In Ethiopia, UN chief advocates for permanent Security Council seats for Africa
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called for permanent seats for Africa on the UN Security Council, saying it was “high time” for the continent to be fully represented at the world’s top decision-making table.
Speaking in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the opening of the African Union (AU) summit, Guterres said that Africa was “the only continent that is not permanently represented on the Security Council.”
”This is a historic anomaly that must be corrected,” he said.
The Security Council is the UN’s most powerful body, responsible for maintaining international peace and security.
It has 15 members, including five permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and 10 non-permanent members that are elected for two-year terms.
Africa has never had a permanent seat on the Security Council, although it has had non-permanent seats.
There have been calls for Africa to be given permanent representation on the Security Council for many years, but there has never been a consensus on how to achieve this.
Guterres said that he believed that it was “essential” for Africa to have a permanent voice on the Security Council.
”Africa is home to some of the world’s most pressing challenges, including poverty, conflict, and climate change,” he said.
”These challenges cannot be solved without Africa’s full participation in the decision-making process.”
Guterres said that he would work with the AU and other partners to push for permanent representation for Africa on the Security Council.
He said that he believed that this was “a matter of justice and fairness.”
The AU has long called for Africa to be given permanent representation on the Security Council.
In 2018, the AU adopted a resolution calling for two permanent seats for Africa, with veto power.
However, there is no consensus on how to achieve this, and some countries, including the United States, have expressed opposition to the idea.
Guterres’s call for permanent representation for Africa on the Security Council is a significant development.
It is the first time that a UN Secretary-General has explicitly called for this.
It remains to be seen whether Guterres’s call will lead to any concrete action, but it is a sign that the issue is gaining momentum.
In Ethiopia, UN chief advocates for permanent Security Council seats for Africa
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