Pakistan calls for abolition or curbs on UN Security Council veto

Pakistan told the United Nations General Assembly that reform of the Security Council must address the veto held by its five permanent members, arguing the power has left the 15-member body paralysed and damaged the credibility of the wider organisation.

"The misuse of the veto undermines the Security Council's effectiveness and the credibility of the UN, while giving the permanent five unmatched influence throughout the UN system," Gul Qaiser Sarwani, Counsellor and Political Coordinator at the Pakistan Mission to the UN, said during a debate on the use of the veto, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan and Geo News.

Sarwani said Pakistan's position was that "the veto should be abolished or at least severely restricted" and "must not be expanded."

His remarks were aimed squarely at the campaign by India, Brazil, Germany and Japan for permanent seats on the Council. More permanent members, he said, would deepen existing inequalities, perpetuate historical privileges, create new centres of power and raise the risk of further institutional paralysis. "Let us be clear: the problems cannot be the solution," he said.

Pakistan, which co-leads the Uniting for Consensus group with Italy, remains opposed to adding any new individual permanent member to an expanded Council, he said. The group instead favours a larger number of elected members.

On the veto itself, Sarwani said Pakistan supported resolution 76/262, adopted in April 2022, under which the General Assembly must convene within 10 working days of a veto being cast in the Security Council. Any measure to restrain use of the veto must be consistent with the UN Charter, he said.

Pakistan also argued that the veto's blocking power could be balanced by restricting its use or by increasing the number and role of elected Council members, which would change the threshold for approving decisions. Sarwani described that as a route to a more democratic Council and an effective check on the veto.

Opening the session, General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman of Bangladesh said the mechanism had become "an established expression of transparency, accountability and collective responsibility," with 21 such meetings convened so far. He commended the Security Council for its special reports to the Assembly and its permanent members for taking part in the debates.

Rahman said the Council's effectiveness directly affects people living in conflict and humanitarian suffering, and that the cost falls first on those most affected by violence when the body fails to act. He urged that the debates not become repetitive exercises, adding: "Let us reaffirm that no veto should bring an end to dialogue and diplomacy."

Delegates at the session also pointed to the consequences of a veto-laden Council for regions far from New York, where the decisions are taken.