Algeria, Africa’s Voice Once Again For UN Security Council Reform

On Sunday evening in New York, the Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad, and African Affairs, Mr. Ahmed Attaf, asserted that Africa has succeeded in expanding the base of support for its common position to correct the historical injustice it has suffered.

He considered the increasing international endorsement it receives as a recognition of the legitimacy and validity of African demands as stated in the “Ezulwini Consensus”.

Mr. Attaf  underscored in a speech delivered during the proceedings of the African Union Committee of Ten (C-10) summit on UN Security Council reform, which coincided with the 20th anniversary of the “Ezulwini Consensus”, that “Africa looks to the future with renewed determination and a clearer vision after two decades of diligent efforts to correct a long-standing historical injustice.”

In this regard, the Minister said, “Looking back at our collective journey, Algeria believes that our work has yielded three main successes. The first is that Africa has been able to ‘expand the base of support for its common position,’ as this position now enjoys increasing endorsement from UN member states and various interest groups, which we consider a recognition of the legitimacy and validity of African demands as stated in the Ezulwini Consensus.”

Secondly, the Minister added, “Africa has succeeded in establishing a global understanding of the unique and distinct nature of its cause, because, on the one hand, our position embodies the collective will of 55 member states of the African Union, and on the other hand, because it primarily aims to correct the historical injustice inflicted upon our continent.”

Mr. Attaf explained that the third and “most important and decisive” success is that Africa has proven to the world that it is “ready to contribute its due share to the collective security system with full commitment, firmness, and dedication.” He added, “Through the mechanism of the three African members of the Security Council (A3), Africa has shown that it has no ambitions other than to sincerely contribute to enabling the Security Council to fully carry out its responsibilities in maintaining international peace and security.”

Mr. Attaf went on to say, “Despite the importance of these successes, our journey towards fulfilling the mandate entrusted to us within the Committee of Ten remains long and arduous. The collective security system is experiencing a worsening crisis, and its main instrument, the Security Council, is in a state of near-total paralysis. This situation has led to increasing concerns, and calls to overcome this impasse and prevent its escalation and loss of control have multiplied.”

In light of this situation, Mr. Attaf added, “Our commitments should take two paths: Internally, we must preserve the unity that has always been our greatest strength and most precious achievement, a unity whose fruits we all witnessed with the African Union’s full membership in the G20. Therefore, we must give utmost care to the necessity of putting our internal house in order by renewing the commitment and interaction of all African states under the umbrella of the African Common Position.”

Externally, “our committee must remain fully engaged in the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) process. Our path should also include engagement and communication with all partners, leveraging what has been achieved to date, and reaching the ultimate goal of mobilizing the broadest possible understanding and support for Africa’s legitimate aspirations and just objectives.”

The Minister concluded by saying, “Our duty compels us to remain faithful to our common position, because it is a sound, just, and fully responsive position to our collective concerns and interests.

We also believe that this is the only way to ensure that our collective voice carries effective weight, thereby strengthening a more robust and effective multilateral system based on the rules, principles, and ideals enshrined in the United Nations Charter.”