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Tag: UN Security Council

  • DAVOS 2025: Nigeria pushes for UN Security Council seat

    DAVOS 2025: Nigeria pushes for UN Security Council seat

    Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has reiterated the country’s demand for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), emphasizing Nigeria’s suitability to represent Africa on the global stage.

    According to a statement by the minister’s media aide, Alkasim Abdulkadir, Tuggar made the remarks during a panel discussion titled “Africa’s Momentum” at the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Sweden, on January 21, 2025.

    The minister expressed concern over Africa’s exclusion from the Security Council, noting that approximately 60 percent of the council’s resolutions pertain to issues affecting the continent.

    “Yet, Africa has no permanent seat in the UN Security Council,” Tuggar lamented.

    He also criticized policies such as the Deforestation Law, which bans the purchase of produce from deforested African lands while overlooking the role of technology companies that manufacture machinery used for deforestation on the continent.

    “He further disclosed that Nigeria’s global outlook under President Bola Tinubu’s administration is premised on the accentuation of Nigeria’s strategic autonomy and nonalignment principle in its relations with the rest of the world.

    Read Also; ASUU gives N5.8m scholarships to 29 indigent OOU students

    “The discussion which featured other African leaders including the Foreign Ministers of Tunisia, Mohammed Ali Nafti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, and the Ugandan Minister of Finance, Matia Kasaija, was moderated by the Director of Chatham House, Bronwen Maddox. The conversation also highlighted the role of Africa in global governance and the implications of the first 2025 G20 Summit scheduled to be held in South Africa. 

    Minister Tuggar postulated, “The G20 summit in South Africa presents an opportunity for us to make a strong case, in the case of Nigeria becoming a G20 member and of course, South is a brotherly neighbour, we have strong ties.” 

    He also highlighted Nigeria’s significant role in not only supporting South Africa’s liberation from Apartheid but also in providing asylum to Thabo Mabaki during the years of South Africa’s struggle for liberation. 

    Enumerating Nigeria’s strength and qualifications and why it should lead Africa on the global stage, the Minister opined “It is important for a country like Nigeria to be a member of the G20 because we are used to making a case for Africa, we have got a lot of goodwill, we have got soft power.” He equally noted the historical contribution of Nigeria to the struggles for Africa’s liberation and fight against racist regimes in the continent.

    Tuggar also disclosed that as part of its soft powers, Nigeria through its Technical Aid Corp sends volunteer professionals including medical doctors, engineers, and university lecturers to other African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries to support their development. He further stated that Nigeria is a non-threatening power that is friendly with its neighbours and does not have land or boundary disputes, such issues come up, they are resolved in most cases with Nigeria conceding to its neighbours. 

    He enthused that Nigeria’s nonthreatening nature has earned the trust of its neighbours who support Nigeria to represent them globally. Minister Tuggar added that Nigeria is the only African country with a permanent seat in the African Union’s Peace and Security Council.

    Furthermore, Minister Tuggar, said that it is important for Nigeria to be at the table because the G20 was created to review global economic and financial issues such as the utilization of Special Drawing Rights to fund the energy transition in Africa. 

    He called for a return to the promises made by developed nations to developing countries during the Rio Summit with regards to the transfer of technology which he said has gone quiet and Nigeria using its big strong voice can bring to the fore as a member of the G20. 

    Responding to what Nigeria would do with the G20 seat, Tuggar submitted that Nigeria would advocate for the reconsideration of the Special Drawing Rights, and push for the consolidation of the global tax reforms which he said was championed by African countries at the United Nations with Nigeria leading the charge, to make the tax system fairer for the Global South countries. 

    On Nigeria’s expectation from South Africa at the G20 summit, the Minister opined that South African can make a strong case for fairness, for the process to be more representative, and to become more democratic. 

    He faulted the argument that because Africa is already represented by the African Union and South Africa therefore should not demand for more representation citing South America which representation does not attract the same reaction as Africa.

    “He emphasized that Africa should not be viewed as a single country but as a continent with 54 countries noting Nigeria’s over 220 million population with a potential to rise to 400 million by year 2050 and the third largest population in the world. 

    Tuggar said that Nigeria deserves to be represented and given its track record, the size of its economy, and many other factors. 

    He submitted that he expects South Africa to support Nigeria’s case and added that Nigeria is already being invited as an observer.  

  • Russia requests UN Security Council meeting on Syria

    Russia requests UN Security Council meeting on Syria

    The UN Security Council is to convene for an emergency session on Monday after Syrian rebels declared President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster and seized control of Damascus on Sunday.

    The meeting, requested by Russia, will take place behind closed doors, diplomatic sources told dpa.

