Norway, together with 82 UN Member States, co-sponsored the so-called ‘Veto Initiative’ resolution, that was put forward by the Mission of Liechtenstein.
“This is a historic step forward for the UN and the multilateral system. The resolution will raise the transparency, and accountability around the use of the veto, and overall the political cost of casting it. This is also an important affirmation of the General Assembly’s role in international peace and security, in accordance with its charter mandate", says the Ambassador of Norway to the UN, Mona Juul.
"Automatically scheduling debates in General Assembly for every veto cast in the Security Council will contribute to strengthening international cooperation among UN member states on important global security issues", she says.
The Resolution was adopted just months after a Russian veto on a Security Council draft resolution calling for an end to the country’s war against Ukraine.
“But Norway has for a long time been at the forefront in pushing for improvement, and reform of the Security Council. The illegal war on Ukraine is just another strong example for why we need reform. This initiative is a step in the right direction, but we are not finished yet,” Juul says.
You can read the Nordic Statement from the debate here.
Watch a clip from our Political Coordinator Meena Syed here.