Winds of change swirl around UN. Air the room or close shop?
Some 24 hours before the start of this year’s United Nations General Assembly — the 79th — time to ask if the UN is finally, moving inexorably towards reform? I ask because it feels like the winds of change really are swirling around, albeit gently, that august body. Whether anyone will really open the windows and air the building is another matter.
Especially interesting in the context of long overdue UN reform is the response to the recent call by the UN Secretary General António Guterres for Africa to get a permanent seat on the UN Security Council (UNSC).
Reports say Mr Guterres’ call was largely “well received”. It was backed by US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield. So too the UNSC’s head, a rotating position that’s currently held by Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio.
All of that’s encouraging. And long overdue, considering the African continent’s 54 countries make up more than a quarter of the UN’s member states and nearly half of all UN peacekeeping operations are in Africa, with nearly half (40 per cent) of all UN peacekeepers now being African.
The problem, of course, is that UNSC restructuring has not really been spelt out. Support for giving Africa a permanent seat does not automatically mean the powerful veto-wielding body’s members really want to rebuild it. Or indeed to write themselves out of the script.
For years, there’ve been campaigns by various groups of countries to restructure the UNSC and modernise the UN, which was set up in the wake of World War II and still represents the victors and big guns of that particular era rather than 2024.
And yet, Britain remains on the UNSC. And France.
And yet, African and Arab states aren’t on the UNSC. Back when the UN was set up, Africa had less than 10 per cent of the world’s population. Today, it is almost double.
And yet, Germany isn’t there, even though it is a big contributor to the UN budget, has a pretty big economy and considerable clout in Europe.
And yet, India isn’t there, even though it is a demographic giant and a fast-growing economy.
That said, the winds of change are swirling around the UN, albeit gently.
At some point, someone will have to air the room. Or close shop!
Originally published at https://www.rashmee.com
