78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
Agenda item 63 – Use of Veto
Statement delivered by H.E. Mr. Rein Tammsaar, Permanent Representative of Estonia on behalf of the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania)
23 April 2024, New York
Mister President,
Distinguished delegates,
I have the honor to speak on behalf of the three Baltic states: Latvia, Lithuania and my own country Estonia.
It has been two years since the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution “Standing mandate for a General Assembly debate when a veto is cast in the Security Council”. In this time, it has served its purpose again and again. The use of veto power has spiked to unprecedented levels in the UN history. In the past year there were 9 times when the General Assembly had to step up after the Security Council decisions were impeded by some Members who exercise their veto power. That is three times more than a year before. This worrying trend not only undermines the credibility of the United Nations but also perpetuates injustice and instability around the world.
The meetings of the General Assembly under the resolution have brought to us multifaceted discussions. They have shown that the veto initiative is an invaluable tool to foster collaboration between the main organs of the UN and bring more transparency and greater accountability to the Security Council’s work. The veto initiative has been empowering the General Assembly to openly discuss most burning issues in today’s world. Thus, making most of its authority as it should.
Having a permanent seat in the Security Council means having a significant responsibility to consistently strive towards fulfilling the goals and values of the UN Charter. However, veto power has not always been employed in accordance with its intended purpose.
Abuse of veto power impedes Security Council from fulfilling its main responsibility to maintain international peace and security. In the past year the use of veto has blocked actions to the situations in Gaza, Syria and Mali as well as addressing DPRK’s proliferation.
Mister President,
We have seen in past years how veto power not only blocks effective action, but serves the interests of a Permanent Member who has gone against the very chore of the UN Charter and waged a war against its sovereign neighbor. The Council has failed to react to Russia’s unprovoked and brutal war against Ukraine. This has further encouraged Russia and they are the Permanent Member who have been using veto power the most. Moreover, they are happily using their veto to sustain also the illegal actions of their geopolitical “client” states. This undermines not only the UN Charter, but the whole multilateral rules based international system. Consequently, with the rapid increase in using or rather abusing veto power, a reform of the Security Council is more pertinent than ever.
The Baltic states highlight that the veto power is constrained under Article 27(3) of the UN Charter, which obliges a party to a dispute to abstain from voting. We also believe that the Security Council members should refrain from using the veto in case of mass atrocities, including the crime of aggression. The Baltic states would like to reaffirm their commitment to the UN Charter – its principles are the bedrock of international peace and security. We continue to support enhancing the role of the General Assembly. And we are prepared to further collaborate to ensure more accountability, legitimacy and transparency in the use of the veto power.
Thank you.