H.E Dennis Francis, the President of the 78th Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly (UNGA) has assured African countries of granting them two permanent seats on the UN Security Council (UNSC), citing that negotiations to have them included are still on going.
H.E Francis revealed this while responding to the question of when African countries will be granted permanent seats on the UN Security Council after pushing it for long. This was during a press conference that was held at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala on Saturday, January 20, 2024, ahead of a closing ceremony of the 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit that was hosted by Uganda from January 15-20, 2024.
President Francis however, refrained from giving his opinion in regards to the matter, saying that he represents the opinions of the Assembly not personal opinions.
“I have my own opinion about that, but I’m barred as President of this General Assembly from uttering what my opinion might be because I represent only the views of the General Assembly. But what I can say is the process is ongoing,” he said.
He noted that there is need to make the Security Council well suited for its designated role because the one that is currently instituted is inappropriate.
“Everyone accept that the Security Council currently constituted is not fit for purpose. It has to be made fit for purpose, it has to be democratized,” President Francis noted.
H.E Francis further noted that, the Council needs to reflect the current realities of global influence, adding that it must be responsive to the commands and demands of building peace and security in the early 21st century in order for some things to change.
“When the Security Council was invented 75 years ago, many of the African countries that currently exist, did not at that time exist. They would have been under colonial domination, thankfully, that has run past,” he stated.
He called for a need to create a council that better represents the current reality, but more so, one that well represents the aspirations of the people in the global south.
“The council has a particular structure, something called the permanent five and of that permanent five, only one might describe as coming from the global south and that’s China,” President Francis said.
The President UN General Assembly referred to China as a unique case due to being a large country, very powerful and influential, adding that other countries from the global south are not satisfactory in the 21st century.
He said that currently, there’s no decision in regards to what the formula would be by which Security Council will be constituted, saying that that will be raised during the negotiations.
On the current situation in Gaza, President Francis said that the situation is highly frustrating, marked by an alarming loss of over 25,000 innocent civilians due to the military action, adding that the significant casualty number underscores the devastating impact on the civilian populace. He, therefore, called for an immediate cease fire.
