Zuma also implored the UN Security Council to take into account the views of the African continent and its sub-regional organisations when dealing with conflicts in Africa in future.
Advertisement
He said it was “critical that the discussions of violent extremism and terrorism in parts of Africa and the Middle East, look into the root causes of the problem and not just the symptoms”.
Zuma, in his UNGA speech, also criticized what he called “the regime change doctrine and its role in perpetuating conflicts and instability”.
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation continued with military action in Libya after a vote by the UNSC, despite the AU having put forward a roadmap for peace for that country.
With more than 80 per cent of issues taken up by the Security Council relating to African affairs and not a single permanent member from Africa, the United Nations has battled with issues of legitimacy and representativeness.
President Jacob Zuma has called on the global community to transform the UN Security Council into a more representative and inclusive body.
Describing it as “unacceptable and unjustifiable”, the president added that a continent with a smaller population than Africa is represented by three countries on the UN Security Council.
Zuma said in 2050, the continent will be home to one in five of the planet’s young people and will have the world’s largest workforce of 1.2 billion. We are no longer colonies.
“Africa is rising, and the signs are there for all to see”, Zuma said to the Pan African Students Association of Princeton University in New Jersey, US, on Sunday.
“We will continue working with progressive states towards the expansion of representation”, the President said.
The prime minister also used the opportunity to introduce Sir Ronald Sanders as the country’s nominee for the post of Secretary General of Commonwealth when Heads meet in Malta in November of this year. “There is no pace at all, especially the Security Council reform”, said Dlamini-Zuma.
However, Gutu said, President Mugabe should equally push for equality and justice for all, starting in his own country.
Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel over the weekend also came out in support of reforms.
Advertisement
Kutesa noted that “for Africa, it is out of these negotiations, because negotiations refer to numbers, the members of the Security Council, its relationship with the General Assembly, and the management of the entire peace and security architecture”.
