Deputy United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus casts a veto as members of the U.N. Security Council vote on a draft resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, at U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 18, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
The United Nations, conceived as a space for encounter and justice among peoples, is today held hostage by the interests of the powers. Its headquarters in New York and the existence of the right to veto in the Security Council are two chains that bind it to submission and irrelevance.
The United States, the host country, has manipulated and conditioned the UN for decades: granting or denying visas to delegates at its convenience, exerting pressure with financial contributions, and blocking any decision that affects its strategic partner, Israel, even if it involves clear crimes against humanity. How can the UN claim neutrality if it remains under the shadow of the superpower that has started the most wars in the last century?
But the problem isn’t just geographic. The veto is the most undemocratic mechanism in the contemporary international structure. A single country—be it the United States, Russia, China, France, or the United Kingdom—can override the will of more than 190 nations. This colonial privilege transforms the Security Council into a theater of power, not a space for justice. It is precisely this veto that has prevented the genocide against the Palestinian people, illegal invasions, and flagrant violations of international law for decades.
Humanity demands structural changes:
Move the UN headquarters to neutral territory, outside the political and military influence of any power.
Eliminate the right to veto, replacing it with democratic voting mechanisms that respect the sovereign equality of member states.
The UN must be reborn or perish. If it remains under the control of a handful of powerful countries, it will continue to be complicit in the suffering of the people. But if it breaks these chains, it can regain its original mission: to be a space for peace, justice, and the dignity of humanity.
Palestinian Union of Latin America – UPAL
September 29, 2025
