A Black Seat at the High-Table: A Continent's Quest for Justice and Equality within the United Nations System

Abstract

This paper contends with the paradoxes in the realization of the principle of ‘equality of nations’ in a multilateral political system. Established primarily as a collective security framework to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war” (UN Charter, 1945), the United Nations is premised on the “principle of the sovereign equality of all its members” and the “equal rights…of nations large and small” (UN Charter, 1945). Nearly 80 years since the UN was formed, the entire African continent-the largest regional grouping in the organizationremains at the periphery of the UN’s most powerful organ. Yet, the Security Council engages directly and indirectly in the affairs of many African countries through peacekeeping missions and other political engagement. Anchored on a largely unchanged (but challenged) structure, the Security Council centers five permanent powers that were most relevant in the post-World War II era. The Council has been widely criticized by reform proponents for its lack of “equitable representation” as it does not reflect the current geopolitical landscape. Shaped by colonial legacies and nationalistic self-interests of a few elite states, the UN’s historical foundations and present institutional composition has been marred by exclusionary and exploitative politics. Focusing on the prevalent UN’s political, economic, and military influence in Africa, this paper examines how the inequalities in the permanent membership of the Security Council continues to shape international, regional, and domestic politics and conflicts in the continent and beyond. It concludes by arguing that the normative ideals of the UN can only be achieved by addressing this injustice through comprehensive reform.