African Union chairman Robert Mugabe speaks at the UN headquarters in
New York on September 25, 2015. AFP PHOTO | TIMOTHY A CLARY
African states on Monday drove home the point of reforming the
United Nations top organ to get a slot they will use to advance their
interests.
African Union (AU) chairman Robert Mugabe of
Zimbabwe, South Africa President Jacob Zuma and Ethiopia’s Prime
Minister Hailemariam Desalegn appeared to be reading from a
well-rehearsed script when they accused the UN of discriminating against
the continent, five decades after majority of its nations gained
independence.
They particularly aimed their salvos at
the five permanent members of the UN Security Council which they
described as an “exclusive club”, who hold sway in the decisions that
the world body of nations makes, including the election of the
secretary-general.
The five members, also known as the “Big Five” are United States, Russia, United Kingdom, China and France.
Mr
Mugabe fired the first brickbat at the UN when he said that African
countries had not gone to the General Assembly “looking for handouts”.
Instead,
he said, they had a well thought-out agenda of seeking partners to
develop their mega infrastructure projects, exploit their natural
resources and attract investments.
SET FREE
He
warned that the world would only benefit from an Africa that has been
set free and recognised and not one that had been muzzled by the
powerful countries sitting on the UN Security Council.
“While
the world has drastically changed since 1945 (the year when the UN was
established), the United Nations has been stuck, driven along by the
archaic systems which threatens to alienate majority of its membership,”
he said.
He stated that AU members were rightfully
pushing for reforms to get a seat on the UNSC and called on other member
states to support the African campaign.
Mr Mugabe also
said that AU members want the selection of the UN secretary-general
(boss) to be conducted by the General Assembly and not as a rubber stamp
of the UNSC.
“Nowhere does the UN charter say that the members who sit on the Security Council must sit in judgment of others,” he said.
Mr
Zuma questioned the failure by the UN to reform since it was
established, arguing that African countries liberated themselves from
colonial rule and must be involved in the top organ of the world’s
intergovernmental organisation.
NO LONGER COLONIES
“The
UN cannot pretend that world has not changed since 1945. We are no
longer colonies. We are free, independent and sovereign states,” he said
as he addressed the UN General Assembly.
He questioned
the rationale of Europe having three countries as permanent members of
the UN Security Council yet Africa had none.
The three are Russia, United Kingdom and France. Germany is also pushing for a slot, dangling its economic strength.
“It
is unacceptable, unjustifiable that more than one billion people in
Africa are still excluded as permanent members,” he said as he demanded
that the UN secretary general be elected by the General Assembly of
Heads of States and Governments.
President Yoweri
Museveni of Uganda who accused the UN of perpetuating inequality,
challenged the world body to seek to unite countries and not subdivide
them.
“The UN should not be part of the problem (for Africa) but a solution,” he said.
Mr
Desalegn demanded full reforms of the UN, warning that without the
changes it will be impossible to achieve the Sustainable Development
Goals which were adopted on Friday.
There is need to
reform then United Nations and without these reforms, it will not be
easier to deliver the next set of development goals.
The
General Assembly had opened in the morning with US President Barack
Obama calling on nations of the world to unite to end terrorism, embrace
peace and develop the world through trade and investment.
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