Mahamadou Issoufou, president of Niger, one of the smallest nations in Africa, explained to the world body that the 15-member Security Council must be reformed to “rectify the anachronism which characterizes the organization.” There is need for a better and more representative body, where states, especially those adjacent to countries ravaged by conflict and violence, can express their views, he said.
Also calling for a reformed U.N., including the Security Council, was Prime Minister Anergood Jugnauth of Mauritius. “We believe that the historical injustice done to African representation on the council should be redressed,” he said, adding that the 15-member body would benefit from enlarged and more inclusive representation.
The prime minister of Lesotho, Pakalitha B. Mosisili, expressing support for the African Union position, said, “The sooner that Security Council reform is concluded, the better for humankind and peace in the world.”
The AU wants at least two African nations to have permanent membership on the Security Council with veto power. The 54-member organization says do away with veto power if no African nations are included in the permanent category.
Observers say that Africa accuses the five permanent members of being undemocratic and using the Security Council to safeguard their interests.
The Security Council is mandated to maintain international peace and security, admit new members to the U.N. and approve changes to the U.N. Charter. The permanent members are China, France, Great Britain, Russia and the U.S.
Ernest Bai Koroma, president of Sierra Leone, said all goals of sustainable development going forward depended on delivering on the promise of a better world and would remain elusive without reform of the U.N. “Without African voices at the highest level of the U.N., no solutions would be sustainable,” he said, adding that he frowned at attempts to “take down [Africa’s] common position through divide and rule policies reminiscent of the colonial era.”
The African “common position,” according to analysts, is reform of the Security Council, but beyond that, Africa’s goal is full representation in the Security Council, the principal decision-making organ of the U.N. Africa has 54 nations at the world body, the largest contingent.
The president of Namibia, Hage G. Geingob, said the Security Council was too important an organ to be left to the interests of a few, calling for reforms to make it more democratic and transparent. “Fairness and justice warrant Africa be part of the equation,” he said.
Isatou Njie-Saidy, vice president and minister for women’s affairs of the Gambia, argued that Security Council reform was “necessary.” Her country renewed Africa’s legitimate demand for two permanent seats with the veto, she said.
“For over 20 years, many of us have come to this rostrum, pleading and demanding for the reform of the Security Council,” stated the president of the Republic of Zimbabwe, R.G. Mugabe. “Today we are no closer to achieving that goal than we were 20 years ago. This is so in spite of the universal acknowledge of the injustice, unfairness and inappropriateness of the current composition of the Council.”
