Today the average lifespan in the US approaches 80 years old. However, the average health span—the number of healthy years we live—is much shorter. In the US it is 63 years old. This means we are living much longer than we are healthy. Disparity in health span is substantial in the US. The most privileged have a health span that approaches their lifespan. We must ensure that everyone has the opportunity to match their health span to their lifespan. Offering realistic guide posts on what to expect with normal aging. Crucial to put aging well at the center of policy internationally to harness the power of older people and move forward globally.

This chapter explores initiatives that have sought voluntarily to restrain use of the veto in the face of atrocity crimes. They include: the “responsibility not to veto” found in the “responsibility to protect,” the “S5 initiative,” the French/Mexican initiative not to veto in the face of atrocity crimes, the ACT (Accountability, Coherence and Transparency) group of states’ Code of Conduct, and a proposal by a group known as “The Elders.” In addition to explaining the initiatives and providing background on them, this chapter evaluates the merits of each of the different approaches. Because all the initiatives call for voluntary veto restraint, until the recalcitrant permanent members of the Security Council (the Russian Federation, the People’s Republic of China, and the United States) join these initiatives – which appears unlikely – the initiatives will not fully solve the problem of veto use, or the threat of veto use, in the face of atrocity crimes.