President Muizzu calls to abolish the veto at UN Security Council

In the first address by a Maldivian President to the United Nations Security Council since Maldives became a member 59 years ago, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has called to abolish veto powers by its permanent members.

The President reminded the Security Council of the major responsibility they hold in maintaining global peace and security, and the high hopes that the people of the world place in the council.

He then stated that the Council had utterly failed in 'giving hope to the hopeless, and salvation to the suffering'.

President Muizzu voiced concerns about how the multilateral system is continuing to receive global mistrust, in large part due to its inaction and ineffectiveness.

"We sit here today while a genocide unfolds under the nose of a Security Council unwilling to uphold international law and put an end to it," he said, referring to the ongoing genocide in Palestine.

"The declining trust in the Security Council is rooted in the lack of equal representation, accountability, and transparency…It’s fuelled by the Council’s selective intervention in maintaining security for some but not for others," the President stated, calling for immediate change.

He voiced that the Security Council needs to become more representative in its composition, pointing out that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are a mere one-fifth on UN membership. He proposed a rotating seat for SIDS in a bid to increase representation.

"The Council cannot expect democracy and accountability in UN Member States, without practicing the same in the Council," President Muizzu asserted.

He made a strong call to abolish the veto powers of permanent members, stating that the veto stops the council from ending Israel's genocide against the people of Palestine, and continues to grant Israel impunity even as they continue the occupation of Palestine and risk regional security.

Speaking of the recent incident in Lebanon where handheld devices such as pagers and walkie talkies exploded, the President said, "technology has advanced to a stage, that detonating devices in our own pockets remotely, is now a reality".

"If the Security Council is not more flexible and agile in effectively responding to these new and emerging threats, it runs the risk of being buried in the dust."