Africa seeks to increase role in UN system

Despite the density and extensive territory, the African continent still does not have sufficient powers and representative offices in many international organizations, this primarily applies to the UN.

It is expected that by 2050 the population of Africa, which is currently 1.2 billion, will be a quarter of the population of the planet. According to forecasts, Africa will take a leading place in the world on the share of youth and the working population.

Thus, the continent in the near future will become the locomotive of world labor in accordance with the growth rate of population.

At the last Summit of “Big Twenty” in New Delhi, the African Union was officially accepted into the G20.

However, the continent still does not have the authority in the UN Security Council – the most authoritative body for decision -making of the global level.

The Council consists of 15 members: five permanent members: China, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, the United States and France and 10 unstable members elected for two -year periods, only three of which represent Africa.

African group of UN members – the largest in this organization and is 28 percent of the number of member states. It has 54 states, that is, all recognized African states of the UN.

In order to adopt resolutions, including the introduction of sanctions and conducting military operations, the UN Security Council is necessary for the consent of 9 out of 15 participants in the Council, including the approval of all five permanent members.

Thus, the UN Security Council can make important decisions regarding the countries of the African continent, even if none of the African countries participate in these decisions.

In May, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution on extending an embargo for the supply of weapons to South Sudan, as well as targeted sanctions, including a ban on traveling and freezing the assets of individuals and legal entities. The Gana, Gabon and Mozambique submitted to the Security Council abstained from participating in the vote.

In addition, in 2022, the Council of Ministers extended the embargo for the supply of weapons to Somalia, whose authorities fight against the Ash Shabab terrorist organization. This happened despite the objections of Somalia and a number of other African countries.

In 2022, a group of African countries, based on the fact that the military coups that took place in a number of Western Africa states cause damage to political stability in the region, advocated the introduction of sanctions against Mali, where a putsch occurred. However, this initiative was blocked by Russia and China, which caused a negative reaction from the unstable members of the UN Security Council, Kenya, Gabon and Ghana.

In the past, the UN Security Council has repeatedly accused of inability to prevent crisis and humanitarian disasters in Africa, including Genocide in Rwanda. And at present, the Security Council, due to political disagreements between permanent members, cannot take effective measures against the background of a series of coup and civil wars on the Black Continent.