This Explanatory Note was drawn up but the UN’s Accountability, Coherence and Transparency group, in response to growing concern among UN member states about the use of the veto by permanent members of the Security Council in situations involving mass atrocity crimes.  In the Code, the supporting states:

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“[p]ledge in particular not to vote against a credible draft resolution before the Security Council on timely and decisive action to end the commission of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes, or to prevent such crimes.” (Para.2)

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By the time of this (1 Sept 2015) announcement of the Code’s completion, it was supported by 25 Members of ACT (Austria, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Gabon, Ghana, Hungary, Ireland, Jordan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Maldives, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Portugal, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and Uruguay) as well as Belize, the Netherlands, Spain and Ukraine. The Code is preceded here by a one page Explanatory Note, at the end of which, ‘Member States are herewith invited to formally support it, i.e. to agree to be included in the list of States that expressed their commitment to the Code of Conduct.’ By the time of the formal launch of the Code of Conduct on 23 October 2015, 104 states had signed on to the Code. Click here to read the Center for UN Reform’s account of the launch of the Code.

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