"France Renews Push to Restrain UN Security Council Veto"
Veto
The power of a permanent Security Council member to block any non-procedural resolution under Article 27.
P5
The five permanent, veto-wielding UN Security Council members: US, UK, France, China, Russia.
The UN Security Council was designed in 1945 as the UN's core organ for maintaining international peace and security, giving five states, the United States, United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia, permanent seats with a veto over substantive decisions. This arrangement was finalised at the Yalta Conference and written into the UN Charter's Article 27, which requires the concurring vote of all permanent members on non-procedural matters. Notably, the word "veto" itself never appears in the Charter; it is a practical effect of Article 27's voting rule. Amending the Charter is deliberately difficult: Article 108 requires approval by two-thirds of the General Assembly plus ratification by all five permanent members, so any single P5 state can block structural change even if the rest of the world agrees.
India has long argued through the G4 grouping, with Brazil, Germany and Japan, that permanent membership should expand because the Council's composition has stayed frozen since 1965 despite the Assembly's growth. India cites its large peacekeeping contributions, economic rise, and uninterrupted financial contributions to the UN as grounds for a permanent seat, though some states remain reluctant, citing concerns over India's nuclear weapons status or unresolved regional disputes. This structural reform question is distinct from, but often confused with, a narrower and more achievable set of proposals aimed only at how the veto is used, not who holds it.
Three separate reform tracks have emerged since the early 2010s, each working around the near-impossible task of amending the Charter. The first is the French-Mexican initiative of 2015, under which permanent members voluntarily pledge to refrain from vetoing resolutions responding to genocide, crimes against humanity, or large-scale war crimes. It does not touch the veto's legal existence, only its exercise in extreme humanitarian situations, and it now has the declared support of over a hundred states. The second is the ACT Code of Conduct, drawn up by the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency group, extending a similar pledge to all Security Council members, permanent and elected alike, asking them not to vote against credible draft resolutions meant to prevent or halt mass atrocities. …
"The reform process in the United Nations remains unresolved, because of the delicate imbalance of East and West and entanglement of the USA vs. Russo-Chinese alliance." Examine and critically evaluate the East-West policy confrontations in this regard.
Consider the following statements regarding the veto power in the United Nations Security Council:
1.The term "veto" is explicitly defined in the UN Charter.
2.The veto arises from the voting procedure laid down in Article 27 of the UN Charter.
3.The veto arrangement among the five permanent members was finalised at the 1945 Yalta Conference.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Under the UN Charter, amending the Charter itself requires which of the following?
Match the following UN reform initiatives with their key feature:
Initiative:
A.French-Mexican initiative
B.ACT Code of Conduct
C.Liechtenstein-led initiative (UNGA Resolution 76/262)
Feature:
1.Requires a General Assembly debate within 10 working days of any veto
2.Extends a restraint pledge to all Security Council members, not just the P5
3.Calls for P5 restraint on veto use in genocide and mass atrocity cases
With reference to recent reform proposals on UN Security Council veto use, consider the following statements:
1.The French-Mexican initiative seeks to abolish the veto entirely through a Charter amendment.
2.As of the recent UN General Assembly session, the United Kingdom has joined France in backing voluntary veto restraint.
3.The initiative applies only to vetoes cast on budgetary and administrative matters.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The 'G4' grouping, which advocates for expansion of permanent membership in the UN Security Council, consists of India along with which other countries?
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