France and the United Nations
Encyclopedia
The French Republic
is a charter member of the United Nations
and one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
sparingly, vetoing 18 resolutions from 1949 to 2007, compared with 82 by the United States
and 123 by the Soviet Union
and Russia
, 32 by Britain
, and 6 by China
. France used its veto power
along with the United Kingdom
, to veto a resolution to resolve the Suez Canal
crisis in 1956. France also used a veto in 1976 on the question of the Comoros
independence, when the island of Mayotte
was kept in French territory due to the vote of the local population. In 2002, France threatened to veto Resolution 1441
on the then upcoming 2003 Iraq war
.
List of all French vetoes
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
is a charter member of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Veto power in the UN Security Council
France has used its veto powerUnited Nations Security Council veto power
The United Nations Security Council "power of veto" refers to the veto power wielded solely by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council , enabling them to prevent the adoption of any "substantive" draft Council resolution, regardless of the level of international support...
sparingly, vetoing 18 resolutions from 1949 to 2007, compared with 82 by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and 123 by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, 32 by Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and 6 by China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. France used its veto power
United Nations Security Council veto power
The United Nations Security Council "power of veto" refers to the veto power wielded solely by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council , enabling them to prevent the adoption of any "substantive" draft Council resolution, regardless of the level of international support...
along with the United Kingdom
United Kingdom and the United Nations
The United Kingdom is a charter member of the United Nations and one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council.-United Kingdom's role in establishing the UN:...
, to veto a resolution to resolve the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
crisis in 1956. France also used a veto in 1976 on the question of the Comoros
Comoros
The Comoros , officially the Union of the Comoros is an archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa, on the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, between northeastern Mozambique and northwestern Madagascar...
independence, when the island of Mayotte
Mayotte
Mayotte is an overseas department and region of France consisting of a main island, Grande-Terre , a smaller island, Petite-Terre , and several islets around these two. The archipelago is located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean, namely between northwestern Madagascar and...
was kept in French territory due to the vote of the local population. In 2002, France threatened to veto Resolution 1441
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441 is a United Nations Security Council resolution adopted unanimously by the United Nations Security Council on November 8, 2002, offering Iraq under Saddam Hussein "a final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations" that had been set out...
on the then upcoming 2003 Iraq war
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
.
List of all French vetoes
- June 26, 1946: Spanish Question
- August 25, 1947: Indonesian Question
- October 30, 1956 (twice): Palestinian Question: Steps for the Immediate Cessation of the Military Action of Israel in Egypt
- October 30, 1974: South Africa (Representation in the UN)
- June 6, 1975: Namibia Question
- February 6, 1976: Dispute between the Comoros and France on Mayotte
- October 19, 1976: Situation in Namibia
- October 31, 1977 (three times): Situation in South Africa
- April 30, 1981 (four times) : Question of Namibia
- April 21, 1986 : Libyan Complaint against US Attack
- January 11, 1989 : Complaint by Libya against US Downing of Aircraft
- December 23, 1989 : Situation in Panama
Miscellaneous
- FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
is one of the two working languages of the UN Secretariat, the other being EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. - France is one of the main contributors of the regular UN budget (6.5% for the 2001 budget).
See also
- Claude de KemoulariaClaude de KemoulariaClaude de Kemoularia is a French citizen of Georgian descent whose career has been in the fields of banking and diplomacy. He served as Dag Hammarskjöld's personal assistant from 1957 to 1961. In the mid-1960s, he was a special advisor to Prince Rainier of Monaco. From the late 1960s to 1982, he...
- European Union and the United NationsEuropean Union and the United NationsThe European Union has been an observer member at the United Nations since 1974 and has had enhanced participation rights since 2011. The EU itself does not have voting rights but it is represented alongside its 27 members which do, two of which are permanent members of the Security Council,...
- Gérard AraudGerard AraudGérard Araud is the Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations. Before that he was Director General for Political and Security Affairs of the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, also known as Quai d’Orsay....