By: Mohamed Jalloh
President Julius Maada Bio has called on the powers that be at the United Nations to urgently reform the non-permanent category of the UN Security Council. He made the statement during his address of the 78th session of the UN general assembly.
President Bio said Sierra Leone recognizes the pressing issue of the Security Council’s legitimacy, equitable representation, and transparency, because in a world reshaped by geopolitical realities, true global peace and security hinge upon the reform and rejuvenation of the UN Security Council and the General Assembly.
Joined by fellow UN Member States, Sierra Leone committed at the 2005 World Summit to “support early reform of the Security Council ─ an essential element of our overall effort to reform the United Nations ─ to make it more broadly representative, efficient and transparent and thus to enhance further its effectiveness and the legitimacy and implementation of its decisions”.
While the discourse has seen forward movement, president Bio noted that the historical injustices endured by the African Continent remain unresolved at the intergovernmental negotiations.
He maintained that Africa glaringly stands alone as the only region without permanent representation within the Security Council and is conspicuously underrepresented in its non-permanent category.
“The UN Security Council remains trapped in the era of 1945 when much of Africa was still in the regrettable grip of colonialism. We must not allow this colonial paradigm to persist three-quarters of a century later”, he explained.
Therefore, the president emphasized that Africa demand for two Permanent seats ─ complete with commensurate rights, including the veto if maintained ─ and five non-permanent seats are issues of equity, justice and our right to have an equal say in decision-making on issues that affect the African region as endorsed by Sirte declaration and Ezulwini consensus.