The General Assembly met on Thursday to examine the Security Council's latest veto , cast by China and Russia over a United States-backed sanctions panel of experts on Iran nuclear facilities.
What you need to know
- The right to use a veto is held by permanent Security Council members - China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and United States - whereby if any votes against a resolution or decision, it automatically fails
- Council vetoes wielded over the past few years have included multiple resolutions for a ceasefire in Gaza and to end the war triggered by US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February
- The veto initiative - established in 2022 - requires the General Assembly to meet within 10 working days of any veto in the Security Council
'Poster child' for global gridlock
Many nations have called for removing or limiting veto power in the Council, but reform of the 15-member organ remains a work in progress.
At last year's annual veto debate, then-General Assembly president Annalena Baerbock called repeated veto use a " poster child " for global gridlock.
Thursday's debate was triggered by the assembly's landmark veto initiative, established in 2022.
No substitute for action
Khalilur Rahman, president of the assembly's 81st session, said the veto initiative "cannot substitute for effective Security Council action".
Each invocation of the initiative "highlights both the value of this mechanism and the circumstances that make it necessary" and affirms the assembly's complementary role, ensuring that veto use is accompanied by transparency, explanation and consideration by the wider membership.
While the initiative does not override the veto, it guarantees a public and accountable debate on each use and its implications in the General Assembly, where there is no veto power.
Watch the meeting on UN Web TV:
Divergent views
During the debate, Deputy Permanent Representative Sun Lei of China said that his delegation voted against the draft resolution to "uphold a correct sense of right and wrong".
The current impasse on the sanctions panel arises from the United States' unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran's nuclear facilities - the Iran nuclear deal of 2015 - its campaign of "maximum pressure" and its "two rounds of strikes against Iran in the midst of negotiations".
Meanwhile, other delegates argued for extending the panel's mandate.
"No UN Member State should prevent the UN Security Council from functioning properly and being fully operational," said Hedda Samson, Deputy Head of the European Union delegation, noting that the need for a panel of experts is "even great today".
Next step? Delivering
Following Thursday's debate, the assembly president will send a summary of discussions back to the Security Council.
At the outset of the meeting, Mr. Rahman said the assembly and the council "serve humanity best when they operate in balance", each fulfilling its distinct but complementary responsibilities under the UN Charter .
"Let us, therefore, use this debate not to exacerbate tensions or assign blame, but to clarify positions, identify common ground for constructive solutions and chart a credible path forward to support dialogue and diplomacy and ultimately restore trust in the organization and its ability to deliver," he said.
