MOZAMBIQUE’S ambassador to the UN, Pedro Afonso has said that Africa, as a ‘victim of historical injustice,’ deserved ‘two permanent seats on the Security Council and five non-permanent seats.’
At a press conference to present Mozambique’s agenda for the monthly presidency of the Security Council, on Wednesday, Pedro Afonso addressed a possible reform of the Security Council, saying that steps are being taken in this direction, but that the ‘issue is very complex.’
‘The reform of the Security Council is a complex process. You cannot just say you accept a seat for Africa and the problem will be solved. No! Asia will also show up to say it wants a permanent seat, Latin America will show up to say it needs a permanent seat. Other countries in Europe will do the same,’ he noted.
‘On Security Council reform, Mozambique is guided by the Ezulwini consensus that says Africa is a victim of historical injustice, so as things stand now, Africa would deserve two permanent Security Council seats and five non-permanent seats. So, this is our position and we have been fighting for it,’ the ambassador stressed.
Also according to the permanent representative, the Mozambican people ‘are very interested in the country’s participation in the Security Council,’ although he conceded that ‘there are expectations that go beyond what is possible to do,’ in practice.
Under discussion for some 40 years, but always unsuccessful due to lack of consensus, reform and expansion of the Security Council – often considered obsolete – has been requested for several years, with emerging countries such as India, South Africa and Brazil wanting to join the five permanent members – the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Russia and China.
In general, almost all UN countries see a need to reform the Security Council, but there is no agreement on how to do it, with different proposals on the table for years.
The United States has been willing to move forward on that reform, including enlargement to include Africa – the only continent without a country as a permanent member of that top UN body.
Mozambique began its two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council on 3 January, and during the month of March will assume the rotating presidency of the body.
