An Early Assessment of the General Assembly’s 2022 Veto Initiative

Abstract

In April 2022 the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 76/262, agreeing that every time a veto was cast in the Security Council, the Assembly would meet and consider the matter on which that veto was cast. Since then, Resolution 76/262 has provided the platform for four General Assembly special sessions. Drawing on those sessions, this article assesses the success of Resolution 76/262 according to the two objectives articulated by states at the time of its introduction: increasing the accountability of the Council; and prompting the Assembly to itself take action when the Council fails. In assessing the success of the veto initiative against this second criterion, this article also considers the difference between the special sessions convened pursuant to the Assembly’s Uniting for Peace Resolution, and those convened pursuant to Resolution 76/262. It finds that the latter are not yet being utilized to their full potential.