Africa’s call for representation: A critical moment for UN reform

Africa wants to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. This Africa’s push shows problems within the United Nations. It’s been approximately 80 years since the UN was formed, but with time it has become less effective. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has asked the 193 member states to agree on a “Pact for the Future.” This raises questions, is the United Nations confident in fixing its complexities or is this a desperate attempt to regain control? 

The focus pays attention to some important issues such as peace, security, development, and new technologies. It aims to protect future generations. Africa’s desire to get a permanent seat in the UNSC is not just about gaining influence. It points out the need for change in the United Nations. Africa wants to play a key role in global decisions, and this move signals that the UN must change to better reflect the world’s current realities.

On September 23, 58 action points were agreed upon after a year of debates about weapons and human rights. These points offer an idea for improving the performance of the United Nations. However, to work on it successfully, government help is needed. Without support from the government, the plan may just remain words on paper. Today, getting all countries to agree seems almost impossible. The UN reflects the disagreements between its member countries and operates on a small budget compared to big corporations. However, the current 5 permanent members ‌ also want changes. The nations, Britain, China, France, Russia, and the US accept that changes are needed, but they can not decide on the best way to do it. 

World issues and UN reform

Nowadays, the world is grappling with many issues such as the war in Sudan, the ongoing Gaza war, and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Due to these situations, it is very difficult to push the UN Security Council for changes. The UN needs reform, but the current global conflicts and divisions make it very hard to achieve meaningful progress in this area.

The Pact for the Future, under the leadership of Germany and Namibia, gave suggestions about creating a special panel to collect ideas for changes to the United Nations. Setting strict rules is not the solution to the problem. The Pact pays attention to how to use ‌veto power by United Nations Security Council permanent members. It also wants to make the General Assembly more dominant when the Security Council can not agree. 

One of the big problems at the UNSC is Africa’s lack of representation. Many nations across the world want Africa to have at least one permanent seat, and the United States suggested two. However, this won’t overcome the current security issues in Africa. Right now, many African nations are suffering from violence and conflicts. This situation forced 40 million people to flee from their homes, twice as many as in 2016.

So, there is a need for changes to global security, especially for Africa. But even with reforms, real improvements may take time.

Complexities in maintaining effective peacekeeping

The current situation in Africa highlights how geopolitical rivalries affect peacekeeping efforts. Not only powerful nations are behind these growing tensions, but smaller middle-power nations also play a key role. So, due to political conflicts and a limited budget, the United Nations Security Council and the African Union (AU) face complexities in maintaining ‌effective peacekeeping. 

Moreover, the recent international Pact introduced important ideas, such as a Declaration for Future Generations and a Global Digital Compact. These initiatives aim to connect technology companies, citizens, and researchers to discuss the impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) on society.

At the same time, big tech institutes will try to defend their interests. The Pact provides a crucial opportunity for the United Nations to play an important role in the digital world. 

This could help the UN remain relevant as AI and quantum computing transform the global economy, potentially becoming its lasting legacy.