{"id":292597,"date":"2026-04-16T10:23:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T14:23:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/80\/?p=292597"},"modified":"2026-04-17T15:02:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T19:02:35","slug":"pga-remarks-at-the-general-assembly-on-the-use-of-the-veto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/80\/2026\/04\/16\/pga-remarks-at-the-general-assembly-on-the-use-of-the-veto\/","title":{"rendered":"PGA Remarks at the General Assembly on the use of the veto"},"content":{"rendered":"

Remarks by H.E. Annalena Baerbock<\/strong><\/p>\n

President of the 80th<\/sup> Session of the United Nations General Assembly <\/strong><\/p>\n

on the use of the veto <\/strong><\/p>\n

Thursday, 16 April 2026\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

General Assembly Hall<\/strong><\/p>\n

Excellencies,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thank you for joining this 21st meeting of the \u2018Veto Initiative\u2019, convened on this occasion in response to vetoes cast on a draft resolution in the Security Council on 7 April, pertaining to the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Veto Initiative was established in 2022 to increase accountability around the glaring misuses of the veto and, by extension, the inability of the Security Council to fulfil its core responsibility to maintain international peace and security.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Today\u2019s meeting is a direct reflection of that mandate.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In light of the Council\u2019s failure to support efforts leading to safe and unimpeded passage in the Strait of Hormuz, the General Assembly now has both the opportunity and the responsibility to ensure that the debate on the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz does not end with the casting of a veto.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Member States likewise have the opportunity to speak out on the ongoing conflict and the situation in the Middle East more broadly, to hold the Security Council accountable and, importantly, to remind all parties involved of their obligations under the UN Charter and international law.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Because every resolution not passed in the name of peace and security, and every violation of international law, carries real consequences. Consequences for people on the ground, and for the countries and communities affected.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And as the past weeks have made clear, in our interconnected world, there is nothing theoretical about compliance with international law. What unfolds in one region echoes across all others, with deep and multifaceted consequences.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Oil prices have surged by more than 40 per cent, rising to around 100 USD per barrel, with spikes above 110 dollars.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Disruptions linked to the conflict have removed up to 1.5 million barrels per day from global supply, driving sharp increases in fuel, transport, and broader trade costs.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The disruption of fertilizer has exacerbated food insecurity for millions of vulnerable people.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The IMF cut its growth outlook for 2026, noting the threat of global recession.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The economic repercussions are felt everywhere, for example, as far away as New Zealand, where airlines have been forced to slash services\u2026<\/p>\n

and, the Philippines, which had even declared an energy emergency.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yet, while the vetoed resolution focused on the Strait of Hormuz, what we are witnessing is not a single crisis, but the convergence of multiple, overlapping, and longstanding fault lines, which did not start on the 28th<\/sup> of February.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It includes attacks against civilian and commercial infrastructure, from oil and energy systems, to airports, to vessels and shipping containers, to, most shockingly, schools and communities.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Attacks that are prohibited under international humanitarian law, which protects civilians.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It includes tensions over Iran\u2019s nuclear and ballistic missiles programmes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It includes grave human rights violations, most notably the killing of thousands of peaceful protestors in Iran.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It includes the persistent threats, including missile attacks, against Israel.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It includes the deaths of thousands of civilians, including children, in Iran and Lebanon, as well as missile attacks and casualties across the region, in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Iraq.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And it includes the diversion of international attention from the ongoing catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and the need to fully implement Security Council Resolution 2803, as well as from negative developments in the West Bank, where we continue to see intensified settler violence against Palestinians and the expansion of illegal settlements by Israel.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Taken together, dear excellencies, these realities cannot be ignored, nor can they be separated.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

They form the broader context within which this current crisis is unfolding.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Now, more than ever, dear colleagues, there is a need to refocus our efforts on diplomacy, on negotiations, and on the peaceful settlement of all disputes in the Middle East, in full accordance with the UN Charter and international law. It is there for a reason.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In this regard, I commend all parties who have continued to pursue diplomatic solutions, including those efforts that have helped broker the initial ceasefire between the United States and Iran, which must be respected by all parties and extended throughout the region, including in Lebanon.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Indeed, if the Security Council is unable or unwilling to fulfil its Charter responsibility in the maintenance of international peace and security, then the General Assembly, us, you, must step forward. We must then move from debate to action.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I therefore encourage all Member States to put forward concrete, forward-looking solutions, including draft resolutions, that help move beyond the current impasse, not only with regard to the Strait of Hormuz, but across the region as a whole.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Knowing what a difficult, fragmented time we live in, and fully aware of what might yet come… we should not reduce diplomatic engagement but rather seize the opportunity to build on the initial, fragile ceasefire, including through the efforts of the newly appointed Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General on the Middle East.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

History has shown us, time and again, that pursuing diplomacy and upholding international law remain the only viable path to peace and security, and the protection of civilians and human dignity no matter how hard it may seem.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And as said in the beginning, in an interconnected world, it is in the interest of all of us to stand up and protect the international rules-based order\u2026 as the consequences of a crisis anywhere, affects us everywhere.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I thank you.<\/p>\n