Amnesty International Activist-Led UN Network - WHO WE ARE!

Amnesty International Activist-Led UN Network

Human rights are universal. They are underpinned by the instruments and laws of the United Nations (UN). One of Amnesty International UK’s priority strategy objectives is to support and defend the international human rights framework.

In April 2024, we launched an activist-led UN Network that furthers this objective. The network aims to:

• Build awareness in activists of human rights mechanisms and processes within the UN
• Campaign on human rights issues related to the work of the UN.

The Veto Campaign

Stop mass atrocities
Stop abuse of UN Security Council veto

Our current campaign concerns abuse of the UN Security Council veto. The UN SC was set up to maintain international peace and security. Wars today in Ukraine and the Middle East are just two examples of the SC’s repeated failure because of abuse of the veto held by the permanent five members of the SC (China, France, Russia, UK, US).

We believe that existing international law – such as the Geneva Conventions and Genocide Convention – already renders illegal vetoes cast against credible resolutions aimed at preventing or stopping mass atrocities.

As well as protesting cases of abuse of the veto (e.g. the US’s veto of a resolution in February 2024 calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza), we are lobbying the UK and other governments to join Prof Jennifer Trahan’s “ICJ (International Court of Justice) initiative”.

The ICJ initiative’s aim is to persuade UN member states to put forward a resolution at the UN General Assembly requesting an advisory opinion from the ICJ on the legality of vetoes blocking resolutions aimed at stopping or preventing mass atrocities.

Our veto campaign is based on a UN code of conduct (the ACT Code of Conduct) agreed by more than 120 member countries. Signatories to this code include the UK and France, who have not used their vetoes for 35 years.

With recordings of past webinars and upcoming webinars scheduled, there is a lot to learn!

For more info, to sign up to receive notice of upcoming webinars or to join contact: amnestyunnetwork@gmail.com