Without reforms, the UN will be a damp squib

Settlement of International Disputes or Situations by Peaceful Means”, was characterised by debate on the relevance of the UN to the prevailing geo-political challenges confronting the world.
A high level meeting on the Rule of Law at the International and National Level that preceded the grand debate was dominated by calls to reform the UN system to make it democratic and effective. The document released at the end of the meeting naturally implored member states to be bound by the founding principles of the UN, among them the sovereign equality of member states given the Big Brother attitude displayed by the US and its allies towards other member states.
As President Mugabe pointed out in his address, UN reforms should be far reaching by encompassing changing the UN’s specialised agencies and international financial institutions, to enable them to respond effectively to the prevailing global challenges.
The fast-growing emerging market countries need to have a bigger say in how the Bretton Woods institutions are run so that they are not used to further Western foreign policies.
The International Monetary Fund has led the way by agreeing to lower the combined voting power of the United States and European Union members that was over 50 percent and reduced the rest of the world to spectators.
As of 2010 IMF members resolved that voting powers should change to tally with the growth rates of member states, a development that gave emerging markets a say in the global financial system.
In his address to the General Assembly last week, President Mugabe called for comprehensive reform of the UN system saying Africa will not be bought off by empty promises or cosmetic changes to the Security Council disguised as UN reforms.
Africa’s position on reforms should be upheld and supported. It is a travesty of justice that a continent that is home to 54 of the UN’s 193 member states is not represented on the Security Council.
The UNSC seats will enable Africa to effectively contribute to peacekeeping and conflict resolution whose is agenda is currently dominated by African issues. We know that UNSC reform needs the support of three quarters of UN member states, all permanent members of the Security Council, but we are confident in Africa’s compelling case.
UN reforms should be effected expeditiously given the way the UNSC is failing to make any concrete and unequivocal resolution on pressing global issues spawned by the increasing unilateralism by the UN host country.
Africa represents almost a quarter of the entire membership of the UN and we strongly back President Mugabe’s call for representation.
The Committee of 10 that was set up by the AU to advocate two permanent seats with veto powers for Africa needs to up its advocacy. We believe the UN must look at the prevailing realities and ensure that the rule of law is promoted by reforming itself just like the IMF reformed itself almost two years ago by increasing voting powers for the fast-emerging countries and reducing voting powers of the US and European countries.
Without reforms, the UN as currently constituted risks going the way of the League of Nations that failed to stem the excesses of the great powers culminating not only in the Second Anglo-Saxon War but also its eventual demise.