Africa's Bid for the UNSC Permanent Membership

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is the most potent body for preserving international peace and security. It has the power to enact resolutions that are binding on its members. Despite this, its credibility has been quickly eroding. This is due to the perception that its design does not represent the contemporary world order. After all, it is not an inclusive and participatory strategy but rather a constellation of World War II winners. Another point of contention is the veto power, since no other member of the UN can veto decisions, aside from the Permanent Five (P5)-China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US)-the UN system has been criticised for being undemocratic. Since veto power goes against the UN Charter's declaration of states' sovereign equality, criticism of it has grown. There has been increasing discontent with the P5's use of the veto power to further their agenda. Due to its partial geographic equilibrium, the Security Council has often been accused of lacking democratic representation and principles.

African nations, who have long advocated for reforming the Security Council, represent the Global South. African leaders have underlined the importance of reforming the UNSC in several settings, including yearly UN General Assembly sessions. Although it currently has 54 members, the African region doesn't have representation in the UNSC as a permanent member.

Furthermore, most UN resolutions and most UN peacekeeping missions are working in the African region. Africa is mainly left out of the Council's discussions, even though it is its primary focus. In two respects, the Security Council is turning into a case of historic injustice for Africa. First, because most African nations were under the direct control of colonial powers, the Council was established without the involvement of African states. Second, despite achieving sovereignty and independence, the decisions related to the African states were taken by former colonial powers in the UNSC.

The African Common Position
The Sirte Declaration and the Ezulwini Consensus were adopted by the African Union in 2005 as their shared stance on UNSC reforms. Through this, Africa has made it evident to the world that the Security Council needs to be reformed and reorganised. Despite being granted three non-permanent seats on the Council by a 1963 revision to the UN Charter, Africa still lacks permanent membership. The African region has 54 members in the General Assembly, making it a significant voting bloc. Thus, the group's demand for Council reform is supported by the glaring anomaly of Africa's exclusion from the Council.

According to the Ezulwini Consensus, the African region should get two permanent seats and five non-permanent seats, together with all the privileges and rights of permanent membership, including the veto. The Ezulwini Consensus also connects justice and the veto; the African Union rejects the veto concept but maintains that all permanent members, both new and old, must benefit if it is to be kept.

Global Perspectives
In July 2024, the United Kingdom demanded that Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan be added to the list of permanent seats on the UNSC. With the caveat that these countries would not have the veto power, the United States announced earlier in September that it would support appointing two African countries as permanent members of the UNSC. According to the US, it also favours South America, Japan, India, and Germany to have representation in the UNSC. Additionally, France reaffirmed its backing for UNSC reform. France considers it "abnormal" that Africa, which accounts for more than a quarter of the UN membership, is not represented among the permanent members of the Security Council. However, France is against expanding the UNSC's veto authority as the US.

Along with the major powers, China has also supported reforming the UNSC. However, it cautions that future changes must prioritise the effectiveness of decision-making and consider the changing geopolitical situation of the world. During the recent Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit in Beijing, China announced its support for permanently representing Africans in the UNSC. It did not, however, endorse the 2005 Sirte Declaration or the Ezulwini Consensus. Russia is also similarly concerned about the organisation's ineffectiveness in non-settling conflicts; thus, it backs proposals for reforms only in some instances.

However, few states and organisations are against reforming the UN system. First, the Uniting for Consensus (UFC) member states are against a few states' bids for permanent seats and have blocked the reform process. The second reason for resistance to reform is the perception that seats, with or without veto power, would save time and space for new members, such as African countries, who lack the political and economic clout necessary to be strong, long-term members of the UNSC. The biggest obstacle is determining who would serve on the security council and what criteria would be used. Choosing only two of the 54 countries in a diverse African region that is split along linguistic, cultural, and regional lines will be challenging.

South Africa, Nigeria, and Egypt are in the lead for a seat on the Council based on their demographics, economic contributions, and military might. If the bid is accepted, Africa will be better positioned to lead world diplomacy with a reformed Council. Consequently, the continent will be well-represented in the system of global governance. Granting permanent membership to African states in the Council might significantly promote peace, security and development in the continent and worldwide.

Edna Joseph, Research Scholar, Department of International Relations, Peace and Public Policy (IRP and PP), St Joseph’s University, Bengaluru-560027, India, Email: [email protected].

Dr. Karamala Areesh Kumar, Head, Department of International Relations, Peace and Public Policy (IRP and PP), St Joseph’s University, Bengaluru-560027, India, Email: [email protected], [email protected], ORCID: https://orcid.org/my-orcid?orcid=0000-0002-3908-071X, Scopus ID: 57653964500.