Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to lose their veto power, stating that the current veto system is "unjust" and hinders "global stability and peace." This call comes as the UNSC remains deadlocked on various issues, including conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.
Erdogan made his remarks during a press conference in New York, advocating for a complete overhaul of the UNSC, which includes ending the permanent membership and the veto power of the five permanent members: the US, the UK, France, Russia, and China. He emphasized that the current structure, established eight decades ago, does not reflect the needs of the modern world.
In a September 22 article published by Bloomberg, Erdogan argued that allowing a single country to block the wishes of the broader international community is no longer acceptable. He also proposed that the UN General Assembly (UNGA) should elect all UNSC members for fixed terms, requiring countries to regain the confidence of the majority of member states through elections.
To formally end the veto, an amendment to the UN Charter would be necessary, which requires approval from two-thirds of the UNGA and ratification by two-thirds of UN members, including all five permanent members. In 2015, France and Mexico proposed that the P5 suspend their vetoes on resolutions concerning mass atrocities, which has gained support from 128 UN member states, just one short of the number needed to pass a resolution in the UNGA.
However, any formal effort to abolish the veto power is likely to face resistance from most P5 members, including Russia, which has stated its belief that permanent members should retain their veto power. The US and China have also defended their veto privileges. While expanding the UNSC is a possibility, it would also require an amendment to the UN Charter and agreement among the P5 on which countries to include.
Historically, Russia has cast the most vetoes, with 163 out of 331 total vetoes recorded, followed by the US with 95. France and the UK have exercised their vetoes far less frequently, with the UK last using its veto in 1989.
Analysts suggest that the France-Mexico initiative's impact may be limited due to its voluntary and non-binding nature, and that the principles advanced in such initiatives remain aspirational without consensus from the most frequent veto users.