Security Council’s veto power is ‘poster child’ of global gridlock, says Baerbock

The UN was founded to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,” Ms. Baerbock said, but the world body is struggling to meet that mandate when the Council is blocked by a veto from one of its five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the UK and the US).

“Real people, watching in real time, may question the credibility and legitimacy of not only the Security Council, but of the UN in its entirety,” she told Member States.

State of play

Ms. Baerbock noted that the Council has been paralyzed on “the most devastating conflicts”, including crises discussed earlier in the week

The Veto Initiative

Ms. Baerbock highlighted the Assembly’s Veto Initiative as one way the membership is trying to respond.

• It requires an assembly debate whenever a veto is cast in the Council.
• It allows the UN to show that “even when facing a blockage in the Council” it still hears “the desperate voices of those affected by these conflicts”.
• She pointed to the recent New York Declaration on the Palestinian question, backed by 142 Member States, as proof of strengthened cross-regional cooperation.

What she’s saying

Ms. Baerbock urged the Assembly to consider expanding its role:

• Should new tools be developed to “complement” the Initiative? (SUCH AS?)
• Should the Assembly issue recommendations to conflict parties — or even to the Council — “if the Council is unwilling or unable to act”?
• These questions, she said, highlight the need to see the UN “not only as one body but as a family together”.

Between the lines

Ms. Baerbock acknowledged thatit was “unfortunate” that the Initiative was needed at all, as it reflected deeper dysfunction within the global body. But she stressed that it provided a crucial space “to step in when needed; to hold ourselves and each other to account; to demonstrate intent and take action”.

Real world consequences

Ms. Baerbock’s call to action is not merely theoretical: vetoes have had profound consequences on people’s lives. For example, in June 2025, the US vetoed a Security Council resolution that would have demanded an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza — a text backed by 14 of the 15 members. The US defended its actions saying that the draft resolution before the Council did not condemn the actions of Hamas fighters in October 2023 who attacked and killed some 1,200 Israelis, sparking the ongoing war.

Equally, in February 2025, Russia vetoed amendments to a European-backed resolution on Ukraine — including one calling explicitly for respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and another for a just and lasting peace in line with the UN Charter. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.

Context: The Veto Initiative

Established in April 2022 by a General Assembly resolution, the Initiative requires the Assembly to meet within 10 working days of any veto in the Security Council. It does not override the veto, but it guarantees a public and accountable debate on each use and its implications.