Sierra Leone‘s President has made an impassioned plea for Security Council reform, telling the Council that Africa had articulated a compelling vision on the matter. President Julius Maada Bio was chairing a session on the Council on addressing the historical injustice and enhancing Africa’s effective representation on the Council.
Among the briefers was UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres who warned that the cracks in the foundation of the Security Council were becoming too large to ignore. He made the case for Africa’s permanent membership of the body responsible for maintaining international peace and security.
The Common Africa Position based on the Ezulwini Consensus agreed by the African Union in 2005 seeks two permanent seats with veto rights and five additional non-permanent seats on the Council but Intergovernmental Negotiations, have not made substantial progress in advancing the issue since 2009.
President Bio also chairs the African Union’s Committee of Ten tasked with mobilizing around the matter.
“Africa wants the veto abolished. However, if UN member states wish to retain the veto, it must extend it to all new permanent members as a matter of justice. The common African position is premised on the fact that by rectifying historical injustice the international community will not only promote greater fairness, equity and equality in global governance, but also act on the imperative to ensure the legitimacy and effectiveness of the Council.”
He went further, arguing that given the historical injustices of Africa’s exclusion in key decision-making bodies and institutions, the continent should now be treated as a special case for redress.
“Africa has long been marginalized in global decision-making processes, and its voice is often drowned out. This results in a lack of meaningful representation on issues that directly affect the continent, such as conflict prevention, peacekeeping operations, conflict resolution, and sustainable development. This systemic bias perpetuates a cycle of marginalisation and reinforces the false notion of Africa as a passive actor in shaping global affairs,” says President Bio.
This was a view echoed by Secretary General Antonio Guterres who remains on the sidelines of a member-state-driven intergovernmental process on UN reform.
“In 1945, most of today’s African countries were still under colonial rule and had no voice in international affairs. This created a glaring omission that has remained unresolved until now: there is no permanent member representing Africa in the Security Council, and the number of elected members from the continent is not in proportion to its importance. 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,” says Guterres.
South African academic in international relations Dr Sithembile Mbete argued that Africa’s special claim to be prioritised was based on historical injustices, its contribution to shaping the contemporary world order, and the urgency in securing the future legitimacy of the organisation writ large.
“I beg your indulgence as we time travel to 2045 to a meeting in this chamber commemorating the 100th anniversary of the UN. At that point, Africa will have 2.3 billion people making up 25% of the global population. Young Africans as the most fit and able global demographic will be the world’s workforce and consumer base, keeping the global economy in business.
“Will the membership of the UN Security Council still look like it does today? Or will the diplomats seated here have had the courage to tackle head-on the power relations preventing meaningful reform? Bringing us back to the present day as we prepare for the UN summit of the future. Member States have a timely opportunity to advance the agenda of Security Council reform and repair the historical injustice of Africa’s exclusion,” says Dr Mbete.
Source: Supersport
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