Africa-Press – Botswana. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged Sunday to “remediate a historic injustice” that will push for the African continent to have a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
“To act effectively” and consolidate peace and security in Africa, it is “urgent to remedy the historic injustice” of the absence of a permanent seat for Africa at the UN, said Kishida, by videoconference, at the Japan-Africa Summit, which is being held in Tunis, Tunisia, since Saturday.
According to the Head of the Japanese Government, quoted by the AFP agency, his country aims to “create an environment in which the African people can live in peace and security so that the continent can develop”.
“Japan will strengthen its partnership with Africa” and next year, when it is on the Security Council, with a non-permanent seat (2023 and 2024), it will advocate for UN reform and a permanent seat for the African continent.
Kishida, who stayed in Tokyo due to Covid-19, pointed out that it will be “a moment of truth for the UN”. “For the UN to work effectively for peace and stability, it is urgent to strengthen the UN, through reform of the Security Council”, he stressed.
Currently, the Security Council is composed of 15 members, of which five are permanent (USA, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom), with the remaining seats occupied by other United Nations Member States in rotations of two years.
Kishida also thanked the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for their “mediation in conflict prevention” and said that cross-border problems on the continent must be addressed, such as the training of security forces, governance judicial and administrative and food insecurity.
At the opening of the meeting, on Saturday, the Japanese Prime Minister announced “investments of US$30 billion” over three years in Africa.
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