A peacebuilding think tank, Foundation for Peace Professionals also known as PeacePro has rejected the United State proposal for creating second-class permanent members on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
PeacePro argues that, granting permanent membership to new members at the Security Council without veto power would represent a superficial reform and fail to address the deeper structural inequalities at the heart of the council’s makeup
In a statement by the Executive Director of PeacePro, Mr Abdulrazaq Hamzat, the group said that the US proposal suggesting to create second class permanent seats for African countries and others is counterproductive to the essence of the proposed UN reforms.
Hamzat argues that, this proposal does not address the underlying issues of inequality and lack of representation on the council.
The UNSC has been criticized for its outdated structure, with the five permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) holding significant power and veto rights.
Reform proposals have been ongoing since 1993, with various models suggested, including Kofi Annan’s reform models, the Group of Four (G4) proposal, and the Ezulwini Consensus.
The US proposal is outrightly inconsequential, because it is devoid of complete empowerment, suggesting that the proposal is akin to offering a “ram” without providing the “rope” necessary to lead it.
“The United States must learn from an African proverb that says that when you give a person a ram, you must release it along with the rope” he said.
PeacePro calls for a more comprehensive and genuine reform that addresses the core issues of representation and equality on the global stage.
