SINGAPORE: On 25 September, Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, called for substantial reforms of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), focusing on constraining the veto powers exercised by the five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Speaking during an open debate at the Security Council, he emphasised the need for the UN to adapt to the increasingly dangerous global landscape, where multiple crises are putting civilian lives at risk.
Dr Balakrishnan highlighted that the UN is at a critical juncture.
“The United Nations is at an inflection point. We need to reform multilateral and UN institutions to address both current and future challenges, including reform of this very Security Council,” he stated.
His remarks come as part of his participation in the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, held in New York from 19 September to 28 September.
During his address, Dr Balakrishnan called on the Security Council to reconsider how the veto is exercised.
He noted that the increasing use of vetoes by the permanent members has paralyzed decision-making within the council, undermining its ability to maintain international peace and security.
He stressed, “All permanent members should focus on the broader goal of delivering international peace and security. However, the trend of the increasing exercise of the vetoes suggests we cannot leave this to the permanent five to voluntarily change their behaviour.”
The Security Council consists of 15 members, including 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.
The current non-permanent members include Algeria, Ecuador, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Switzerland.
Dr Balakrishnan emphasized the importance of strengthening the role of these elected members, particularly in bridging gaps when the permanent five are entrenched in mutual distrust.
He argued that these members should have a greater say in key decision-making processes.
Dr Balakrishnan also called for a closer collaboration between the Security Council and other UN bodies to improve conflict prevention efforts.
He referred to Article 99 of the UN Charter, which allows the Secretary-General to bring attention to threats to international peace.
He noted the importance of the council responding swiftly when this article is invoked, particularly in cases of humanitarian crises and mass atrocities.
“Article 99 of the UN Charter is in fact a powerful preventive diplomacy tool,” Dr Balakrishnan said, referencing UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ December 2023 appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza under Article 99.
It was the first time Guterres had invoked the article since taking office in 2017.
Singapore’s push for veto reform aligns with broader international efforts to address the limitations of the current UNSC structure.
In March 2024, Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Burhan Gafoor, expressed concern over the council’s declining effectiveness.
He cited the increase in vetoes since the adoption of a resolution in April 2022 aimed at limiting their use.
“Since the veto initiative resolution was adopted in April 2022, we have seen 12 vetoes,” Gafoor noted at the time.
Additionally, Singapore supports a French-Mexican initiative that seeks to limit the use of vetoes in situations involving mass atrocities.
This initiative proposes that permanent members abstain from voting in such cases, especially if they are directly involved in the conflict.
This stance was echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who also addressed the General Assembly on 25 September 2024, calling for reforms to veto power in cases of mass killings.
“Reform of the composition alone of the Security Council is not sufficient to make it more effective. ”
“I also wish for reform to change the operational methods to limit the right to a veto in case of mass crimes,” Macron stated, in what appeared to be a reference to Russia’s use of vetoes in conflicts like the Gaza war.
Dr Balakrishnan’s statements, alongside those of other world leaders, reflect growing frustration over the limitations of the UNSC, particularly when permanent members use veto power to block resolutions that could mitigate humanitarian disasters or end conflicts.
This issue was brought into sharp focus last year when the US vetoed a resolution calling for humanitarian pauses in the Israel-Palestinian conflict and blocked a bid for full UN membership for the Palestinian Authority.
Similarly, in March 2024, Russia and China vetoed a US-led resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