    Syrians were facing a new political reality on Sunday after rebels took the capital Damascus, ending the two-decade regime of al-Assad, who was reported to have fled the country for Moscow.

    Read Also: Fleeing Syrian President, family granted asylum in Russia

    A rebel alliance led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a surprise offensive in north-western Syria in late November, then quickly seized territory from pro-Assad forces as they moved toward Damascus.

    (dpa/NAN)

  • Tramadol: Drug abuse in Nigeria now UN Security Council concern

    The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says Nigeria, and West and Central Africa face “disruptive and destabilising” new trends regarding drug trafficking, drug use and other crimes.

    The Executive Director of UNODC, Mr Yury Fedotov, said this while briefing the UN Security Council session, presided by Côte d’Ivoire.

    The briefing was the council’s first thematic meeting on ‘Drug Trafficking and its Threat to Stability, Peace and Security’, since December 2013.

    Fedotov said the UNODC’s 2018 World Drug Report shows that West and Central Africa, along with North African countries, accounted for 87 per cent of pharmaceutical opioids seized globally.

    The UNODC chief said: “This is largely due to rising use of tramadol, an opioid painkiller that is widely trafficked for non-medical use in the region.

    “Africa, along with Asia, also saw the largest rises in cocaine seizures, suggesting that cocaine trafficking and consumption have spread to these markets.

    “Through UNODC AIRCOP, which works in several African airports, we know that heroin seizures are on the rise across the region with Lagos, Accra and Cotonou airports high on the list, closely followed by Bamako, Lomé and Ouagadougou.

    “Methamphetamine seizures have now almost reached the same level as cocaine seizures, with Lagos and Cotonou being the main airports concerned.

    “Recently, an increased number of seizures of precursors such as Ephedrine and Phenacetine has been recorded at both airports, which may indicate the existence of new laboratories producing psychoactive substances.’’

    The head of UNODC noted increasing transiting of opiates through West Africa en route to European and North American markets.

    “UNODC is registering new alarming trends on drug trafficking in West and Central Africa with disruptive and destabilising effects on governance, security, economic growth and public health,” he said.

    Drug use is also rising across the region, “representing a serious threat to public health,” according to the UN crime fighting chief.

    Fedotov noted that the agency estimated that in 2016, there were more than 34 million cannabis users and 1.8 million cocaine users in West and Central Africa.

    Read also: UN Security Council condemns Boko Haram attacks

    Only one in 18 drug users with addiction issues have access to medical treatment, Fedotov regretted.

    At the same time, he said, the region is grappling with many other crime-related security threats, including arms trafficking, money laundering, human trafficking, cybercrime and maritime piracy as well as threats posed by terrorism.

    Fedotov noted that there were strong linkages between illicit trafficking and the financing of armed groups, a fact that the Security Council had recognised before, including in previous presidential statements.

    “In August 2018, the Security Council expressed serious concerns about continuing terrorist activities of Boko Haram and other groups in the Lake Chad Basin;

    “links between illicit trafficking in wildlife and natural resources and financing of armed groups; maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea and mercenary activities linked to transnational organised crime, including trafficking in persons, arms and drugs as well as the smuggling of migrants,” he said.

    He stressed the need for “urgent and determined international action to support and address the threat of drugs and help pave the way for a safer, healthier and more prosperous West and Central Africa”.

  • Nigeria demands reform of UN Security Council

    Nigeria demands reform of UN Security Council

    Nigeria has again expressed its dissatisfaction with the current composition of the United Nations Security Council, describing it as old-fashioned and called for an urgent reform of the body.

    The Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN, Prof. Tijjani Bande, said in New York that the current composition of the Council was undemocratic

    He said: “The Security Council is the UN’s most powerful principal organ with the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security as well as accepting new members to the UN.

    “It approves any changes to its UN Charter and is vested with powers for the establishment of peacekeeping operations and the establishment of international sanctions.

    “The Council has the authorisation for military action through Security Council resolutions and it is the only UN body with the authority to issue binding resolutions to member states.

    “First of all, the fundamental question is that in the current global reality, where everybody is talking democracy, UN must show example.

    “Clearly, it is an anachronistic notion to have a body composed of few countries that can veto the entirety of the global community through the Council is not representative.

    “It is an anomaly and I think that has been recognised but the politics of the reform not just of the UN in terms of the powers of the General Assembly and its functions.

    “In terms of the powers and limits of the powers of the Security Council and in terms of representation, this is the politics that is going on.”

    The Nigerian envoy declared that Nigeria and some countries, currently left out, “rightly” deserved a permanent seat on the Council considering the current realities.

