Africa’s Quest for Permanent Membership in the United Nations Security Council

Abstract

The United Nations was founded in 1945 on the initiative of the winners of World War II. The General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice, and Secretariat are the organs formed alongside the UN in the same year. It was founded by 51 countries, including Ethiopia, and member countries grew to 193 then after. Although the number of members of the General Assembly has grown from 51 to 193, the number of members of the SC has only increased in 1965, while permanent members have remained at five till now. Thus, numerous countries, including the African group, are attempting to reform the UNSC. This study, therefore, investigated Africa's quest for permanent membership in the UNSC. The study specifically analyzes the position of the five member of the United Nations Security Council in the quest for Africa's permanent membership, and explored the rational for Africa's Quest for Permanent Membership in the UNSC. The study followed a qualitative approach and employed primary data obtained through interview conducted with participants. The findings of the study indicate that the United States and United Kingdom are not supportive of Africa’s membership with veto power; whereas, France supports, while the position of Russia and China is not officially known.