The UN Security Council has been paralyzed by vetoes in every major crisis of the past three years, with Russia and China blocking resolutions on Ukraine, Myanmar, and Sudan while the US has vetoed resolutions on Gaza. The paralysis is producing the most serious push for Security Council reform since the UN Charter was adopted, with proposals ranging from limiting veto use to expanding permanent membership to creating new mechanisms for action when vetoes block response to humanitarian emergencies.
Reform of the Security Council requires amendment of the UN Charter, which itself requires approval by two-thirds of member states and all five permanent members, an essentially impossible standard given that the reform would reduce the power of the very members whose consent is required. More realistic proposals involve voluntary commitments not to use the veto in mass atrocity situations, which France and the UK have already endorsed, and expanding the voice of non-permanent members through procedural changes that do not require charter amendment.
