A participatory dialogue on three proposals to limit the use of the veto by UN Security Council P5 members.
- An International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on existing legal limits to the veto under international law;
- An International Court of Justice case on obligations to implement Chapter 6 of the UN Charter on the Pacific Settlement of Disputes mandating a party to a dispute to abstain from Security Council votes;
- Establishing a new mechanism for veto review by an elected chamber
Date, Time and Speakers
Wednesday July 16, 2025
12 noon Eastern Time USA / 6pm Central Europe Time
(90 minutes reserved)
Organised by the ImPact Coalition on Strengthening International Judicial Institutions
Speakers: Professor Jennifer Trahan, Blake McLeod, Janet Phillips, Dr. David Cheesman.
Moderator: Rebecca Shoot
Speakers: Professor Jennifer Trahan, Blake McLeod, Janet Phillips, Dr. David Cheesman.
Moderator: Rebecca Shoot
About the event
“The use of the veto in the face of mass atrocities is morally indefensible.”
Ban Ki-moon, former UN Secretary-General
“The world still defines itself in terms of the narrow interests of the powerful. The Security Council, with its veto power, reflects this imbalance.”
Nelson Mandela, addressing the UN (1998)
”The use of the veto, or even its threat, continues to erode the legitimacy of the Security Council and undermines the principle of sovereign equality among nations.”
Sam Kutesa, former President of the UN General Assembly (Uganda, 2014–2015)
Referred to as “an anachronism” by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the abuse of the veto power by members of the UN Security Council has in the words of organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International has been a death sentence for thousands of civilians in the face of ongoing mass atrocities. It can be tempting to regard the status quo as inevitable and impermeable. However, there have been positive – albeit incremental – steps in recent years, such as the passage of UN General Assembly Resolution 76/262, which mandates a debate in the General Assembly whenever a veto is cast in the Security Council.
Buoyed by robust legal scholarship, activists and advocates are now pursuing a variety of pathways toward reform. On the eve of International Justice Day, please join us for an interactive dialogue where participants will share how they are leading new initiatives to test the limits of the veto. The dialogue will include exploration of ways in which participants can support these initiatives, off-the-record feedback into strategies to approach States and insight into key targets, and sharing of other initiatives that may be complementary.
About the Panelists
Professor Jennifer Trahan
Jennifer Trahan is a Clinical Professor at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs where she directs the Concentration in International Law and Human Rights, and teaches a variety of courses on International Law. She is a prolific scholar, having authored scores of law review articles and book chapters, including on the International Criminal Court’s crime of aggression. Her book “Existing Legal Limits to Security Council Veto Power in the Face of Atrocity Crimes” (Cambridge University Press, 2020) received the 2020 ABILA Book of the Year Award. She holds various positions with the American Branch of the International Law Association and serves on the Use of Force Committee of the International Law Association. Additionally, she is Convenor of the Global Institute for the Prevention of Aggression (GIPA), served as amicus to the ICC on the appeal of the Afghanistan situation, and served on the Council of Advisers on the Application of the Rome Statute to Cyberwarfare.
Blake McLeod
Blake MacLeod is the Secretary for the Board and Executive Committee of the World Federalist Movement-Canada (WFM-C), where he and colleagues advocate for substantive veto reform. Blake’s connection to WFM-C began as a Vancouver branch member in 2003. Since then he has served in numerous positions and capacities, as Vancouver branch Vice-President and as moderator at the international press launch of the United Nations Parliamentary Assembly campaign. A WFM-C delegate at the World Peace Forum, Blake also served a secretarial function during roundtable discussions for creating a Women, Peace and Security ambassador position in Canada. Political activity has included federal Electoral District Associations, volunteering on numerous campaigns, and as a polling place scrutineer.
Janet Phillips
A linguist by profession, Janet is the lead for the current campaign of the Amnesty International UK activist-led UN Network, Countering use of the UN Security Council veto to obstruct action against mass atrocities. Janet previously worked for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including in Poland at the time of the Solidarity uprising and fall of communism in Central and Eastern Europe. The bulk of her career has been spent working as an editor in the English Language Teaching division of Oxford University Press, for most of that time in the Department of ELT Dictionaries and Reference Grammar, where her publications included: bilingualisation of learner dictionaries for Polish, Czech, Russian, Serbian, Hungarian, Turkish and Arab learners of English; compilation for the Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English; the fourth edition of Michael Swan’s Practical English Usage; the second edition of Ruth Gairns and Stuart Redman’s Oxford Word Skills series; and Oxford Grammar 360° (for Italian secondary students). Since March 2021, she has worked on a voluntary basis as an Assistant Managing Editor (for issue production) for Asymptote, an online journal of world literature (in various genres) in translation.
Dr. David Cheesman
Dr. David Cheesman is the Secretary of the UN Association of the UK's Luton and the Southeast Regions (UNA-LASER) branch. His first job was as a Lecturer in English at the University of Constantine, Algeria. He has a PhD in South Asian history from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and has published academic articles and a book on the economic and social history of Sindh in Pakistan, as well as papers about decolonisation in Africa, community cohesion in the UK, and Islam and secularism in Britain and France. He was an external examiner and later Visiting Professor of Society and Development at Sheffield Hallam University. He now works in financial services and is a Director of Equality in Diversity, an independent research, management and training consultancy. He is a board member and former chair of Squared Housing Association.
About the ImPact Coalition on Strengthening International Judicial Institutions
The ImPact Coalition on Strengthening International Judicial Institution is one of several civil society-led coalitions formed in the process leading up to the Summit of the Future that seek to work complementarily to advance the commitments within the Pact for the Future and contribute to more effective, accountable, and inclusive global governance.
The coalition builds upon and seeks to expand – in scope, diversity of membership, and impact of multi-stakeholder contributions – the work of the Legal Alternatives to War (LAW not War), a global campaign launched in October 2023 to increase the universality, impact and effectiveness of the ICJ.
The campaign acknowledges that although the ICJ is the world’s principal judicial organ for peacefully resolving conflicts between states, ensuring justice and upholding the rule of law. However, it is inhibited by limited jurisdiction and is not utilized to its fullest potential by States. In the medium to long-term, this coalition will advocate for all UN Member States to accept the ICJ’s compulsory jurisdiction over contentious disputes, as 74 have done to date. Further, other sectors with an interest in justice and peaceful dispute resolution, including civil society and the public, often are unaware of its potential and contributions. This coalition works to increase awareness of and engagement with the ICJ in the short, mid, and long-term, and with existing mechanisms like the Coalition for the ICC, and the initiative for an International Anti-Corruption Court to support complementary and linkages between domestic, regional, and international institutions.
To learn more about the ImPact Coalition and get involved, please email Co-Convener Rebecca Shoot at rebecca.shoot@gmail.com.