by Kizito Sikuka – SANF 16 no 2
Africa’s position on the global governance and political system is clear – “reform the United Nations Security Council”.
This common position was reiterated at the 26th African Union (AU) Summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, when the continent said the UN Security Council is out of date and out of touch with reality.
For example, the council, which is tasked with the primary duty of maintaining international peace and security, continues to be dominated by a few powerful nations at the expense of the majority.
Of the five permanent members with veto power, none is from Africa yet the continent provides the largest membership of the UN.
The UN is made up of 193 member states. Of these, 54 are from Africa, Asia-Pacific (53), the Eastern European Group (23), the Western European and Others Group (28), while the Latin American and Caribbean Group has 33 members.
The remaining two members namely the State of Palestine and the Holy See are observer states.
The five permanent members are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, with three of them (France, Russia, and UK) coming from Europe.
The permanent members enjoy the veto right, meaning that the council cannot implement any decision if one of the five permanent members objects to it.
In addition to this, the council is made up of 10 other non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the UN General Assembly. However, these members do not have veto powers.
A country which is a member of the UN but not of the Security Council may participate or be invited, however without a vote in its discussions when the council considers that interests of the country are affected. Conditions of participation by such a member are set by the council.
This arrangement and structure where some countries are “more important than others” is what Africa and other developing regions want to be reformed.
Furthermore, with global power shifting in recent decades where Africa, for example, is now the fastest emerging continent and China the biggest economy in the world, reforms to the council are more urgent to ensure that the body is in line with new realities and emerging geo-political dynamics.
Currently, the council is dominated by a few countries that were victorious in a war fought some 70 years ago, and thus determine every important decision on peace and security in the world.
Ironically, Africa is the recipient of most declarations on peace and security but continues to be marginalized in influencing such decisions.
Outgoing AU chairperson, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe said it is time all countries in the world relate on equal footing as opposed to the current scenario where the majority are being dominated by a few powerful nations.
“If the United Nations is to survive, we must be equal members of it, equal members who can say when we go to the body; that we are now speaking fully as members with a voice that is understood, respected and honoured,” he said.
Africa’s common position on the UN Security Council reforms is clearly contained in the Ezulwini Consensus made in Swaziland in 2005 and adopted the same year at an Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council of the AU in Ethiopia.
Even though the Ezulwini Consensus is based on the idea of regional representation as opposed to the current UN system which focuses on representation of countries on the basis of their individual merit, the adoption of such a consensus by Africa is nevertheless a bold step in the right direction.
A permanent seat for Africa on the UN Security Council will allow the continent to at least have some voice in all decision-making organs of the UN, setting the stage for the reconstructing of global affairs.
The consensus calls for the need to expand the size of the council from 15 to 26 members, with fair representation of Africa.
“Africa’s goal is to be fully represented in all the decision-making organs of the UN, particularly in the Security Council, which is the principal decision-making organ of the UN in matters relating to international peace and security,” reads part of the Ezulwini Consensus.
“Full representation of Africa in the Security Council means not less than two permanent seats with all the prerogatives and privileges of permanent membership including the right of veto, and five non-permanent seats.”
Even though Africa is opposed in principle to the veto provision, the continent is of the view that so long as it exists and as a matter of common justice, veto power should be made available to all permanent members of the council.
On the issue of the selection of Africa’s permanent representatives in the council, the Consensus clearly states that “the question of the criteria for the selection of African members of the Security Council should be a matter for the AU to determine, taking into consideration the representative nature and capacity of those chosen.”
Some external forces want to take advantage of what they claim is a “failure” by Africa to agree on its representatives as an opportunity to derail the reform process and cause division in Africa’s calls to reform the UN Security Council.
On the five non-permanent seats, the Ezulwini Consensus states that these will rotate between African countries, one for each of the five regions namely North, East, West, Central and South.
While amendment to the UN Charter to effect a reform to the Security Council requires a two-thirds majority out of a total UN membership of 193, some of the five permanent members, particularly France, UK and the US have openly objected to this as they want the status quo to remain the same.
However, similar to the struggle for independence, the drive towards the reform of the UN Security Council is not an easy one.
As aptly put by President Mugabe at the AU Summit, “we will fight for our own identity, for our own integrity and personality as Africans.”
The UN was formed in 1945 when most of Africa was not represented, and when first reforms were made in 1963, Africa was represented but was not in a particularly strong position.
However, the continent is convinced that the time is now ripe for Africa to influence the proposed UN reforms, and reconstruct global affairs, which has for many years benefited a few selected countries at the expense of the majority. sardc.net
