President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for the United Nations (UN) Security Council to be reformed, saying that it has barely changed since it was formed after the end of the Second World War.
He was speaking in New York at the UN General Assembly.
Ramaphosa was quoted as saying: “Seventy-eight years since its formation, the structure of the UN Security Council remains largely unchanged. Africa and its 1.4-billion people remain excluded from its key decision-making structures. The Security Council has not fulfilled its mandate to maintain international peace and security. The UN Security Council must be reformed as a matter of urgency. It must become more inclusive, so the voices of all nations are heard and considered. Africa stands ready to play its part in building a safer global order.”
The Security Council has five permanent members – the United States, the United Kingdom, China, France, and Russia. These countries can veto any decision made by the body.
They are also the five main victors of World War II, with some arguing that power dynamics and influence in the world have changed since that conflict. Campaigners for reform of the Security Council have said that more countries from the developing world should be included, with Brazil and India often cited as potential candidates.
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