adminElita Chikwati Senior Reporter
Zimbabwe is committed to the urgent reform of the United Nations to make the world body more democratic and transparent and to better serve the interests of so-called small nations, a Cabinet Minister has said.Addressing students at the National Defence College in Harare yesterday, Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi said powerful countries in the UN were promoting their interests and oppressing weaker states.
He said it was disturbing that the fate of 193 UN members could be determined by only 15 countries on the Security Council.
“Any one of the five permanent members (of the UN Security Council) can put the will of the whole at a standstill,” said Minister Mumbengegwi.
“It is equally disturbing that Africa and the Asia-Pacific subcontinent, who jointly constitute nearly two-thirds of the UN membership, account for less than half of the Security Council membership with Africa having no country with power of veto.”
Minister Mumbengegwi said this unacceptable set-up was replicated in the World Bank, the IMF and the International Finance Corporation, which were supposed to finance the economic and social agenda of the world body.
“The monopolistic cartel of the permanent members of the security council and Bretton Woods Institutions has led to an extremely toxic and uneven playing field in the UN,” he said.
“This has created room for the disrespect of the sovereignty and independence of weaker states and deliberate interference in their internal affairs. This is a direct violation of very founding principles of the UN charter.”
Minister Mumbengegwi said members who challenged the existing order, like Zimbabwe, became victims of sinister agendas.
In 2008, Western nations conspired to impose UN sanctions on Zimbabwe, and were only stopped by a double veto from Russia and China, as well as with support from countries like South Africa, Libya and Vietnam.
“Equally disturbing is the emergence of new concepts which to us are disguised ways to interfere in the internal affairs of smaller nations,” said Minister Mumbengegwi.
“These include the responsibility to protect and humanitarian intervention which can be routinely used to set political agendas in smaller and weaker states.”
Minister Mumbengegwi said the Africa Group at the UN was promoting the Ezulwini Consensus, which demanded two seats with veto power — if the veto was to be retained — and two additional non-permanent seats for Africa.
The UN was formed in 1945 as a successor to the League of Nations to maintain world peace and international security, and ensure economic, social and human development.
Online Reporter