On Sunday 15 March, UNA-UK joined other civil society organisations to mark four years since the outbreak of conflict in Syria by supporting a call for restraining the Security Council veto in cases of mass atrocities.
The joint statement was signed by 47 organisations from countries spanning Australia to Yemen. The statement recalls the atrocities suffered by the Syrian people at the hands of the Assad regime and - in some cases - elements of the opposition, and shames the UN Security Council for failing to act decisively in the face of staggering violations of human rights.
The statement proceeds to reiterate civil society's support for the efforts of France - supported by a number of other member states - to encourage the five permanent members of the Council to voluntarily refrain from exercising their power of veto in situations of mass atrocity, namely genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
In exercising their power of veto, permanent members Russia and China have blocked most Security Council resolutions on Syria. By signing the statement, UNA-UK argues that misuse of the veto has left the Council powerless to fulfil its obligation to uphold its Responsibility to Protect (R2P).
