UN General Assembly
2024

When Russia, a permanent member of the Security Council, illegally invaded its neighbour, it did not just violate Article 2, paragraph 4 of the Charter, it acted in utter contempt of the Charter. Russia then vetoed a draft Security Council resolution condemning its actions and calling for the immediate withdrawal of its forces from Ukraine. Not only does Russia lack the sincerity and moral determination required to make the United Nations work, but its delinquency should be a clarion call for long overdue Security Council reform. As Prime Minister Fraser said back in 1946, when referring to the veto’s risks, that “it is very bad if one nation can hold up the advancement of mankind.” The world of 2024 looks very unlike the one of 1945, and so our collective institutions need to evolve and reflect contemporary realities. We need a UN Security Council that looks more like today’s world, and we need veto reform.