UN Secretary-General António Guterres calls for reform and claims that the African continent is underrepresented in a changing world.
The United Nations chief called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to reform its outdated structure and give Africa a permanent seat at the table, stressing that the continent is underrepresented.
Addressing the Council on Monday during a high-level debate, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the composition of the Security Council had failed to keep pace with a changing world.
“We cannot accept that the world’s most prominent peace and security body does not have a permanent voice for a continent of over a billion people…nor can we accept that Africa’s views are undervalued on issues of peace and security, both on the continent and around the world. ,” he said.
The 15-member UNSC is made up of five veto-wielding permanent members – China, France, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom – while the remaining 10 non-permanent seats are allocated regionally.
The 10 seats include three seats for African states; two for Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Western Europe and other states; and one for Eastern Europe.
In May, the UNSC called for strengthening the role of African countries in responding to global security and development challenges.
Today, I addressed the @UN Security Council on the urgent need to #UNSC reform, emphasizing the historical injustice of Africa’s underrepresentation.
We must reflect the world as it is, not as it was 80 years ago.
The credibility of the UN depends on significant changes.
— President of the UN GA (@UN_PGA) August 12, 2024
UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis said in the debate that the UN must reflect the world as it is.
“The fact that Africa continues to be manifestly underrepresented in the Security Council is simply wrong, offending both the principles of equity and inclusion,” he said.
“This goes against the principle of sovereign equality of states and calls for the urgency of reforming this institution to reflect the world as it is now, rather than as it was almost 80 years ago.”
A ‘favorable’ moment
Speaking at the UNSC, President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, said Africa requires two permanent seats on the UNSC and two additional non-permanent seats.
.@PresidentBio of #SerraLeoa speaking in #UN Security Council regarding the historical injustice against #Africa and improve the effective representation of the continent in #UNSC: “Africa demands two permanent seats on the UN Security Council and two additional… pic.twitter.com/bf2Ny6KdVB
— Rami Ayari (@Raminho) August 12, 2024
“The African Union will choose African permanent members. Africa wants the veto to be abolished. However, if UN member states want to maintain the veto, it must be extended to all new permanent members as a matter of fairness,” he said.
Carlos Lopes, a professor at the University of Cape Town who previously served as senior representative of the African Union (AU), told Al Jazeera that African attempts to have better representation are not new, but current geopolitics have made this current moment “quite favorable”.
“[There’s] a competition for Africa’s votes; It has become much more difficult for the African bloc to effectively align itself with one position or another”, said Lopes.
“Africans have managed to navigate these geopolitical tensions very well. We saw this with the expansion of the G20 membership to include the African Union. Now it is another attempt by Africans to push the limits and try to do it in the Security Council.”
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
