AU Should Voice Africa’s Concern Worldwide, Secure Permanent Seats at UNSC: Scholar
The African Union should voice strongly the concerns of Africa and promote the agenda of securing permanent seats in the United Nations Security Council, a scholar said.
In an exclusive interview with ENA, Institute for Peace and Security Studies Director Yonas Adaye said “issues concerning Africa have been most of the time decided in the absence of Africa. That is absolutely unfair, unjust and unacceptable.”
So, if Africa needs its independence it should be represented in the United Nations Security Council. Its issues must be discussed and deliberated by African leaders, people of Africa and the African Union, he added.
In this regard, the African Union has the highest stake in making the request of African leaders for permanent seats at the UNSC a reality.
“The African Union should immediately float the agenda and at the same time get engaged, have robust discussions, engage intellectuals, leaders, and promote the idea because it is still the heading agency that can voice Africa’s concern around the world.”
According to Yonas, the African Union should promote this agenda by preventing the challenges of division within and making all leaders stand together for this noble cause together.
This requires the political commitment of each and every country leader of Africa, the scholar noted, adding that Africans should prepare themselves to pay any sacrifice so as to obtain the demanded seats.
All countries in Africa should definitely unite in this case and people in the diaspora as well have to unanimously voice against neo-colonialism in the continent.
The director stated that international alliance is crucial to realize Africa’s quest for permanent status at the UNSC. African leaders must also bring people from Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, Europe, America, and Australia.
Commitment in buying of the agenda by the very ordinary people of Africa, intellectuals and the media is critically important to realize the securing of permanent seats in the UNSC, the scholar further noted.
He also called on AU and African leaders to make the request of some African leaders for permanent seats in the UNSC among their prior agendas at the 35th AU Summit in Addis Ababa.
It is to be recalled that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed joined other African leaders in calling for Africa to be permanently represented in the United Nations Security Council.
Fundamentally, the rationale behind the question for permanent seats at the United Nations Security Council is fair representation.
Source: Ethiopia News Agency