STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR BURHAN GAFOOR, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS AT THE PLENARY MEETING ON AGENDA ITEM 60 “USE OF THE VETO” 26 APRIL 2023

Mr President,

1 We thank you for convening this important debate today under Agenda item 60, which gives all members an opportunity to review the implementation of Resolution 76/272 on a “Standing mandate for a General Assembly debate when a veto is cast in the Security Council”.  This debate is also an opportunity to discuss how we can collectively strengthen the role of the General Assembly and create a more effective multilateral system. 

2 The adoption of the veto resolution exactly one year ago was a historic moment for the General Assembly and for the United Nations. Singapore was honoured to have been a member of the core group and a co-sponsor of this resolution.  The veto initiative is a game changer in many ways and we commend the delegation of Liechtenstein for their initiative and leadership. 

3 The veto initiative has strengthened the role of the General Assembly without weakening the role of the Security Council. And it has the potential to discourage the use of the veto in the Security Council. More importantly, we hope that the veto resolution will encourage and motivate new habits of dialogue and cooperation in the Security Council and lead to a greater restraint in the use of the veto.  And we hope that the permanent members will think carefully, will think twice, will think again and again before they use the veto. The veto is not a free pass to be used and abused; its use has to be explained and justified here in the General Assembly. This very debate this morning, is a reminder to the permanent members that their performance in the Security Council is being scrutinised and their voting positions are being watched.

Mr President,

4 The veto resolution is therefore fundamentally about strengthening accountability, transparency and inclusive participation.  We co-sponsored the resolution because we believe that it is important for the Security Council to be held accountable by the General Assembly.  Article 24.1 of the UN Charter makes it clear that "Members confer on the Security Council primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and agree that in carrying out its duties under this responsibility the Security Council acts on their behalf”.  That’s what the United Nations Charter says and this is acknowledged in the preambular section of Resolution 76/272. To put it simply, the Security Council acts on behalf of the members of the UN. And therefore the Security Council has the political and constitutional responsibility to report back to members of the General Assembly on a regular basis.  In this context, Article 24.3 becomes very pertinent.  This article requires the Security Council to submit annual and, when necessary, special reports to the General Assembly for its consideration. For consideration, not information.  Let me take this opportunity to say that we look forward to receiving the annual report of the Security Council in a timely manner.  The annual debate in the General Assembly on the report of the Security Council is another important exercise in accountability, transparency and legitimacy. 

5 Singapore has taken the consistent position that greater transparency and accountability in the work of the Security Council will improve the credibility and legitimacy of the Security Council’s decisions, as well as the credibility and legitimacy of its permanent members I might add.  The veto resolution strengthens accountability by requiring a special report to be submitted by the Security Council whenever a veto is used.  And the debate, like this one, in the General Assembly strengthens transparency and encourages inclusive participation in the work of the United Nations. In this regard, please allow me to make three specific points.

6 First, the General Assembly is the cornerstone of an effective multilateral system. The universal character of the General Assembly gives this body a very unique legitimacy and credibility that is possessed by no other organ of the UN system.  The General Assembly has proven in the past year that it can respond to crises by taking decisions, particularly where the Security Council is unable or unwilling to act on matters of international peace and security.  In just one year, the veto initiative has been activated three times. And the veto initiative is therefore a clear reminder to permanent members that their credibility and legitimacy depend on their accountability to the wider membership.  At the same time, it has given the wider membership here in the General Assembly, especially the small states,  an opportunity to give their views on the use of the veto. In the General Assembly, there is no right of the veto. The voice of the General Assembly  cannot be vetoed and the voice of small states, which constitute the majority of UN members, cannot be silenced and cannot be vetoed.

7 The second point is that even as we push to enhance transparency and accountability, it is equally important to encourage greater restraint in the use of the veto.  In this regard, I urge Member States to support other efforts to create more accountability over the use of the veto, including the French-Mexican initiative and the ACT Group’s proposed Code of Conduct regarding Security Council action against genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. We also call on all members of the Security Council, both the permanent members and the elected members, to affirm their commitment to Article 27.3 of the United Nations Charter, which many other delegations have echoed. This article states that a party to a dispute shall abstain from voting in the Security Council.  And it is our hope that the General Assembly will in the future have a more focused discussion on this particular article of the UN Charter.

8 The third point I wanted to make is that the veto resolution represents just one step. It is an important step, but it is still one step in the important process towards General Assembly revitalisation and of strengthening the multilateral system in order to make it more effective. It is our hope that the veto initiative will lead to other initiatives and other ideas to strengthen the role of the General Assembly.  In this regard, we welcome the recently published report from the High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism (HLAB) which has offered many actionable, practical, and innovative ideas on how we can move towards a United Nations 2.0 and how we can achieve a more networked, inclusive, and effective multilateralism that will bring benefits to our people and planet. I urge all Member States to look at the report of the HLAB to see how we can make progress on some of the concrete ideas that have been put forward.

Mr President,

9 Let me conclude by reiterating that Singapore has always been a strong supporter and advocate for efforts to enhance the credibility and effectiveness of the United Nations, including through reforms to make the Security Council more accountable and transparent. We will continue to play our part to strengthen the United Nations and the multilateral system to make them fit-for-purpose and future-ready.

10 Thank you very much for your attention. 

. . . . .