Ethiopia Calls for Permanent Seat to Redress Historical Injustice

February 6, 2022

• Proposes establishment of continental level media house

 BY ABDUREZAK MOHAMMED

ADDIS ABABA – Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) called for fair representation of Africa on important international bodies like United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Meanwhile, he has proposed for the establishment of an African Union media house to share its narratives and combat misleading stereotypes.

In his opening speech at the 35thOrdinary Session of the African Union Assembly yesterday, Abiy stated that Africa’s voice on the world stage needs to be heard loud and clear. Africa must also be represented on important international bodies, he added.

Today, more than seven decades after the creation of United Nations, Africa remains a junior partner without meaningful input or role in the system of international governance, the Premier said, adding that this is particularly true of the United Nations where Africa lacks representation on the UNSC and is under represented in a variety of ways.

He further explained that it is the right time to reform and revitalize the United Nations system to reflect current global realities and ensure that it is a more representative and equitable body. Only fair representation and transparency in those institutions can usher in a just era in multilateralism.

“Consistent with our Ezulwini Consensus of 2005, we should collectively insist that Africa’s reasonable request for no less than two permanent seats and five non-permanent seats in the UNSC be adopted,” Abiy said.

He also indicated that equally important is Africa’s media representation on the international stage. The endless representation of the continent troubled by civil wars, hunger, corruption, greed disease, and poverty is demeaning and dehumanizing and likely driven by a calculated strategy and agenda.

As to the Premier, this stereotypical and negative media representation of Africa not only dis-informs the rest of the world about our continent, but also shapes the way Africans see themselves as Africans.“Telling our own stories and shaping our own narratives must be our top priority.”

Proposing to the Assembly the establishment of an AfricanUnion continental media house, Abiy said that this media house could be organized to provide authoritative news and information on our continent, fight disinformation, promote our collective agenda, and offer opportunities for pan-African voice to be heard.

Regarding peace and security issue, the Premier indicated that despite the African union’s intensive engagement in addressing peace and security challenge of the continent guided by the maxim “African solution to African problems”, new and complex problems that undermine Africa’s unity and sovereignty continue to emerge.

In this respect, as to him, the past year was particularly challenging to the continent in general and Ethiopia in particular. Ethiopia’s challenge was internal in nature and a matter of maintaining law and order. “But resolution of our internal matters was made exceedingly difficult by the role played by external actors.”

He further stated that the greatest lesson that Ethiopia has learned over the past year is that without the solidarity of African brothers and sisters, country’s existence as a nation would have been at great risk. “This affirms the wisdom of our forefathers and foremothers in their dream of pan-Africanism.”

A mere two months ago efforts were underway by some in the international community to create an atmosphere of fear to drive expatriates out of Ethiopia and discourage travel to Ethiopia, PM Abiy said, adding that those efforts were not successful and will not be successful.

Indeed many fellow Africans joined the great Ethiopian diaspora homecoming challenge and proved to the world that Ethiopia is a safe and culturally rich tourist destination, as to Abiy.

The Ethiopian Herald February 6/2022