French President Emmanuel Macron has thrown his support behind a significant reform of the United Nations Security Council, advocating for limitations on the veto power held by permanent members in cases of mass killings. This call for change comes amidst the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, prompting a global debate on the effectiveness and accountability of the UN in addressing such atrocities.
Macron’s proposal, initially put forward in 2013, aims to regulate the use of the veto, effectively preventing the five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States – from shielding perpetrators of mass atrocities from international accountability. The French president believes that simply changing the composition of the Security Council won’t suffice; he stresses the need for a transformation in operational methods to curb the veto power in such situations.
To determine the existence of mass atrocities, Macron suggests a system where the UN Secretary-General would refer the matter to the Security Council based on their own initiative, or upon a proposal from the High Commissioner for Human Rights or a sufficient number of Member States. Importantly, this reform would not require altering the UN Charter, making it a more achievable goal.
While Macron’s statement is widely seen as a response to Russia’s actions in the Ukraine war, it also carries implications for Western nations, particularly in light of the intense scrutiny over their role in providing arms to Israel during its ongoing military operations in Gaza. Numerous UN experts, including Francesca Albanese, the Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, have condemned Israel’s actions as a “genocidal assault” and called upon Western nations, such as the United States, to cease supplying weapons to Israel.
Macron’s call for reform seems to acknowledge the potential backlash from Western nations, particularly those involved in the Gaza conflict. He explicitly stated that the Gaza war has “gone on too long” and there is “no explanation possible” for the tragic loss of civilian lives. This acknowledgment of the human cost of the conflict, coupled with his call for reform of the Security Council, signals a potential shift in the international response to mass atrocities and a push for greater accountability within the UN system.
