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The proposal for membership in the UN Security Council of African countries

2024-09-28 09:50:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

During meetings this week in New York, the United States said that two African states should become permanent members of one of the world's main decision-making bodies - the UN Security Council.

For years, various African leaders have called for the African continent to be represented on the UN Security Council, which since the Second World War period has had only five permanent members: the United States, France, Britain , Russia and China.

This week, the representative of one of the main countries that are permanent members, US President Joe Biden, gave his support for this proposal. The proposal comes with an important condition, however, that Kenyan analyst Cliff Mboya says will not be well received on the African continent. The new member countries will not have the right of veto. "There have been many reactions already... considering this as a mockery. The question is what is the point of membership in the Security Council if you do not have the power of veto. What are you going to do there?” said Mr. Mboya.

That could work in favor of China, which has long projected its image as a supportive and leading country for developing countries while criticizing the West for its colonial past, said Mr. Mboya, a researcher at the Center for African Studies. China, at the University of Johannesburg.

"So I don't think this helps the United States and the West, in terms of perception and image, and it will only push African countries more towards the East, as it sends a message of hypocrisy," he said. "China has succeeded in building a coalition of developing countries against the United States and the Western-led world order."

But Paul Nantulya, a researcher at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, said the announcement was a "victory" for US diplomacy and would be welcomed by African countries as it opens the door to further negotiations.

"As far as China is concerned, China has done more. So, rhetorically, China has said all the right things, supporting Africa's interests, what it calls Africa's legitimate interests in the United Nations, including in the United Nations Security Council," he said.

But China's plan for this has been unclear, he added.

"When it comes to specific details, whether China supports the permanent representation of Africa in the council with the right of veto, when it comes to this China has not articulated a position."

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was among those who called in New York for UN reforms this week. He said that: "Africa and its 1.4 billion people remain excluded from the main decision-making structures". UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also called for reform, saying the UN Security Council does not reflect a changing world and that Africa is under-represented.

Some African countries want the veto power in the Security Council to be removed completely.

If reform takes place and Africa gets two seats in the Security Council as proposed by the United States, the country with the largest economy on the continent, South Africa, may be among the main contenders; the most populous country, Nigeria; or the important country in northern Africa, Egypt, Mr. Nantulya told VOA.

However, analysts say a future process to add African countries as permanent members is likely to face obstacles, as there will be problems reaching consensus. Mr. Nantulya said that some African politicians think it could create divisions between countries on the continent.

There are also concerns that the United States' statement may be mere rhetoric - and so far no timeline has been given on next steps. According to UN rules, a change in the composition of the Security Council would have to be approved by two-thirds of the General Assembly, as well as the five permanent members of the Security Council./ Voa