At the Security Council, five permanent members can, on their own, halt any substantive decision, including when civilians are being killed. As a candidate for UN Secretary-General, President Macky Sall places the restraint of that veto among his priorities.

A power of obstruction inherited from 1945. The veto was meant to preserve the accord between the great powers at the end of the war. In the face of massacres, it makes the decision to act hang on a single vote, and that vote can be a refusal. It sometimes serves to shield inaction where inaction should be impossible, while a population waits for the protection the law recognises as its due.

Mass atrocities. Genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes engage a responsibility that states have solemnly recognised. A veto cast at the moment these crimes are being committed cancels that responsibility with a single gesture and deprives the Council of the means to spare lives.

Voluntary commitments. The initiative led by France and Mexico invites the permanent members to suspend the veto of their own accord in the face of mass atrocities. The ACT Group's Code of Conduct brings together the states that pledge not to obstruct credible resolutions meant to prevent them. Since 2022, the General Assembly convenes automatically after every veto, and the member that casts it comes to explain it before the Assembly. These voluntary commitments still await the support of the many.

Warning before the irreparable. A veto that lets civilians die weakens the authority of the Organization as a whole, far beyond a single resolution. Without holding the veto or seeking to abolish it, the Secretary-General can name situations in time and raise the alarm before the irreparable is done. He can also support the transparency the General Assembly has established.

Experience at the African Union. Twelve years as head of state and the chairmanship of the African Union in 2022 ground this position on the veto. That experience explains why the vision statement filed with the United Nations frames its proposals as obligations, among them the renewal of multilateralism and stronger governance of the Organization.

Africa at its heart, the world in its sights.

The France–Mexico initiative, the ACT Group's Code of Conduct and the 2022 General Assembly resolution on the veto are public. Read all public positions at www.mackysall.net