The United States expresses support for the inclusion of two permanent seats for African nations on the UN Security Council, highlighting efforts to reform global governance and improve Africa’s representation.
On Thursday, the United States declared its backing for granting two permanent positions on the U.N. Security Council to African nations and allotting a non-permanent seat for a small island developing state – an unprecedented move.
In a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield stated that this announcement was in response to President Joe Biden’s previous statement two years ago about the United States’ backing for an expansion of the 15-member body.
According to her, having only three non-permanent seats on the Security Council does not enable African nations “to fully utilize their expertise and opinions.”
Thomas-Greenfield stated that the United States backs granting African countries two permanent seats on the council, as well as non-permanent membership. According to her, this is in line with what our African allies desire and is a fair decision from our perspective.
Later, Thomas-Greenfield clarified that Washington is against the idea of African countries holding veto power for the two permanent seats as it would lead to dysfunction in the work of Security Council.
The perspective reveals Washington’s reluctance to grant excessive power to other nations. Although Security Council resolutions carry legal weight, the countries that are targeted often choose to disregard them.
Nearly all nations concur that after the establishment of the United Nations in response to World War II, it is crucial for Security Council reform in order to represent and reflect current times with more representation. However, there remains a significant dispute regarding the most feasible method for carrying out such changes.
The Security Council’s composition, tasked with upholding global peace and security, has remained unchanged since 1945. It comprises of ten non-permanent representatives from diverse regions worldwide who serve two-year terms without veto authority while five dominant powers that emerged after World War II have permanent membership status with the power to veto: United States, Russia, China, Britain and France.
The council’s response to the war in Ukraine has been hindered by Russia’s veto power, and U.S. support for its ally Israel has similarly restricted action on the conflict in Gaza.
Efforts to revamp the council in order to mirror the evolving world commenced back in 1979.
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World leaders in 2005 urged for the council to be more inclusive, proficient and open. However, General Assembly deferred three proposals from different parties on enlarging its membership that year – a clear indication of unresolved disputes which have persisted until present times.
Biden urged for an increase in the number of permanent and non-permanent members in September 2022. He proposed granting “permanent seats to nations we have been supporting for a long time as well as countries from Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.” Germany, Japan, and India are among those that the United States has consistently supported having permanent seats.
Although Thomas-Greenfield did not refer to Biden’s commitment regarding permanent seats for Latin American and Caribbean countries, a high-ranking U.S. government official stated anonymously that the United States still endorses permanent seats for both Africa as well as Latin America and the Caribbean. This briefing was given prior to making an announcement by reporters.
In response to arguments made by various nations suggesting that the United Nations should broaden its focus beyond regional representation, the U.S. ambassador declared their support for an extra rotating seat assigned specifically to small island developing countries.
“Across more than 1,000 islands and with a population of 65 million people, these 39 states are not uniform,” she explained. “However, all possess vital perspectives on various matters related to global peace and security – particularly in regards to the influence of climate change.”
According to Thomas-Greenfield, the United States intends to “put our principles into writing” by drafting a resolution aimed at reforming the council.
According to her, a few nations maintain that for initiating discussions on resolving matters, “it is essential that all 193 member states have consensus about the structure of a modified council.”
Thomas-Greenfield stated that she is both an optimist and a realist, acknowledging the fact that no matter how much we discuss this issue, coming to complete agreement is impractical.
