’

The VETO power can thus be abolished, if two-thirds of the UN Member States support the move, and the 5 existing Permanent Members with VETO power agrees to it. If any one of the VETO power-holding member State objects, it cannot be done. We hope that no member State will oppose this move to abolish the VETO power.

Therefore, we call of all members of the UN Member States to vote in favor of abolishing the VETO power, and all call on all the VETO power holding States to also support this initiative.

We call on all UN Member States to vote without fear or favour to remove this often abused VETO power, that has made the UN a ‘toothless tiger’ unable to act definitely to defend human rights and restore justice even when an overwhelming majority of UN member States wants the UN to act;

We also call on all the 5 Permanent Members, being Russia, China, France, United States of America and the UK, to agree to the removal of the VETO powers to restore democracy and sovereign equality within the UN, so that the UN can regain its power to act in the interest of human rights, and

We call all the 5 Permanent Members, being Russia, China, France, United States of America and the UK to adopt a MORATORIUM in using their VETO powers pending the abolition of VETO.

Signatories

• MADPET (Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture)
• Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement, Malaysia
• Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), India
• COAC (Center for Orang Asli Concerns), Malaysia
• Global Women’s Strike, UK
• Global Women’s Strike, US
• Legal Action for Women, UK
• North South Initiative (NSI), Malaysia
• Payday Men’s Network, UK-US
• Programme Against Custodial Torture & Impunity (PACTI), India
• Sabah Timber Industry Employees Union (STIEU), Malaysia
• Second Chance Redemption, Pakistan
• WH4C (Workers Hub for Change)
• Women of Colour Global Women’s Strike, UK
• Women of Color Global Women’s Strike, US
• ALIRAN
• National Union of Transport Equipment & Allied Industries Workers (NUTEAIW), Malaysia
• Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL), Cambodia
• Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM)