IRELAND’S AMBASSADOR TO the UN has said the veto that five permanent members of the UN Security Council have is “anachronistic” and a “historically unjust instrument” that “shouldn’t exist”.

After attending the Global Ireland Summit in Dublin Castle today, Geraldine Byrne Nason told The Journal that the UN Security Council needs reform. 

Ireland is an elected member of the United Nations Security Council, for a two-year term which began on 1 January 2021. 

Russia is one of the five permanent members of the Council, meaning it has a veto (as do France, the United States, Britain and China) on substantive resolutions made by the group, which it has repeatedly wielded to block resolutions and negotiations on the global stage.

That power also means it cannot be expelled from the body, as it would simply veto any vote or recommendation by the Security Council to do so.

The issue of a veto has raised its head following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and there hasn’t been any legally-binding resolution or statement from the council mentioning Russia being an aggressor.

This was something the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy challenged the United Nations on earlier this month, calling on it to “act immediately” to remove Russia as an aggressor so it can’t block decisions about it, or “dissolve yourself altogether” during a blistering address in which he showed harrowing footage of dead Ukrainians who he said were victims of Russian atrocities.

When asked for her reaction to his comments, Byrne Nason said: 

My reaction to which is to say, ‘hear, hear’,  we need reform at the Security Council. Ireland, particularly Minister [Simon] Coveney has been very forthright on that, the veto – it is about the Russians being able to veto an action on the Council. It’s an anachronistic, historically unjust instrument and it shouldn’t exist.

The Russians are abusing it. The Americans in the past have used it, and the Chinese. To be fair, the French and the British in 20 years haven’t used the veto.

Yet amidst “all this darkness” there is a “chink of light” on the veto issue, said Byrne Nason, a Drogheda native. 

Ireland has been working for the last three years with another group of countries, led by Liechtenstein, on an initiative that’s about to come to fruition next week in the UN General Assembly, she said.

It sets out that if a veto is used in the Security Council, the country that uses it will be obliged to come to the General Assembly “to explain itself”.

“It’s a holding to account of the use of that veto,” she explained. 

Interestingly, the Americans – who have used the veto in the past – have signed on as a sponsor of the veto initiative, said Byrne Nason. 

“So they will join countries like Ireland, because to be honest, I think people are now seeing just how lacking in credibility it is for an aggressor to block a discussion,” she said. 

Security Council reform needed

“President Zelenskyy was very blunt in the way he [said], ‘if we can’t reform, we move on somewhere else’,” said Byrne Nason. 

“I’m a hopeful member of the Irish delegation of the UN. I don’t think we will reform the Security Council next week. But I absolutely won’t stop trying while we’re there to improve it and make it better,” she said. 

In recent weeks, there have been calls for the expulsion of the Russian ambassador to Ireland, while the Irish Government has argued that it is important to keep diplomatic channels and dialogue open with the Russians. 

When put to her that the UN Security Council is in a similar position, and an example of the importance of keeping dialogue open with countries some might not want to talk to, Byrne Nason said she agreed with the comparison. 

“I couldn’t agree more with that comparison because Ireland had to fight to get onto the Security Council. We went there to sit and talk our way to peace. That’s what the object of the exercise is, and you can’t sit there talking to yourself, if you refuse to engage,” she said. 

The Council is an “elevated platform” and a “court of global public opinion, where we get to say, [an action is] illegal, it’s unprovoked and it needs to stop”. 

“We are very clear and I think we speak up in a way that’s neither profitable nor popular, but it’s authentic in terms of what we are fighting for, our values and principles,” she said. 

Talk of peace is an important part of the discussion and one which hasn’t been followed through on yet, she said. 

“Yes, at the Security Council, we need to see a move, not just to humanitarian assistance, which is critical, but also to peace talks. And that’s a part of the discussion that may not happen in the Security Council and may not even happen in the UN. But once those discussions are underway, this is, if you like, the bedrock of any outcome of this crisis, a peaceful solution will find itself anchored in the UN and anchored at the Security Council,” said Byrne Nason.

“And that’s one reason, frankly, that I find it really objectionable that the Russians are abusing the Security Council, because the legitimacy of the Security Council will underwrite finally, not just the peaceful outcome of the crisis, but also the reconstruction of Ukraine,” she said.

Other conflicts 

The UN Security Council is dealing with conflicts around the world – ones that are not always attracting high-profile coverage.

Byrne Nason said the situation is Ukraine is unique, as “it is the first time in a very long time we’ve seen one of the permanent members openly involved in a conflict like this”. 

“In such a callous and brutal way – unjustified, unprovoked, illegal. It strikes all of the chords in terms of a unique situation.

“It’s a complete contravention of everything we all stand for,” she said. 

The UN Security Council is currently dealing with 22 other crisis country situations right now, with Byrne Nason naming a few such as Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Syrian, and Myanmar.

“I think it’s one of the things Ireland has been very clear about. However committed we are to speaking up and speaking out on Ukraine, it can’t be at the expense of other vulnerable situations,” she said. 

New role

Byrne Nason will take over the role of Irish Ambassador to Washington in early Autumn.

She’s to take over from the current Irish ambassador to Washington, Dan Mulhall, who is to retire from the Department of Foreign Affairs in August following a 44-year career as a diplomat.

In her role as ambassador in Washington DC, Byrne Nason committed to a fresh push to get the E3 Visa issue over the line in the US.

Two Senators, Dick Durbin and Pat Toomey, have moved to introduce bipartisan bill aimed at allowing Ireland to avail of surplus visas to live and work in America that were originally allocated to Australia.

Access to the E3 Visa Scheme would mean a new batch of US Visas for Irish people. In return, Ireland is to increase access to the labour market for US workers.

It could mean up to 5,000 US visas a year could be specifically set aside for Irish citizens.

When asked if she will be pushing to get those visas for Irish people, she said:

“Absolutely. There are important efforts underway in Congress on the E3 Visa.

“It’s always a challenging issue in the House of Congress to get bipartisan support and agreement on issues including migration.

“So I am very hopeful that when I get there, I’ll be able to add some momentum to that.

“It’s something that takes time and the building up of support and relationships. I think anyone who’s ever worked with young Irish visa holders in the United States, they line up to support more visas for the the bright and creative young Irish people on the ground in the US, so I’ll certainly be adding all of my energy to that effort,” she said.

Having Joe Biden in the White House can only be a good thing as regards hope to get the E3 Visa deal over the line, she said.

“We claim him unashamedly as our Irish president in the White House. He wears his Irishness on his sleeve, quite literally. On a personal note, I’m from County Louth, I am a Drogheda woman, and I know that the Finnigan side of the Biden family, his great grandmother was Geraldine. So I see that as a real signal that this [role as ambassador to Washington] can only be a good move,” she joked.