    NAN

  • UN Security Council urges support for Joint Task Force

    UN Security Council urges support for Joint Task Force

    The UN Security Council has welcomed recent efforts by the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) to combat Boko Haram and called for support by UN member states for the team.

    The Security Council President for the month of July, Liu Jieyi, in a  statement, expressed the body’s concern over the threat of terrorism in the Lake Chad Basin.

    Liu  condemned all terrorist attacks in the West African sub-region, especially in Northern and Central Mali and the Lake Chad Basin by Islamic State in Iraq and Boko Haram respectively.

    He expressed concern over attacks on civilians, the primary victims of terrorist violence and urged a holistic approach to degrade and defeat the terrorists in compliance with international law.

    “The Security Council encourages member states and multilateral partners to lend their support to the MNJTF to ensure its full operationalisation.

    “This includes the provision of modalities to increase the timely and effective exchange of intelligence to further the region’s collective efforts to combat Boko Haram, whenever possible and appropriate,” Liu said.

    He expressed the commitment of the Council to work through the UN Office in West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) to strengthen cooperation in addressing cross-border security threats and curbing the spread of terrorism.

    “The Security Council notes the collaboration undertaken between UNOWAS and the Peace-building Commission and encourages continued close and effective cooperation in support of sustainable peace in the region,” Liu said.

    He said the Council noted the dire humanitarian situation caused by the terrorists’ activities in the Lake Chad Basin.

    He called on the international community to “immediately support the provision of urgent humanitarian assistance for the people most affected by the crisis in Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria”.

    Liu said support to provide urgent humanitarian assistance for Boko Haram victims included honouring the UN appeal for the Lake Chad Basin region.

    He urged regional governments to facilitate humanitarian access and to work with the UN in developing aid delivery options.

  • Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, three others elected to UN Security Council

    Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, three others elected to UN Security Council

    The 193-member United Nations General Assembly on Friday elected Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Kuwait, Peru and Poland to the UN Security Council for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2018.

    The Netherlands was elected for a one-year term after reaching a deal with Italy last year to split a two-year term.

    Voting between the pair was deadlocked last year so they agreed that Italy would serve on the council for 2017 and then step down to allow the Netherlands to be elected for 2018.

    While all the countries were running unopposed, they still needed more than two-thirds of the overall vote to win a seat.

    Ivory Coast received 189 votes, Equatorial Guinea got 185, Kuwait garnered 188, Peru won 186, Poland got 190, and the Netherlands secured 184 votes.

    The council is made up of 10 elected members, five voted on each year and five permanent veto-powers – the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia.

    The Council is the only UN body that can make legally binding decisions and has the power to impose sanctions and authorise the use of force.

    To ensure geographical representation on the Council, there are five seats apportioned for African and Asian states; one for Eastern European states; two for the Latin American and Caribbean states and two for Western European and other states.

    Regional groups generally agree upon the candidates to put forward and competitive races for seats are increasingly rare.

    Human rights activists, however, said this was a “serious problem.

    “Member states should be able to choose whether or not they trust a country like Equatorial Guinea with the maintenance of international peace and security,” said Human Rights Watch UN Director, Louis Charbonneau.

    “Equatorial Guinea is a country that has harassed human rights defenders and civil groups, often with arbitrary detentions,” he said.

    NAN

     

  • Iran denounces new U.S. sanctions on ballistic missile programme

    Iran denounces new U.S. sanctions on ballistic missile programme

    The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Thursday denounced the new series of sanctions imposed by the U.S. on its ballistic missile programme, calling them illegal and unacceptable.

    The ministry in a statement said Iran’s right to strengthen its military capabilities is not a violation of the country’s nuclear agreement with world powers.

    On Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury Department placed sanctions on Iran over concerns about its ballistic missile programme.

    The new sanctions designate seven entities, including two top Iranian defence officials and a China-based network supplying material to Iran’s missile programme.

    One of the Iranian defence officials was involved in explosives sales to Syria.

    Iran contends the sanctions are a breach of a deal it reached in July 2015 with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, which permits Iran to use nuclear power for civilian purposes in return for dropping sanctions.

    Iran is prohibited from undertaking any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering a nuclear weapon, under UN Security Council resolution 2231.

    The U.S. State Department said Wednesday that Trump’s administration is re-evaluating its relationship with Iran, including whether to remain in the nuclear deal, but is meanwhile taking action against Iran over human rights abuses, its missile programme and other areas of concern.

