Representing the Disenfranchised: Africa in United Nations Security Council

December 21, 2022 

BY ADDISALEM MULAT

It is an indisputable fact that as no African country is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, most African leaders at all hours of the day and night have been calling for a permanent seat. As the existing circumstances on the ground are nothing less than historical injustice, Africa at the earliest possible juncture must have due representation in the Security Council.

The unfair representation of Africa in the council for long has been drawing sharp condemnation from an extensive range of African leaders. Regardless of the fact that they requested quite a lot of times for the continent of Africa to have at least two seats as permanent members in the UN Security Council, the desired destination has not been accomplished yet.

In the same manner, as the continent of Africa with 54 nations is not represented as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, Africans have been passing through a considerable amount of challenges that need a quick fix. In good truth, if the Security Council fails to incorporate permanent and non-permanent members from the continent of Africa, bringing about the desired goal would be easier said than done and like painting the fourth bridge.

Given the current circumstances, African leaders have continued pressing for two permanent seats on the UN Security Council on the grounds that the continent of Africa will have a chance to play a part in decision-making in connection with their own issues. But if the existing situation continues on the same path, the suffering of Africa will continue.

Concerning the issue once Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (Ph.D.) called on African leaders to collectively insist that Africa’s reasonable request for no less than two permanent seats and five non-permanent seats at the UN Security Council be adopted, and also stressed the need for the establishment of an African Union continental media house, according to information obtained from Ethiopian News Agency.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 35th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU), the prime minister added that Africa’s media representation on the international stage is equally important. Abiy (Ph.D.) insisted that Africa’s voice on the world stage needs to be heard loud and clear. “Africa must also be represented on important international bodies.”

More than seven decades after the creation of United Nations, the premier pointed out that Africa remains without meaningful input and role in the system of international governance.

“This is particularly through of the United Nations. We as Africans lack representation in the Security Council and are underrepresented in a variety of ways. It is the right time to reform and revitalize the United Nations system to reflect current global realities and ensure that a more representative body with only fair representation and transparency in those institutions can usher in a just era in multi literalism,” he noted.

By the same token, in relation to the issue the premier once twitted I join other African leaders in reiterating that a continent of around 1.3 billion people needs a permanent voice and seat at the UNSC represented through a bloc. Issues and decisions that concern the continent cannot continue being addressed without continental representation.

At the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, held from December 13-15, 2022 in Washington DC, President Biden said, “ …Today, I’m looking forward to hearing more from all of you about the issues and priorities that matter most to Africa and how we can deepen our cooperation. And I emphasize “cooperation.”

Our nations have worked closely together for a long time. We’ve improved the lives of countless people in all our countries in meaningful ways, on both sides of the Atlantic. And with this summit, and with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, our eyes are fixed squarely on the future…

The choices that we make today and the remainder of this decade and how we tackle these challenges, in my view, will determine the direction the entire world takes in the decades to come. As I said yesterday, the United States is all in on Africa and all in with Africa.

African voices, African leadership, African innovation all are critical to addressing the most pressing global challenges and to realizing the vision we all share: a world that is free, a world that is open, prosperous, and secure. Africa belongs at the table in every room — in every room where global challenges are being discussed and in every institution where discussions are taking place.

That’s why I announced in September, at the United Nations General Assembly, that the United States fully supports reforming the U.N. Security Council to include permanent representation for Africa. And today I’m also calling for the African Union to join the G20 as a permanent member of the G20.

“And today I’m also — whether we’re upholding or defending the foundational principles of global peace and security enshrined in the U.N. Charter and the U.N. — and in the AU’s semil- — seminal documents, or meeting the challenges that impact every nation, the people of Africa are indispensable partners, delivering — to delivering the progress that benefits everyone, not just in Africa and the United States, but the whole world.”

While on the subject, as no African country is a permanent member in the Security Council, most African nations have been facing several challenges.

It is worth mentioning that Ethiopia has fought unwarranted pressure and interference in the war that lasted for two years in the northern part of the country. A lot of efforts have been made by some entities to twist the country’s arm under the guise of quite a lot of lame reasons that do not reflect the existing developments on the ground. However, in the fullness of time, all their efforts went for nothing owing to the concerted efforts of the government and the people of Ethiopia.

It is public knowledge that since the onset of the war, some foreign entities time and again have been bending over backwards to put unwarranted pressure on Ethiopia coming up with a considerable amount of conspiracies that can turn the lives of innocent civilians into a living hell. They left no stone unturned to press hard on the democratically elected government under the veil of human rights violations.

In a similar vein, in furtherance of pursuing their hidden motives going behind the scenes, they have gone to the ends of the earth to blacken the positive image of the country by orchestrating quite a lot of imaginary and bogus stories.

Even worse, instead of sticking to the truth, some groups have been blowing the whistle on the federal government that has been working around the clock to get to the bottom of the problem in an atmosphere of calm. As opposed to turning the tide and changing the course of events, they have spared no efforts to raise the stakes in Northern Ethiopia.

It must be remembered that on the heels of unwarranted pressure from some entities in many instances, Ethiopians at home and abroad have fought against their evil deeds. As Ethiopia’s allies know the hidden motives going behind closed curtains against the country, they have been many a time and oft engaged in forestalling external pressure and interference.

Thousands of Ethiopian in every nook and cranny of the world managed to protest against unwarranted pressure and interference in the internal affairs of the country.

Unless Africa possesses a permanent seat in the Security Council, foreign pressure and interference will continue. As a matter of fact, for understanding the unvarnished truth, quite a lot of African leaders have sustained voicing their concerns.

As published by AP news in times gone by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni urged U.N. Security Council reforms that would give Africa permanent representation there, saying such changes would prevent “aggression against Africa.”

Museveni spoke at a meeting attended by high-ranking officials representing 10 of the African Union’s 55 members. The meeting is the latest in a series focusing on changes at the Security Council that would favor the African continent of 1.3 billion people. A previous meeting called for at least two permanent seats with veto powers and two non-permanent ones.

“The U.N. Security Council should have been and must be reformed,” Museveni said. “This is not a favor by anybody but a right of all peoples that inhabit the planet Earth.”

The matter of reforming the 15-member council has provoked debate for decades. Its five permanent members reflect the international power structure at the end of World War II: the United States, China, Russia, France and Britain.

The Ethiopian Herald December 21/2022