Nana Addo Urges Denmark to Support Calls for UN Reforms

President Nana Akufo-Addo has courted the support of Denmark over moves to have permanent African representatives on the UN Security Council.

Speaking at a state dinner held in honour of the visiting Queen of Denmark, Queen Margrethe II, President Akufo-Addo conveyed the “importance that Ghana attaches to the process of UN reform especially of the UN Security Council.”

The President has consistently reiterated the need for reforms at the UN, most recently during his maiden address to the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, where he questioned the UN’s credibility.

He said the UN was “seen by many as helping to perpetuate an unfair world order.”

In his appeal to the Danish Queen, President Akufo-Addo noted Africa’s common stance on UN reform per the 2005 Ezulwini Consensus, and urged Denmark to support its calls for “this long overdue reform”.

The Ezulwini Consensus is a position on international relations and reform of the United Nations, agreed by the African Union.

As part of the Ezulwini Consensus, African Heads of State and Governments have demanded two seats as permanent members and five further seats as non-permanent members on the UN Security Council.

“It is time to correct the longstanding injustice that the current structure and composition of the UN security council represents for the nations of Africa,” President Akufo-Addo concluded.

The UN Security Council

The Security Council is composed of 15 Members comprising five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members.

The permanent members are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

The 10 non-permanent members are elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly, of which Africa currently has three countries; Egypt, Ethiopia, and Senegal.

Ghana has served on the Security Council as a non-permanent member three times, with the most recent term ending in 2007.

Source: Citifmonline