  • N. Korea missile programme progressing faster than expected, says South

    N. Korea missile programme progressing faster than expected, says South

    North Korea’s missile programme is progressing faster than expected, South Korea’s defence minister said on Tuesday, hours after the UN Security Council demanded the North halt all nuclear and ballistic missile tests and condemned Sunday’s test-launch.

    The North, which has defied all calls to rein in its weapons programmes, even from its lone major ally, China, has been working on a missile, mounted with a nuclear warhead, capable of striking the U.S. mainland.

    U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has called for an immediate halt to Pyongyang’s provocations and has warned that the “era of strategic patience” with North Korea is over. U.S.

    Disarmament Ambassador Robert Wood said on Tuesday China’s leverage was key and that it could do more.

    South Korean Defence Minister Han Min-koo told parliament Sunday’s test-launch was “successful in flight”.

    “It is considered an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM of enhanced caliber compared to Musudan missiles that have continually failed,” he said, referring to a class of missile designed to travel up to 3,000 to 4,000 km (1,860 to 2,485 miles).

    Asked if North Korea’s missile programme was developing faster than the South had expected, he said: “Yes.”

    The North’s KCNA news agency said Sunday’s launch tested its capability to carry a “large-size heavy nuclear warhead”.

    Its ambassador to China said in Beijing on Monday it would continue such test launches “any time, any place”.

    The missile flew 787 km (489 miles) on a trajectory reaching an altitude of 2,111.5 km (1,312 miles), KCNA said.

    Pyongyang has regularly threatened to destroy the U.S., which it accuses of pushing the Korean peninsula to the brink of nuclear war by conducting recent military drills with South Korea and Japan.

    Trump and new South Korean President Moon Jae-in will meet in Washington in June, with North Korea expected to be high on the agenda, the South’s presidential Blue House said.

    Moon met Matt Pottinger, overseeing Asian affairs at the U.S. National Security Council, on Tuesday and said he hoped to continue to have “sufficient, close discussions” between Seoul and Washington, the Blue House press secretary said at a briefing.

    In a unanimously agreed statement, the 15-member UN Security Council said it was of vital importance that North Korea show “sincere commitment to denuclearisation through concrete action and stressed the importance of working to reduce tensions”.

    “To that end, the Security Council demanded the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea conduct no further nuclear and ballistic missile tests,” the council said, adding that it was ready to impose further sanctions on the country.

    The statement also condemned an April 28 ballistic missile launch by Pyongyang.

    Following that launch, Washington began talks with China on possible new UN sanctions.

    Traditionally, the U.S. and China have negotiated new measures before involving remaining council members.

    The Security Council first imposed sanctions on North Korea in 2006 and has strengthened the measures in response to its five nuclear tests and two long-range rocket launches.

    Pyongyang is threatening a sixth nuclear test.

    Trump warned in an interview with Reuters this month that a “major, major conflict” with North Korea was possible.

    In a show of force, the United States sent an aircraft carrier strike group, led by the USS Carl Vinson, to waters off the Korean peninsula to conduct drills with South Korea and Japan.

     

  • UN Security Council adopts first Boko Haram resolution

    UN Security Council adopts first Boko Haram resolution

    The United Nations Security Council has unanimously adopted its first resolution addressing Boko Haram’s presence in the Lake Chad Basin.
    The resolution followed a report of its mission to the region earlier this month.
    In unanimously adopting the resolution 2349 (2017), at the weekend, the Council expressed concern about the protection of civilians affected by terrorism.
    The Council strongly condemned all terrorist attacks, violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses by Boko Haram and Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the region.
    The UN body also condemned killings, abductions, child, early and forced marriages, rape, sexual slavery and the increasing use of girls as suicide bombers by the Boko Haram terrorists.
    “Those responsible must be held to account and brought to justice,” the Council declared.
    The Council encouraged governments to enhance regional military cooperation, and to move “vigorously and decisively” to cut funding flows to individuals, groups, undertakings and entities on the ISIL and Al-Qaida Sanctions List, which includes Boko Haram.
    It urged Lake Chad Basin Governments to implement consistent policies to promote defections from Boko Haram and ISIL, to deradicalize and reintegrate those who had already defected and to ensure there was no impunity for those responsible for terrorist attacks.
    On the humanitarian front, the Council urged all parties to the conflict to ensure respect for and protection of humanitarian personnel, and to facilitate safe, timely and unhindered access for humanitarian organizations to deliver aid.
    In terms of follow-up, the Council encouraged the Secretary-General to carry out a joint visit to the Lake Chad Basin region with the Chairperson of the AU Commission, the President of the World Bank Group and the President of the African Development Bank.
    In the ensuing discussion, delegates welcomed the Council’s unity in passing the resolution on the heels of its mission to Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger from March 2 to 7, to better understand the conflict’s root causes.
    Several members urged the quick disbursement of funds pledged at the Oslo Humanitarian Conference on Nigeria and the Lake Chad Region held on Feb. 24.
    Cameroon’s ambassador to the UN Tommo Monthe, speaking on behalf of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, described the resolution as a “step change in mobilizing international support for countries to combat Boko Haram”.
    Nigeria’s representative, Anthony Bosah, welcomed the resolution’s call for enhanced regional military cooperation and coordination, emphasizing that Nigeria was resolute in its efforts to defeat terrorism.
    He said people of the Lake Chad Basin needed support, pointing out that shrinking of Lake Chad had exacerbated their hardship, with cross-border knock-on effects making it difficult for governments to meet people’s needs.
    The United Kingdom (UK) has expressed happiness at the unanimous adoption of the first resolution by the UN Security Council. The country’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Amb. Matthew Rycroft, said there has been a significant focus on the Boko Haram crisis in the Lake Chad Basin region during the UK’s Presidency of the Security Council.
    He said, “I am very proud to say that through our Presidency of the Security Council, we have put the focus on all four of those. We cannot get the figures to you, but I am confident that the international community is beginning to rise to the challenge of ensuring that we get the donations in early.”
    He said the refugee question was central to the visit to all four countries.

