Reforming the UN Security Council: Elevating Africa’s role for global progress

Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations recently announced that significant improvement is required in how Africa is represented in the UN Security Council. He clearly said that in order to maintain the credibility of the UNSC, updating Africa’s role is essential for the council. This change is also necessary to fulfil today’s world demands. 

During a high-level debate on the topic of correcting past injustices and enhancing Africa’s representation, Guterres stressed that the Security Council has been a cornerstone for global peace and security since it was established in 1945. 

He also highlighted that the flaws and shortcomings of councils are increasing day by day and can not be ignored. 

Guterres’s comment clearly highlights that urgent reform from the United Nations Security Council is required in order to better represent the global community and handle international issues more effectively. 

This change isn’t just about fairness; it’s also essential for the council’s future effectiveness and relevance.

According to him,

“ They are contributing to deadlock, stalemate and stagnation around today’s most pressing crises,”

and are feeding

“a broader crisis of credibility and legitimacy that is affecting multilateralism itself.”

The United Nations Security Council does not fulfil the requirement of a world that changes with time. It is the great complexity that such an important global body doesn’t include a permanent representative from Africa, despite the continent having over a billion people and accounting for 28% of the UN’s total membership. 

This simply means that Africa does not represent itself adequately at the highest level of international decision-making. Despite the fact that Africa plays an important role in global affairs. 

Additionally, most of the time the African views are also undervalued on crucial issues such as peace and security. Whether these complexities are within Africa or on the global stage.  

This situation is unfair and does not reflect the current global dynamics. It is crucial for the UN to address this imbalance and ensure that Africa’s perspectives and contributions are given the recognition they deserve.

Africa is not playing a good role in decision-making on the global stage. This nation also faces many complexities. It suffers from many conflicts, emergencies, and political problems. All of these issues affect this subcontinent more than any other region. 

The General Secretary points out that the African Union along with the United Nations collaborate to solve all of these problems. They are working together to cope with Africa’s different problems such as flooding, and droughts. They mainly focus on specific areas such as the Central African Republic, Somalia, the Sahel, and Sudan. These are the regions where issues are very severe and urgent need of solution is necessary. 

Through this partnership, they aim to find solutions and improve conditions for people dealing with these serious problems.

In United Nations peacekeeping, Africa plays an important role. Most of the African countries are selected to host the peacekeeping missions. Also, African troops are sent to conflict zones worldwide. Also, it is important to note that most of the United Nations peacekeepers belong to Africa. 

However, Africa’s important contributions aren’t reflected in the council’s representation. To make sure this council is fair and trustworthy, we need to listen to calls from the UN General Assembly and other groups who have been asking for changes.

This means adjusting how the council represents different regions to correct the current imbalance and acknowledge the significant role Africa plays in global peacekeeping efforts.

Guterres also said that it is the responsibility of every UN member state to attend the summit. It will be held in September. He thinks that this event is a great opportunity for all nations to come together on a single platform and share their thoughts. This action highlights that the African voice is important for all countries. 

It will also help in supporting various African projects and making sure that the specific needs of Africa are met. Overall, this summit is a chance for everyone to contribute to meaningful change and support for African countries.

He further added,

“ African voices, African insights, and African participation must be brought to bear across the council’s deliberations and actions.”