Mexico Demands End to UN Security Council Paralysis Amid Rising Global Conflict

Mexico’s UN representative, Héctor Vasconcelos, made it clear  during the General Assembly debate on the UN annual report that without fundamental changes to the organization—particularly the Security Council—the UN will not be able to regain the relevance was created to have.

Vasconcelos pointed out that the primary task of the UN is to  maintain peace and security and that the Security Council acts on behalf of all member states; therefore, it has the responsibility to “act in accordance with international law and in compliance with the principle of accountability.”

“We can hardly argue that peace has been preserved at a time when there are as many armed conflicts as we observe around the world today. Peace cannot be measured solely by the absence of war. It is also reflected in the effective protection of life and human rights,” stated Vasconcelos. 

He went on to say that we cannot speak of a world in peace when the UN recorded 20 armed conflicts in 2025, and that one civilian lost their life every 14 minutes. He highlighted that in that same year,  more than 1,350 attacks were documented against healthcare facilities and personnel across 18 armed conflicts, and that healthcare professionals “were killed, detained or criminalized, simply for carrying out their role.” He also pointed out the fragility of the ceasefires and highlighted the situation in Gaza and Iran.

Vasconcelos also warned that the growing use of Artificial Intelligence and armed drones in these conflicts is amplifying the risks and consequences for the population. He called out the paralysis of the Security Council “caused so frequently by the use and abuse of the veto,” stating that it cannot translate into inaction by the UN “in the face of the most pressing challenges of our time,” and urged members of the Security Council to comply with the provisions of Article 27 of the Charter and abstain from voting when any of its members is party to a dispute. 

In response to this paralysis, the Mexican representative invited Member States to adhere to the Franco-Mexican initiative, which aims to restrict the use of the veto by the five permanent members of the Security Council in situations of mass atrocities. He emphasized that in 2025, Article 51 was invoked 33 times, with no knowledge as to whether these cases were analyzed.

Héctor Vasconcelos concluded by reiterating the need to improve the working methods of the Security Council and called for closer links with the General Assembly through the presentations “of more substantive and analytical annual reports.”