UK backs permanent seat for Africa at UNSC

MORE good news. Maybe UK Gov’s been here looking for great ideas :)

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By Agence France Presse (AFP)

Published Thursday 29 June 2023, 1:30 pm BST - here is a full copy:

UK backs permanent seat for Africa at UN Security Council

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly called for an expanded UN Security Council, with permanent representation from Africa (HENRY NICHOLLS)

The UK on Thursday announced its backing for an expanded UN Security Council, including a permanent spot for Africa, to reflect the current and future state of the world.

"We want to see permanent African representation and membership extended to India, Brazil, Germany and Japan," said Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

"I know this is a bold reform. But it will usher the Security Council into the 2020s," he told the Chatham House foreign affairs think-tank in London.

The UK is a permanent member of the Security Council with China, France, Russia and the United States, and sits with 10 non-permanent members elected by the UN general assembly for two-year terms.

US President Joe Biden has previously signalled his support for an expanded UN Security Council with African representation, and giving the African Union a permanent spot in the G20.

He has also outlined his backing for a permanent seat for Latin America, and supported bids from Japan and India.

Developing nations have long complained about not having a say on the council, where the five permanent members wield veto power, and argued the imbalance risked making the body obsolete.

But so far, repeated calls for reform have come to nothing, and experts doubt that the permanent five will give up their powers, despite the persuasive argument for change.

Cleverly's backing for an expanded body came in a speech calling for a "reinvigorated multilateral system", to make it fit for purpose for the 21st century.

Multilateral agreements such as the UN charter of 1945 had served the world well since then, on issues from nuclear non-proliferation to climate change, he said.

But there was no guarantee of their survival for the same period of time into the future, particularly with challenges such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.

Cleverly called the Kremlin's military action "a calculated assault on the UN Charter" and on the principles of the rules-based international order.

The geo-political and global economic centre of gravity was shifting from Europe and North America towards the Indo-Pacific region.

Demographic changes also put Africa in the ascendancy, making it more important than ever to give countries there a voice on the issues that affect them, such as tackling debt, poverty and climate change, he added.

The overhaul also needed to be extended to the World Trade Organization to reflect the digital economy, and international financial institutions to address climate finance and debt reduction, he added.

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UK urges for UN Reforms, backs India's bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council

UN reform is long overdue. UNSC needs permanent African representation and membership extended to India, Brazil, Germany and Japan. Read more.

Report at Republic World - www.republicworld.com
Written by Press Trust Of India
Published Friday 30 June 2023, 17:17 IST - here is a full copy:

UK urges for UN Reforms, backs India's bid for a permanent seat in the UNSC

The UK government has reiterated its call for reform of the United Nations as one of its top transnational priorities and supported India's bid for permanent membership of the powerful Security Council.

United Nations Security Council (Image: AP/File Photo)

The UK government has reiterated its call for reform of the United Nations as one of its top transnational priorities and supported India's bid for permanent membership of the powerful Security Council.

India has been at the forefront of the years-long efforts to reform the UN Security Council (UNSC), saying it rightly deserved a place as a permanent member of the United Nations.

Currently, the UNSC has five permanent members - China, France, Russia, the UK and the US. Only a permanent member has the power to veto any substantive resolution.

In a speech at a conference at the Chatham House think tank in London on Thursday, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly called for a reinvigorated multilateral system that is more reflective of the times.

He pointed out that the world’s economic centre of gravity is shifting away from the Euro-Atlantic and towards the Indo-Pacific but the multilateral institutions are yet to catch up.

“I have five transnational priorities. First, reform of the United Nations Security Council. We want to see permanent African representation and membership extended to India, Brazil, Germany and Japan,” said Cleverly.

“I know this is a bold reform. But it will usher the Security Council into the 2020s. And the UNSC has grown before – albeit not since 1965. My second priority is reform of the international financial institutions. This matters for climate finance and, of course, for poverty reduction,” he said.

The minister also hailed India’s leadership role with its presidency of the G20 in pitching for representation of poorer nations on the world stage.

“It seems obvious to me that the voice of the poorest and most vulnerable countries must be heard at the heart of the multilateral system. That’s why we support permanent membership of the G20 for the African Union and welcome India’s leadership on taking this forward,” he said.

Among the other priorities for the UK, Cleverly highlighted making finance easier and quicker to access and maximise the impact of that investment.

He also stressed that the World Trade Organisation (WTO) desperately needs new rules that reflect today’s digital economy to make trade policy “free, fair, open and not manipulated or distorted”.

He spelt out another top priority as artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing have the potential to transform humankind’s problem-solving capabilities.

“I will chair the UN Security Council’s first-ever meeting on this issue, in New York next month. And the Prime Minister [Rishi Sunak] will host an AI summit this autumn,” said Cleverly. 

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