MALAYSIA has called for the United Nations Security Council’s veto power to be abolished, particularly in cases involving crimes against humanity, saying the Council’s continued paralysis is undermining confidence in the world body.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said expanding the Security Council’s membership alone would not address its shortcomings, arguing that the veto itself must be confronted.
“No place requires reform more than the Security Council. No place more clearly exposes the weaknesses of the United Nations than the Security Council,” he said when delivering Malaysia’s National Statement at the General Debate of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York today.
Mohamad said UN General Assembly Resolution 76/262 had established an accountability mechanism between the Security Council and the General Assembly whenever a permanent member exercised its veto.
“We must make full use of this resolution as a launchpad for greater accountability regarding the use of the veto.
“Challenging the veto is what must be done and the veto is what must be abolished. We must begin that effort now,” he said.
Mohamad said there was still time to salvage the global order, stressing that paralysis in the Security Council should not translate into paralysis of the UN.
“It is fair to say that global trust in the ability of the UN to act is now at its lowest. This situation destroys trust in the very idea of the multilateral order,” he said.
He said the international community was witnessing an increasingly fragmented global order, a renewed arms race and open threats to use nuclear weapons.
“They see their own governments choosing not to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) and the various ways it is being misused, instead giving it more power,” he said.
Mohamad said rebuilding confidence in proactive governance and multilateralism was necessary to correct the course. - September 27, 2026
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