Once again African leaders exhibited solid unity in the global arena by speaking in one strong voice to push for a more inclusive and equitable representation at the United Nations Security Council during the UN General Assembly convention last week in New York, in the United States.
The consistent demand by the African leaders that the traditional global veto powers, US, France, Britain, China and Russia, address the longstanding inequity in the Council’s composition was a bold move and a good proposal. Why?
For decades, Africa has been either relegated to the periphery of the top UN council leadership showing how discriminatory or inequitable the powerful UN security leadership was or has been.
With no strong voice at the top UN body, Africa’s voice has always been usurped by the veto powers or the permanent members to the body, who makes decision on behalf of the rest of the world and push for rapid implementation of their decreed decision as endorsed and/or ratified at the UN security council without blinking an eye.
For quite some time, some of these radical and adhoc decisions have not been pleasant to all Nations across the globe, especially the industrializing countries that felt their voice was often ignored in making key decisions which affected them because of the endemic conflicts inherent in some parts of the continent.
But this time, the leaders under umbrella of African Union(AU) leadership has managed to unite in one accord and to jerk out to boldly face the veto powers and make it abundantly clear what they want done to ensure a wide and more homogeneous representation at the UN security council.
And so they seized the opportunity this year at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), last week to boldly make their wish known and proposals they want taken into account to reform the council and make it more inclusive.
This is very good. I want to support the confidence exhibited by our leaders to make their suggestions known to the rest of the world as timely and ripe now.
Indeed, they articulated a compelling issue, for the blacks( Africans), highlighting how the legacy of colonialism and its lingering effects have left the continent disproportionately excluded for eons.
To this extent, I salute President William Ruto of Kenya, President Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi, Cyrill Ramaphosa of South Africa, for strongly vouching for Africa to get at least two permanent seats at the UN key security agency during the U.N. General Assembly in New York on September 22, 2024 that mirrored it’s future.
I must submit that a family that consists of grand parents and children as well as aunt’s and uncles is as good as one house, albeit an extended family.
The United Nations (UN) accord or system portrays it as a static entity over time, but that is belied by the family circle- all nations.
Arguably, such an extended family, begins with a new union and then charts all the changes the family undergoes until the original parents are elderly.
So, Africa countries may find it helpful to adapt to a family cycle that fits to Africans own cultural context because all families undergo change over time. It’s our time now to join the veto powers.
Reforms at the UN
Consequently, it’s vital to understand as the African Presidents led by Dr Ruto, Ramaphosa, and Chakwera’s push for UN council reforms that they are absolutely on right path and deserves an ear from right thinking UN family.
This is because charting the life course of our own global or world families will help us to grasp how the needs of our family have changed over time and how that may have influenced their form and function.
So, I support of the foregoing UN reforms, and must echo that we as Africans have to remain steadfast and united to champion for these UN reforms relentlessly as one family.
And the UN security council leadership must adjust it’s thinking to embrace cultural diversity and dynamism.
While that may sound unusual and cumbersome it better represents the reality, because the United Nations needs to homogenize the idea of a family, whether it’s nuclear family, extended family or stem family, that has existed in Japan for centuries and is an example of extended family, where both grand father and father in the House are first sons, with their wives and small children.
When we refer to the family in this context here, or from the sociological perspective or political parlance, then we are looking at our experiences over the years as industrialized nations and industrializing countries.
This includes world of values, beliefs, ideas that groups across the globally dispersed societies hold about caring for, rearing and educating it’s new members and at the same time providing for their essential security and other basic needs.
Some of these ideas could either be dominance, tangible or marginal as President Ruto aptly put it, that there has been skewed representation by Africa at the UN powerful body, yet some of the decisions made there have direct impact or effect on Africans way of life or operations or governance.
So isn’t it worth for Kenya now, or South Africa or Malawi to join the UN security council as permanent representatives or as Veto powers?
It may sound unique and even a tall order to some people and critics, but the truth is that the world has changed greatly from the past.
What Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Nigeria were a decade ago is diametrically opposite what they are now.
They have changed greatly in terms of socio-economic and political developments including their demographic transition and urbanization.
Consequently, they must be viewed from a new lens as opposed to that of ‘colonial relics.’
