U.S: As part of efforts to address historical injustices, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for Africa to be granted a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
The Security Council, which includes China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States as its five permanent members, has long faced criticism for failing to adequately reflect the post-World War II reality that left much of Africa under colonial rule.
Guterres stated that,”The world has changed since 1945. But the composition of the Council, despite a few changes, has not kept pace.” The body’s ten non-permanent members are chosen based on their respective regions; in contrast to the five permanent members, they do not hold veto power.
The African Union has long advocated for the inclusion of two permanent and two non-permanent representatives from the continent on the council.
Sierra Leone called for the discussion on Monday, and President Julius Maada Bio argued in favour of the continent. “The time for half-measures and incremental progress is over. Africa must be heard, and its demands for justice and equity must be met,” he commented.
The UN Security Council is charged with a number of important duties, such as approving peacekeeping missions, enacting international sanctions, and deciding how the UN should respond to situations across the globe.
Other UN representatives, including Guterres and Dennis Francis, the president of the UN General Assembly, reiterated the calls for change.
“We cannot accept that the world’s preeminent peace and security body lacks a permanent voice for a continent of well over a billion people—a young and rapidly growing population—making up 28% of the membership of the United Nations,” the UN chief mentioned.
“Africa was under-represented at the UN Security Council and international financial institutions but ‘over-represented in the very challenges these structures are designed to address,’” he added.
“Africa has often been at the centre of conflicts fuelled by greed for the continent’s resources, necessary to the global economy,” Guterres said.
Additionally, he emphasised that 40% of UN forces were African and that nearly half of all UN peacekeeping operations took place in Africa. The head of the UN continued by saying that representation for Africa had not kept pace with the efforts and achievements of the continent.
To protect future generations from the horrors of armed conflict, the United Nations was established following the conclusion of World War Two. Only four African countries were among the original members: South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Liberia. Ethics and fairness were not the only reasons Guterres believed that change was necessary.
“It is also a strategic imperative that can increase global acceptance of the Council’s decisions—benefitting Africa and the world,” he commented.
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