  • Boko Haram: There’s hope behind the gloom – UN Security Council

    Boko Haram: There’s hope behind the gloom – UN Security Council

    In spite of the gloom created by the seven years of Boko Haram insurgency, there is hope for the Lake Chad Basin region, the UN Security Council has said.

    The President of the Security Council for the month of March, Amb. Matthew Rycroft, made the remarks during a press briefing on the Council’s just-concluded mission to the region.

    Rycroft said the visit had afforded the 15-member body to appreciate the level of degradation caused by the Boko Haram terrorists in the region.

    “If I was talking to you about security in the Lake Chad Basin last Tuesday, I would have spoken about how 20,000 people have been killed and how 2.3 million are currently displaced.

    “What I couldn’t have told you was the stories, the lives behind these numbers; the human cost of the fragile security situation.

    “Last Friday, in Maroua, in northern Cameroon, I saw that cost in the eyes of a 15 year-old boy whose village was attacked by Boko Haram.

    “He hid for days. Most of his friends had already been killed. I saw that cost in the eyes of a woman crying with her baby in her arms.

    “I saw it in others who spoke of the murder of their husbands and sons, the kidnapping of their daughters, and the burning of their homes.

    “We heard from civil society how women were selling their bodies for sex just to eat.

    “All these people brought home the horrifying consequences of the chaos and insecurity wrought by Boko Haram,” he said.

    He said, however, that together, the Council’s 15 members brought some much needed focus to suffering that has been neglected for too long.

    “But amid the horror, we also heard of the bravery and commitment of the people of the region as they try to bring stability and security back to the Lake Chad Basin.

    “And in many ways it’s working; it’s undeniable that significant progress has been made in combating Boko Haram’s reign of terror. We heard chapters from a success story on its way to completion.

    “Stories from the Multi-National Joint Task Force of liberating 20,000 hostages and successfully winning back territory that will act as future homes for the people of the region,” he said.

    Rycroft explained that the Boko Haram threat is not over adding, security is not yet entrenched; it is fragile in too many places.

    “Force commanders and generals outlined continued attacks. Suicide bombings and IEDs are still far too common.

    “And Boko Haram’s tactics are getting more barbaric – mothers turned into suicide bombers with infants strapped to them in addition to their bombs.

    “Boko Haram members are down, but they’re not out yet. And make no mistake, their cruelty knows no bounds. It was clear that international support remains vital for this fight.”

    He called for the provision of psycho-social services for Boko Haram defectors to enable reintegration without stigmatization.

    Rycroft commended the bravery and resilience of the escaped Chibok schoolgirls and thousands of other women freed from Boko Haram savagery.

    “I met three inspirational young women from Chibok who were attending an International Women’s Day event at the UN.

    “Far from being victims, far from being survivors, they are now campaigners for education for women and girls in poverty.

    “Despite everything they had endured, despite being caught up in the hell unleashed by Boko Haram, they are determined to look to the future.

    “They showed what lies ahead. They showed a future possible when the fighting ends, when the guns fall silent, when security stops being a word and starts becoming a reality.

    “To achieve this reality, it’s clear that there can be no military solution: only a comprehensive approach will bring stability and peace.

    “And so let me reiterate that the UK will stand side by side with the region and affected people in this effort,” the UK Permanent Representative to the UN, said.