Malaysia ‘sick of’ veto blocking Gaza action, reiterates call for its abolition

Malaysia says it is “sick of” the United Nations Security Council veto repeatedly frustrating efforts to secure action on Gaza, reiterating its call for the veto power held by the council’s five permanent members to be abolished.

Foreign minister Mohamad Hasan said Malaysia and other member states had exhausted every effort in the pursuit of justice for Gaza, including calls for an immediate ceasefire, unrestricted humanitarian aid, punitive action against Israel and full Palestinian membership of the UN.

“Yet, again and again, the collective will of this assembly has encountered the silencing effect of the veto. Malaysia will speak plainly: We are sick of it,” he said when delivering Malaysia’s national statement at the general debate of the 81st UN General Assembly here today.

Mohamad said the need for reform was nowhere more critical than in the Security Council, where the exercise of the veto must be questioned and strongly challenged by every member of the General Assembly, particularly in cases involving crimes against humanity.

He said General Assembly Resolution 76/262, adopted in 2022, had already created an accountability channel between the Security Council and the General Assembly.

“We must make full use of this resolution as a launchpad for greater accountability regarding the use of the veto,” he said.

Mohamad also said that expanding the Security Council’s membership alone would not be enough to address its shortcomings.

“It is the veto that must be challenged, and it is the veto that must be abolished. We must begin the work now,” he said.

Malaysia has previously called for the abolition of the veto while also supporting restrictions on its use in cases involving serious violations of international law if outright abolition cannot be achieved.

At the same time, Malaysia also supported expanding both permanent and non-permanent Security Council membership to make the body more representative.

The Security Council has repeatedly been deadlocked over ceasefire efforts in Gaza, with the US using its veto to block several resolutions despite broad support from other council members.

In June 2025, the US vetoed a draft resolution calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, despite the other 14 council members voting in favour. The US again vetoed a similar Gaza ceasefire resolution in September that same year.

In closing his speech, Mohamad said the UN must reform institutions that no longer reflected current realities and ensure that the rules of the global system are applied equally to all.

He said Malaysia continued to believe in multilateralism, “most of all, when the alternative is a world ruled by power alone”.

“Malaysia will not turn away from the UN in its hour of difficulty,” he said.

“We will not abandon multilateralism just because it is imperfect. We will do the work to make it worthy of the trust placed in it.”

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