Amnesty International has called on the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council to waive their right to veto decisions in cases where genocide is being committed.
The call from the non-governmental organisation came as it released its annual report, which criticised the global response to conflict in 2014 as “shameful and ineffective”.
Secretary-General for Amnesty International, Salil Shetty, said members of the UN Security Council had used their veto to "promote their political self-interest or geopolitical interest above the interest of protecting civilians" and called for a change to the current system.
"As people suffered an escalation in barbarous attacks and repression, the international community has been found wanting," said Mr Shetty. "It is abhorrent to see how wealthy countries' efforts to keep people out take precedence over their efforts to keep people alive."
The head of Amnesty’s French branch, Geneviève Garrigos, told FRANCE 24, “We propose that the five permanent members abandon their veto power when it comes to finding a solution to very serious crises such as genocides, war crimes and crimes against humanity”.
In response to the Amnesty International report, the British Foreign Office said,
"The United Kingdom wholeheartedly supports the principle that the Security Council must act to stop mass atrocities and crimes against humanity… We cannot envisage circumstances where we would use our veto to block such action."
The report by the group said 2014 "has been a devastating year for those seeking to stand up for human rights and for those caught up in the suffering of war zones."
"In the year marking the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, politicians repeatedly trampled on the rules protecting civilians, or looked away from the deadly violations of these rules committed by others," Mr Shetty said in the report foreword. "We are now seeing violence on a mass scale and an enormous refugee crisis caused by that violence".
"There has been a singular failure to find workable solutions to the most pressing needs of our time."
See the full report here.
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