UN chief hopeful on Africa’s SC seat

KAMPALA. – The United Nations Secretary General said all five permanent members of the council agreed Africa must have due representation in the body.

Guterres on Sunday addressed the third summit of a group of developing countries known as Group of 77 in Uganda’s capital.

“[…] in recent declarations, public declarations, I’ve seen the permanent members being favourable to at least one African permanent member, the United States said so. The Russian Federation said so. China has been positive in this regard, the UK and France too. 

“So for the first time, I’m hopeful that at least a partial reform of the UN Security Council could be possible for this flagrant injustice to be corrected and for Africa to have at least one permanent member in the Security Council. It is not guaranteed, nothing that, of course, depends on the secretary-general. It depends exclusively on member states of the General Assembly. But for the first time, I think there are reasons to be hopeful.”

“The Security Council is stuck in a time warp. How can we accept that it still lacks a single African permanent member?” he asked. “It is a clear injustice, a flagrant injustice.”

The UN institutions were created at a time when most of the countries in Africa were not independent, but urgent reforms are needed so they fit the reality of today, he said.

The African Union seeks to secure two permanent seats. It set the C-10 group  in 2005 with the core mandate of canvassing support for one African position on reform of the Security Council.

On the reforms of international institutions and frameworks, the UN chief said, “The United Nations Security Council is paralyzed by geopolitical divisions. And its composition does not reflect the reality of today’s world. It must be reformed.”

He added, “the global financial system, including the Bretton Woods Institutions, has failed to provide a global safety net for developing countries in distress, as it was created after the Second World War in a totally different global economic situation.”

While acknowledging that the G77 represents 80 percent of the world’s population, he also urged world leaders to reform other multilateral institutions such as international financial architecture based on current economic and political realities.

“The global financial system is outdated, dysfunctional and unfair. Developing countries have a large and growing share of the global economy. But their representation in global financial institutions lags far behind,” he said. – ChinaDaily.com