Labour launches study of possible reforms to UN institutions

Labour has launched a review of possible reforms to United Nations institutions, in a move that will inevitably raise questions about the continued merits of Britain’s veto as one of the five permanent members of the security council.

The review, ordered by the shadow foreign secretary, Lisa Nandy, and led by Ray Collins, the shadow foreign minister in the Lords, will study the structure of the security council, the role of the general assembly and the powers of the World Health Organization.

It will also look at the UN’s efficiency, its links with civil society and the ways in which UN bodies such as the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons OPCW and the international court of justice can better hold national governments to account for crimes against humanity.

“If Covid has shown us anything it has shown the need for multilateral solutions, and the UN is the premier multilateral institution in the world. But we need to acknowledge its shortcomings. The UK, as one of the chief funders of the UN, could have great influence on how it can be made more effective,” Collins said.

Related: What is the future of the UN in the age of impunity?

The security council has been widely criticised as having been sidelined as China, Russia and the US have vied in their threats to use their vetos. Known collectively as the P5, he five permanent members - China, France, Russia, the UK and the US - reflect the outcome of the second world war, but exclude many major economies including Brazil, Germany, India and Japan.

Collins admitted that numerous past attempts to reform the council, including the expansion of its permanent membership, had foundered on the vetos of the P5.

He recognised that entrenched interests made fundamental reform of the council extremely unlikely, but said he was optimistic that multilateralism could be revived, including by changing the powers of the general assembly, or by building from below to make the UN more effective on issues such as climate change, trade, health and labour standards.

“I do not think we should be trapped by some of these seemingly insurmountable geopolitical barriers between the US and China,” he said.

Flaws in the World Health Organization had also been revealed, he said, many of them stemming from the UN’s reliance on member states for information.

Collins said the review came at a critical time because the two pillars of British foreign policy – its alliance with the US and membership of the EU – had been undermined by Donald Trump and Brexit.

“There has been a lot of talk in the UK about regaining national sovereignty, and of course we need to act in the national interest, but often that national interest can only be protected by international norms and cooperation, he said.

He also said he was troubled that the UK did not seem to want to engage with multilateral initiatives such as the alliance for multilateralism backed by France and Germany, or Joe Biden’s plan to hold a conference of democracies. He suggested the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, was instead overly focussed on framing the five-eyes intelligence alliance as the main body through which Britain would build its alliances.

He said the UK’s influence at the UN was waning. He noted that the country had led on the 2030 agenda on sustainable development , but had contributed little since on how to implement its goals.

Collins believes the UK also needs a more consistent approach to human rights and international accountability. “It is not good enough that 11 Saudi officials are sanctioned on one day for their role in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, and then the arms sales to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen are renewed the next day,” he said.

The review has parallels with the UK government’s review of foreign and security policy, which has just called for public evidence.