May 23, 2006
Thalif Deen, United Nations

The 53-member African Group at the United Nations -- the second largest regional coalition after the 54-member Asian Group -- is asserting its collective unity in a world body that is getting increasingly divided over politically-sensitive issues.

The Africans have so far refused to back down on their demand for veto powers for proposed new permanent members of the Security Council, and have also expressed their public support for an Asian as the next U.N. secretary-general when incumbent Kofi Annan of Ghana steps down in December this year.

The latest manifestation of their unity was at the recently-concluded elections for the new Human Rights Council, where African nations polled the largest number of votes in the 191-member General Assembly.

Unlike other regional groups, the Africans fielded only 13 candidates for the 13 seats they were entitled to, thereby ensuring that all 13 candidates were voted into office -- and with huge margins of victory over other non-African regional candidates.

The Asians, on the other hand, had 18 candidates for 13 seats; the East Europeans had 13 candidates for six seats; the Latin American and Caribbean states had 10 for eight seats; and the Western European Group had 9 candidates for seven seats. As a result, there were both winners and losers in the elections for the Human Rights Council. But as far as Africa was concerned, there were no losers.

Perhaps responding to strong Western criticism of their human rights records, several African nations, including Zimbabwe, and Sudan, diplomatically watched the elections from the sidelines and refused to toss their hats into the ring.

"It is absolutely time for African countries to play hardball. The world's richest countries take Africa for granted, and do not take the efforts at African unity particularly seriously," says Bill Fletcher Jr., a long-time labour and international activist and the former president of the Washington-based TransAfrica Forum.

"The display of unity at the United Nations recently is, perhaps, a wake-up call that serious steps at African unity are underway," Fletcher told IPS.

Africa's collective unity in keeping 13 candidates for 13 seats also helped them to get the largest number of votes in the elections to the Human Rights Council. The eight largest vote getters were all from Africa: Ghana (183 votes), Zambia (182), Senegal (181), South Africa 179, Mali, Mauritius and Morocco with 178 each and Gabon 175.

In overall voting, the only country to break Africa's winning streak was India (from the Asian Group) which polled 173 votes. But the Africans picked up after India, to gain the next five top spots: Djibouti (172), Cameroon and Tunisia (171 each), Nigeria (169) and Algeria (168).

In contrast, the top winners in the East European Group, namely Russia, received only 137 votes, Brazil (heading the Latin American Group) received 165 and Germany (leading the Western European Group) received only 154 votes.

"That African countries are exercising resolve and unity on important issues at the United Nations is encouraging and noteworthy," says Kwame Akonor, director of the African Development Institute.

"We must however be wary of assuming that these recent trends signal the existence of a common platform for Africa's collective diplomacy. The essential aim of any collective voting by African states ought to be the leveling of the playing field in its international relations with other actors and the acquisition of formal power," he told IPS.

On the expansion of the 15-member U.N. Security Council, the African Group has stood firm, demanding that new permanent members should have vetoes -- just like the existing five permanent members (P-5), namely the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia.

But virtually all five permanent members, who want to hold onto their privileged monopolistic positions, are unwilling to concede veto powers to proposed new members. This is diametrically opposed to the African stand.

While the Group of Four countries -- Japan, Germany, Brazil and India -- have agreed to relent to P-5 pressure and are willing to accept permanent seats without veto powers, the Africans have refused to cave in. Their collective response is: "Veto power or nothing."

This is one of many reasons why the proposed expansion of the Security Council has hit a dead-end. If the Group of Four introduces any resolution in the General Assembly agreeing to a no-veto permanent seat, the 53 African nations may vote against it.

In March, the African Group at the United Nations also formally expressed its collective support for an Asian as the next secretary-general of the world body. But the other three groups -- the Eastern Europeans, the Latin Americans and the West Europeans -- have refused to come out openly in favour of an Asian candidate.

Between the Asian and African Groups, an Asian candidate is assured of at least 107 votes, the combined membership of the two groups, in the General Assembly -- at least on paper.

In a letter to the Asian Group, Ambassador Joe Robert Pemagbi of Sierra Leone, chairman of the African Group, said his Group has decided "to support the request that the next U.N. secretary- general be selected from an Asian country".

The African Group's decision "is consistent with the longstanding principle of reciprocity and understanding which exist between the two groups", the letter said.

Fletcher said that despite its assertiveness, the "real unity" of African nations will be illustrated in how the African Union (AU) -- and its members -- handle internal and external crises.

The Darfur crisis, for instance, has been one where the AU has stepped up to the plate, though it needs significant external support, both at the level of military support as well as diplomatic support.

"But the stance of the AU toward non-African crises can be just as important," he added.

AU support for Palestinian self-determination in the face of the efforts by the United States and Israel to demonise the Palestinians would be an important symbolic and practical step, Fletcher argued.

He also said that AU calls for immediate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq would also be important in terms of further eroding the illegal occupation.

"In this sense, while the activities at the United Nations are important, there are other arenas where African unity needs to be displayed that could send shock waves internationally," Fletcher declared.

Akonor said that one way to maximise the power of Africa -- relative to other actors in the international system -- would be the creation of an African superstate with a common economic, security and foreign policy platform.

"Unfortunately, African leaders of today, with the exception of Libyan leader (Muammar el-) Gaddafi, eschew any genuine commitment and seriousness to this pan-Africanist ideal of a continental government," he added.