History of veto power: How UNSC member states utilised it

The veto power in the United Nations Charter, the founding document of the UN, is undoubtedly the most compelling distinction that sets permanent members apart from their non-permanent counterparts, in addition to their permanency on the council.

The United Nations Security Council is composed of five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In addition to these, there are ten non-permanent member states that are elected for a two-year term by the General Assembly, which itself is made up of 193 other member states.

Based on data from the UN, the veto has been recorded at least 293 times, with the first instance being when the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) cast a veto on a draft resolution for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Lebanon and Syria on February 16, 1946.

Last week, the United States vetoed a United Nations resolution that would have allowed Palestine to gain full UN membership, which Israel has long opposed.

This is the fourth time the US has used the veto power since Tel Aviv's war on Gaza began, and the latest example of the power being used.

Russia/USSR

Throughout the years since the UN was formed, the USSR, and later Russia, blocked more than 120 resolutions since its founding, according to data from the Dag Hammarskjold Library, the main library for the network of global UN depository libraries.

The USSR was responsible for most of the vetoes cast in the early years of the organisation’s establishment. Many of these vetoes were used to block the admission of new member states.

Soviet Union commissar and later minister for foreign affairs, Vyacheslav Molotov, even earned the moniker ‘Mr. Veto’ due to how frequently he vetoed resolutions. The USSR had used 79 vetoes in the first 10 years alone.

After the Soviet Union was dissolved, Russia used its veto power with more restraint. However, since 2011, Russian vetoes have become more frequent, casting 31 vetoes since then, blocking resolutions pertaining to conflicts in Syria, Ukraine, sanctions on Yemen, and more.

On March 28, Russia's latest veto was used against the annual renewal of a panel of experts monitoring enforcement of long-standing UN sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

United States

The US cast the first of its vetoes on 17 March 1970, backing Britain in opposing a resolution that would have condemned the latter for “not using force to overthrow the white‐minority government of Rhodesia,” the New York Times reported.

Since 1970, the United States has used its veto power more than any other permanent member of the UN Security Council, often to block resolutions perceived as contrary to the interests of Israel.

The US has vetoed resolutions related to Israel 49 times, including a resolution that would have called for “humanitarian pauses” nearly two weeks in of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza on October 18, Tel Aviv’s invasion of southern Lebanon, and its illegal annexation of the Syrian Golan Heights.

In 2018, following the Great March of Return, the UN Security Council put forward a resolution that condemned “the use of any excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate force by the Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians.”

The resolution called for a “lasting, comprehensive peace” with “two democratic States, Israel and Palestine.”

United Kingdom

The UK has wielded its veto power 29 times. The very first time it used this power was during the Suez crisis on October 30, 1956.

It has not used its veto power since December 23, 1989 when it, alongside the US and France, prevented the condemnation of the US invasion of Panama.

“The United Kingdom is clear: the veto is a heavy responsibility, to be used to avoid and resolve conflict. The veto should be used responsibly – and with accountability,” UK First Secretary Philip Reed said in a statement at the UN General Assembly debate on the use of the veto last April.

“The UK also remains committed to never voting against a credible draft resolution on preventing or ending a mass atrocity, as a proud signatory of the Accountability, Coherence, and Transparency (ACT) Group’s Code of Conduct. We encourage all Member States, including the other permanent members of the Council, to support this initiative.”

France

France used the veto for the first time on 26 June 1946, with regard to the political situation in Spain at the time, known as the Spanish Question. Casting a total of 16 vetoes, it has not made use of its veto for over 25 years since exercising the power in tandem with the UK and US in December 1989.

The country no longer vetoes resolutions in cases of mass atrocities, and seeks to regulate the use of the power in the Security Council.

“France would like for Security Council permanent members to no longer be able to resort to the veto [power] in cases of mass atrocities,” President François Hollande reportedly announced during the UN’s 70th General Assembly.

“How to accept that the UN, to this day, may remain gridlocked whilst the worst is happening? In this case as well, let’s lead by example. I commit here for France never to make use of its veto [power] in cases of mass atrocity."

China

China has exercised its veto power 19 times, with the first veto being cast by the Republic of China (ROC) on December 14, 1955 according to a UN Security Council report. The ROC was succeeded by the People's Republic of China as a permanent member on October 25, 1971, which cast the remaining vetoes from then on.

As is the case with Russia, China’s use of the veto increased considerably since 2011, with the conflict in Syria accounting for the bulk of them.

Most recently, on March 22, China, in addition to Russia, vetoed a resolution, which called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, proposed by the US.

China criticised the proposed text for not clearly opposing Israel's planned military assault in Rafah, warning of severe consequences.

According to the representative of China at the UN, the US has been obstructing the council's voice by vetoing its efforts to promote an immediate ceasefire on four occasions. The draft by the US, if adopted, would have allowed both killings in Gaza and violations of international law to continue.

“China has no hesitation in exercising its veto against a draft resolution that would have such serious consequences,” the representative stressed, adding that his delegation’s actions “can stand the test of history”.

Calls for reform

The right of each permanent member to veto any resolution passed by the Security Council has long provoked heated debate.

During the formation of the UN in 1945, smaller nations were worried that when one of the permanent members, also known as the Big Five, threatened peace, the Security Council would be powerless to take any action, and wanted to reduce the capacity of the veto system.

The permanent members, however, insisted on the system, arguing that the main responsibility for maintaining world peace would fall most heavily on them. In the interest of setting up the world organisation, eventually, the smaller powers agreed to the system.

The issue of Security Council reform has been a matter of discussion for 44 years. Competing interests of members have often hindered the council's ability to react effectively while responding to major global conflicts, the Council of Foreign Relations notes.

Some of the notable events that were difficult to address include the Covid-19 pandemic, Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, and the subsequent military conflict with Ukraine, as well as Israel’s war on Gaza.

World leaders have critised the veto system, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has long objected to the veto power of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, stating that "the world is bigger than five." According to Erdogan, the “representative nature of the Security Council” must be ensured so that the UN system can become “much more effective, just and fair.”

In an annual debate on the matter during a UN meeting in November 2023, several nations emphasised “the unfair and outdated rules and processes from the last century are not relevant in today’s world and paralyse the Council from taking meaningful action.”

It is essential for the council to undergo structural reform to improve its effectiveness and legitimacy, President of the UN General Assembly Dennis Francis of Trinidad and Tobago said in his opening remarks during the meeting, urging member states to push through long-standing positions and take practical steps to support inclusion and effectiveness.

“Never before has this issue been more pressing, both contextually and practically,” Francis said.