Security Council veto is ‘model’ of global impasse, says Baerbock

The UN was founded to “save future generations from the scourge of war,” Baerbock said, but the world body struggles to fulfill that mandate when the Council is vetoed of one of its five permanent members: China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and United States).

“Real people, watching in real time, can question the credibility and legitimacy of not only the Security Councilbut of the UN as a whole“, she told the Member States.

State of play

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

The veto initiative

Baerbock pointed to the Assembly’s veto initiative as one way members are trying to respond.

• This requires an assembly debate each time a veto is issued in the Council.
• This allows the UN to show that “even in the face of a blockage in the Council”, it still hears “the desperate voices of those affected by these conflicts”.
• She highlighted the recent New York Declaration on the Palestinian question, supported by 142 Member States, as proof of strengthened interregional cooperation.

What she says

Ms Baerbock urged the Assembly to consider expanding its role:

• Should new tools be developed to “complement” the Initiative?
• Should the Assembly make recommendations to the parties to the conflict – or even to the Council – “if the Council is unwilling or unable to act”?
• These questions, she said, highlight the need to view the United Nations “not just as one body, but as one a family together“.

Between the lines

Ms Baerbock acknowledged it was “regrettable” that the Initiative was necessary, as it reflected a deeper dysfunction within the global body. But she stressed that it provided crucial space “to intervene when needed; to hold us accountable, for ourselves and for others; to demonstrate our intention and act.”

Real-world consequences

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

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

Context: the Veto initiative

Created in April 2022 By 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 guarantees a public and responsible debate on each use and its implications.