Amnesty International on Wednesday urged the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to waive their veto rights in cases of atrocities, describing 2014 as a ‘catastrophic year for millions caught up in violence’.

In its 415-page annual report detailing abuses in 160 countries, the human rights watchdog said the global response to widespread conflict from Nigeria to Syria had been ‘shameful and ineffective’.

It said millions of civilians had been killed in violent conflicts, while the number of displaced people around the world exceeded 50 million last year for the first time since the end of World War II.

‘As people suffered an escalation in barbarous attacks and repression, the international community has been found wanting,’ said the group’s secretary general, Shalil Shetty.

Amnesty singled out the UN Security Council for criticism, with Shetty saying it had ‘miserably failed’ to protect civilians.

The five permanent Security Council members – Britain, China, France, Russia and the US – ‘consistently abused’ their veto rights to ‘promote their political self-interest or geopolitical interest above the interest of protecting civilians’, he said.

Amnesty is now urging the five states to give up their right to veto action in cases where genocide and other mass killings are being committed.

This proposal is similar to a push being led by France with the backing of 70 countries, but Amnesty hopes its support will give the idea fresh impetus.