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 six priority strategic 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 helps activists understand the human rights mechanisms and processes of the UN so that our campaigning can be more effective. We also campaign on human rights issues related to the work of the UN. Our current campaign concerns abuse of the UN Security Council veto. We are also gearing up to campaign in defence of the ICC.
The Network’s focus is not legalistic or academic, and nor are we legal experts; our main motivation has been to try to prevent abuse of UN processes that lead to mass human rights violations.
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EmailUN Security Council
The UN Security Council was set up to maintain international peace and security. Ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are just two examples of the Security Council’s repeated failure because of the abuse of the veto held by the five permanent members of the Security Council (China, France, Russia, UK, US). The threat of the veto has also prevented important issues being addressed properly in the Council.
Stop mass atrocities
Stop abuse of UN Security Council veto
If a member state’s veto blocks credible action to stop/prevent a mass atrocity (i.e. genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression), they are violating the Security Council’s role in maintaining international peace and security, as outlined in Article 24(1) of the Charter; they are in effect enabling that atrocity to continue. This calls into question these states’ obligations to international agreements they are a party to, such as the Genocide Convention and the Geneva Conventions. Such vetoes are also at odds with the Purposes & Principles of the UN Charter and peremptory / jus cogens norms.
We protest cases of veto abuse (e.g. Russia’s veto of a resolution in November 2024 on Sudan and amendments to a resolution marking the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine; and the US’s vetoes of resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza).
Our veto campaign is based on a UN code of conduct (the ACT Code of Conduct) agreed by 130 member countries.
Signatories to this code include the UK and France, which have not used their vetoes since 1989.
Meetings
On the first Wednesday of each month at 19.00 (UK time). Please contact us to get the recurring invite.
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