Since Africa and the Global South have historically been under-represented on the UN Security Council (UNSC), South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has been a leading proponent of restructuring the body. The foundation of his search is his conviction that the geopolitical realities of the twenty-first century are not adequately reflected in the current UNSC organisation. Since Africa’s exclusion undercuts the ideals of justice, equity, and global democracy, Ramaphosa has repeatedly urged the continent’s countries to become permanent members.
Africa, which is home to more than a billion people and makes a substantial contribution to international peacekeeping efforts and resources, deserves a place at the decision-making table to discuss its particular issues and concerns, the South African leader has emphasised. The “Ezulwini Consensus” of the African Union, which calls for enhanced non-permanent representation and at least two permanent seats for Africa with complete veto power, is in line with Ramaphosa’s approach. Ramaphosa has called for swifter movement on UNSC reforms in high-profile settings like the UN General Assembly and other international summits, highlighting the danger to the body’s legitimacy of not having equal representation.
Ramaphosa intends to mobilise international support.
His initiatives also align with more general demands for changes to global governance in order to more inclusively address urgent issues like economic inequality, climate change, and security concerns. African leaders’ larger effort to address structural injustices in international organisations includes Ramaphosa’s advocacy. Many African and developing countries have backed him, seeing UNSC reform as essential to promoting a more equitable and representative global order. Ramaphosa intends to mobilise international support for significant reforms that preserve the values of inclusivity and multilateralism by working with other powerful leaders, such as President Tinubu of Nigeria.
Nigeria recently proclaimed its support for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s proposal to overhaul the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), according to Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Tinubu stressed the necessity of Africa obtaining permanent representation on the UNSC in remarks made at the 79th session of the general assembly. For the Council to be inclusive and equitable, he maintained, it must take into account the variety of the world and the changing geopolitical landscape. Nigeria’s goal for a more egalitarian global governance structure and its larger support for multilateralism are in line with this.
President Tinubu attributed the UNSC change to economic concerns.
Although Africa is home to many countries, it does not have a permanent seat on the UNSC, which Tinubu emphasised is an imbalance that must be addressed. He called for the speeding up of talks and applauded signs of support for reform from some of the Council’s present permanent members. Additionally, Tinubu connected these reforms to more general problems that the Global South faces, like security crises, climate change, and economic instability. Nigeria has continuously positioned itself as a major force in Africa’s quest for international renown.
Along with UNSC reform, the country also wants debt forgiveness and a more equitable international financial system, which Tinubu claimed would promote Economic Growth and Sustainable Development throughout the Global South. The United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom are the five permanent members (P5) with veto power among the 15 members of the UNSC. The remaining 10 members are elected to two-year terms. Africa does not have permanent representation, although it does have three non-permanent seats. President Tinubu attributed the UNSC change to economic concerns, such as Nigeria’s demands for international financial institution reform and debt relief.
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By giving developing countries economic stability, these initiatives hope to increase their ability to support international security. Although there are some positive indications on UNSC reform from existing permanent members, actual actions have not yet been taken. The need to expedite these reforms and bring them into line with multilateralism’s tenets was underlined by Tinubu. Africa’s unity and representation in international governance have been continuously promoted by Nigeria. It makes the case that being a permanent member will give the continent a stronger voice because it is the most populous country in Africa and a significant economic and political player.