The G20 foreign ministers' meeting this week is said to have overwhelmingly supported South Africa’s call for the reform of the UN Security Council.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has continuously called for at least two African countries to be members of the council and for one country to be given the same powers enjoyed by the five permanent members.
Ramaphosa has been pushing for the African members to have the power to veto resolutions of the UN and its security council. Presently, only the five permanent members have such veto powers. Since the UN's inception in 1945 only China, France, Russia, the UK and the US have had veto powers.
Ramaphosa wants this changed and it is believed the G20 this week agreed. Norway and France have come out to publicly support the move, saying UN agencies had to be preserved, reformed and made better.
France’s foreign affairs minister Jean-Noel Barrot said: “I came here to plead for the reform of the security council, for at least two seats of a permanent member for Africa with all associated privileges, that is why I pleaded for the reform of the financial architecture in order for no country in the world to have to choose between the fight against poverty and the fight against the consequences of climate change.”
Norway’s foreign minister Espen Bartha Eide told the Sunday Times on the sidelines of the G20 meeting that Africa deserved a seat at the security council table.
“Making them [UN agencies] better includes Security Council reform, an African seat at the table. We have for years supported a stronger African presence because we need to update to the realities of the 21st century,” said Eide.
He said the status quo could not remain with the same five permanent members that were there “when the Second World War was won”.
Eide said he would leave the details, including which African countries get the seats, to Africa. “It’s a very important conversation to be held in Africa, which is not my job — it’s Africa’s job.”
More than 3.3-billion people live in countries where interest payments on debt exceed education or health spending. The G20 needs to renew its efforts to advance debt sustainability, with a particular emphasis on African countries
— President Cyril Ramaphosa
The position could even be filled by the AU president, he said. “I encourage creative conversations on that.”
But a senior government official said it may not be possible for the AU to sit on the UN body. The official said South Africa would want to occupy one of the mooted two seats on the council but that would be highly contested.
He said, however, that the push by South Africa for African representation had garnered a lot of support.
“I think the majority of the countries that attended were in support, the issue now is obviously the debate on whether it will be with veto powers or not. But most of them agree that there should be African representativity on the Security Council including the UN deputy secretary-general. But the big debate will come on the issue of veto,” said the insider.
“The idea is there and it's fully support, so we will have to work on the modalities of its implementation.”
South Africa’s foreign minister Ronald Lamola could not be drawn into the discussion, saying there was an agreement that the African countries had entered into that would guide them on how to deal with security council representation.
He said Africa would be guided by the Ezulwini consensus and that it might be time to review it.
Lamola said the G20 meeting had stressed that there was a need to reform the council to make it more “fit for purpose and relevant to the current international realities”.
The G20 summit also supported South Africa’s call for a review of the cost of debt for African countries.
Former finance minister Trevor Manuel will chair a committee called the Cost of Capital Review that will look into resolving the high interest rates that are weighing on African countries.
“Developing economies are experiencing the highest borrowing costs in nearly two decades. Debt payments are crowding out vital domestic expenditure and diverting critical resources away from development,” said Ramaphosa when he opened the G20 meeting.
“More than 3.3-billion people live in countries where interest payments on debt exceed education or health spending. The G20 needs to renew its efforts to advance debt sustainability, with a particular emphasis on African countries.”
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