UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein [official profile] said on Monday that he is concerned about the future of the UN because of the veto power held by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: Russia, the US, China, the UK and France. 

Zeid told [TOI report] journalists that he felt the permanent five were “running too much of the business.”

Zeid said, “In the end the organization can collapse at great cost to the international community.” He blamed mostly the US, Russia and China for abusing the veto power in cases such as the alleged war crimes against Syrians and Palestinians.

Zeid will be finishing his term as High Commissioner on August 31. He will be replaced [JURIST report] by former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet.

During his term as commissioner, he was known for calling out world leaders he felt violated human rights. Earlier in August Zeid warned [JURIST report] that US President Donald Trump’s attack on the press was “close to incitement of violence.” Last month he expressed [JURIST report] concern over violence in the Gaza Strip. In June Zeid condemned [JURIST report] Hungarian legislation that criminalized helping asylum-seekers as “xenophobic.”