{"id":105240,"date":"2024-12-14T10:02:56","date_gmt":"2024-12-14T10:02:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/12\/14\/raila-promises-to-rally-for-2-permanent-african-seat-in-un-security-council\/"},"modified":"2024-12-14T10:02:56","modified_gmt":"2024-12-14T10:02:56","slug":"raila-promises-to-rally-for-2-permanent-african-seat-in-un-security-council","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/raila-promises-to-rally-for-2-permanent-african-seat-in-un-security-council\/","title":{"rendered":"Raila promises to rally for 2 permanent African seat in UN Security Council"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 14\u2014Kenya\u2019s candidate for the African Union Commission Chairperson, Raila Odinga, has pledged to spearhead efforts to secure two permanent seats for Africa at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking during the Mjadala Afrika Leadership Debate<\/em> on Friday in Ethiopia\u2019s capital, Addis Ababa, Odinga emphasized the urgent need to address Africa\u2019s historical exclusion from global decision-making processes, particularly at the UNSC, which wields significant influence over international peace and security.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is something that [is] long overdue,\u201d Odinga declared, noting that the time had come for the UN to revisit the composition of the powerful and influential council.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe UN [was] formed when most parts of Africa were colonies, and that [is] why the UN structure as it stands today does not reflect the realities of the modern world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Odinga made these remarks as he faced off against two other contenders for the AU Commission Chairperson seat\u2014Djibouti\u2019s Mohamoud Ali Youssouf and Madagascar\u2019s Richard Randriamandrato.<\/p>\n

He argued that it is \u201cunacceptable and untenable\u201d for five countries to hold veto power at the Security Council while Africa\u2014a continent of 1.4 billion people\u2014remains unrepresented.<\/p>\n

Undemocratic <\/h2>\n

The UNSC currently comprises 15 members: five permanent members with veto power (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.<\/p>\n

Notably, more than 50 UN member states, many from Africa, have never been represented on the Council.<\/p>\n

Odinga stated that Africa\u2019s 55 sovereign nations deserve equitable representation, highlighting Europe\u2019s three permanent seats as evidence of disproportionate global influence.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are going to insist that Africa must get two permanent seats at the UN Security Council,\u201d Odinga said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is only fair because we are a continent of 55 sovereign nations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Odinga added Africa\u2019s exclusion in the Council was untenable while Europe has three permanent representatives on the Security Council.<\/p>\n

\u201cPermanent representation with veto powers is a must for Africa, and this is something I will insist on when I am elected,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

If elected, Odinga expressed his commitment to collaborating with Africa\u2019s leadership to ensure the continent receives fair treatment on the international stage.<\/p>\n

Odinga\u2019s pledge aligns with a unified stance among African nations advocating for UNSC reforms.<\/p>\n

Ruto, Kagame campaign <\/h2>\n

Kenya\u2019s President William Ruto and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, are among the leaders who have been vocal in calling for these reforms.<\/p>\n

In September, Kagame underscored the need for comprehensive reforms within the African Union (AU) before Africa could fully benefit from the US proposal supporting two permanent UNSC seats for African nations.<\/p>\n

Kagame suggested that one seat should represent the AU Commission, while the other should rotate among African countries to reflect the continent\u2019s collective interests.<\/p>\n

This position came after warnings from Ambassador Martin Kimani, Executive Director at New York University\u2019s Center on International Cooperation, who urged strategic caution.<\/p>\n

Kimani highlighted the risk of division if Africa pursued UNSC seats without first addressing internal AU reforms. He expressed concerns that without proper reforms, the U.S. offer could lead to infighting and manipulation by global powers, undermining Africa\u2019s unity.<\/p>\n

Kimani stressed that Africa\u2019s priority should be internal unity and AU reform, which would enable the continent to demand its rightful place on the UNSC through a strong, united front.<\/p>\n

He also called for accelerating the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and strengthening the AU\u2019s Peace and Security Council to enhance decision-making and security across the continent.<\/p>\n

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield voiced US support to for UNSC reform expressing support for a more inclusive and representative Council. <\/p>\n

Currently, African nations take three non-permanent UNSC seats on a rotating basis for two-year terms.<\/p>\n

However, Thomas-Greenfield emphasized that these elected seats do not allow African countries to fully contribute to the Council\u2019s work.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 14\u2014Kenya\u2019s candidate for the African Union Commission Chairperson, Raila Odinga, has pledged to spearhead efforts to secure two permanent seats for Africa at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Speaking during the Mjadala Afrika Leadership Debate on Friday in Ethiopia\u2019s capital, Addis Ababa, Odinga emphasized the urgent need to address Africa\u2019s historical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105240"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105240\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}