KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 2 — The United Nations Security Council's (UNSC) veto power should be banned in cases of mass atrocities until it can be abolished, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said the UNSC decision-making processes require broader support from both permanent and non-permanent members, and be subject to ratification by the General Assembly through a simple majority.
Anwar said the veto power has paralysed the council, while the lack of representation from regions like Africa and Latin America reflects a bygone era.
“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 the war in Ukraine,” he said in his keynote address at the Common Action Forum 2024 today.
The world stands at a critical juncture for global justice, as Anwar emphasised that Israel’s actions against Palestinians undermine the very foundations of the global order.
“... war crimes, collective punishment, and genocide are a blatant affront to the norms of international law and fundamental human rights,” he said.
As Malaysia has advocated at the UN, the world must take bold, immediate steps, starting with an arms embargo on Israel.
However, Anwar said the severity of Israel's actions warrants more including a global consensus towards suspending or even expelling Israel from the UN.
The UNSC reform is one of the key areas proposed by Anwar that urgently needs to be reformed for a more equitable world.
Other areas are international financial architecture, international trading system, climate finance, and climate justice.
During the UNSC Debate in New York, the United States, in September, Malaysia made a strong appeal to limit the use of veto power in the UNSC, stressing that the unchecked use of veto has obstructed peace efforts, particularly in the case of Palestine.
— Bernama