With conflicts inherent in nature, in the global sphere, Africa not excluded with coups witnessed in the past leading to leadership in some countries with the military juntas, we need to rethink an all inclusive global governance to resolve and tackle such challenges.
We must therefore in light of this, rethink of treating Africa with dignity and as an indispensable member of the key and inner sanctum or nuclear family of the UN security council where top decisions on key issues such as security, climate change, democracy, good governance and best human rights practices are discussed for harmonious and peaceful coexistence of the world.
UN must therefore in this abstract sense, look at the changes proposed in the sidelines of the UNGA summit and the challenges faced by the contemporary family in the African continent as raised by its Presidents.
Over the years , the UN Security Council primary responsibility is to maintain international peace and security.
As of today , it has 15 Members, and each Member has one vote.
Under the Charter of the United Nations, all Member States are obligated to comply with Council decisions.
The Security Council takes the lead in determining the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression, according to the UN charter.
It calls upon the parties to a dispute to settle it by peaceful means and recommends methods of adjustment or terms of settlement.
In some cases, the Security Council can resort to imposing sanctions or even authorize the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security
It is reason, why Ruto called for bold reforms at the United Nations Security Council to tackle the rapidly evolving global challenge, which is quite in order.
The President was quoted arguing that the current multilateralism system has proven inadequate in addressing crises such as climate change, inequality and debt, and continues to falter in providing any, let alone timely, solutions. This is also a good concern.
Good because, Ruto pointed out that, without immediate action, humanity will face an unprecedented global crisis.
In his own verdict, he averred that we have no choice but to reject outdated systems and re-imagine a framework of international cooperation that works for all 8 billion people, packaging sense into the minds of the world population.
Inclusivity
President Ruto explained it was time the historical injustice of Africa’s lack of permanent representation on the UN Security Council be addressed as a matter of justice in the ongoing UN reforms, which arguably many wants done.
The President informed the General Assembly of the advancements made by the Kenya-led Multinational Support Mission in Haiti, saying that despite limited resources, the continent has achieved tangible progress and so it echoes why their demands are key.
What looked like mission impossible is now a present and real possibility for peace in Haiti, according to Ruto as he rooted for UN council leadership reforms.
But Kenya wasn’t alone in voicing this strong concern.
Several African nations are pushing for at least one permanent seat on the U.N Security Council, echoing how serious they were this time, their ego trashed.
Nigeria also joined the growing calls by Africans leaders for permanent representation on the United Nations Security Council.
On the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly in New York last week on Tuesday, Nigerian Defense Minister Mohammed Badaru also said such a change would promote fairness and inclusivity.
It was equally good to see him disclosed how they have been in 41 different United Nations’ peace keeping missions to provide security across the world.
Based on that background and the effort of Africa, they also called on the United Nations to reform the Security Council so that Africa can have a permanent seat there.
It is time. We deserve it for justice and for equity, they, too, claimed even as we hold to see what next is in the UN family for Africa.
South African President Ramaphosa said, and I quote “Placing the fate of the world’s security in the hands of a select few when it is the vast majority who bear the brunt of these threats is unjust, unfair and unsustainable.”
Ruto even criticized the multilateral system in precision saying, “It has proven inadequate.”
This is because many African countries were still under colonial rule at the time the Security Council was established.
It is reminisced, that in the year, 2005, the African Union(AU), adopted the so-called Ezulwini Consensus in Ethiopia for Africa to have at least two permanent and five non-permanent seats at the U.N council.
To date, though, the UN General Assembly elects five new members from different geographical zones for two-year terms on the council.
Last week, the United States, one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, said it is open to having two African seats on the council but without the veto power of the original permanent members: Britain, China, France, Russia and the US.
The leaders open unity to push for equity at the top world organ UN leadership is a viable idea.
What remains to be seen is whether or not the veto powers will listen to them or reject of defer their proposals for consideration at a later date.
But the truth is that they have made their stand boldly known .
Over to the veto powers The United States of America (USA),
Britain, China, France,and Russia to review the Africans proposals and action.
The ‘blacks’ are waiting with anxiety to affirm that the much hyped global homogeneity is real and black discrimination or racialism is not real _today, but a myth.
The writer is a regular commentator on topical issues.
kepherpeace@gmail.com
