Abstract
The UN Charter confers upon the so-called permanent members of the Security Council the veto power in relation to most draft resolutions (although not explicitly). This article briefly describes the historical background of the creation of the veto power and its legal regulation.
It also provides an overview of the use of the veto since the foundation of the UN to the present, showing that after a brief period in the 1990s, the frequency of veto use is now on the rise again, raising questions about the effectiveness of the collective security system. Some limits to the exercise of the veto power are then outlined, arising both from the voluntary self-restraint of some permanent members of the Security Council and from existing international law, particularly in situations where crimes under international law are committed.
Last but not least, the article also examines the efforts of non-members of the Security Council to pressure permanent members to exercise restraint in the use of the veto, as manifested, inter alia, by the General Assembly resolution known as the Veto Initiative.