The United States has favoured the creation of two permanent United Nations Security Council seats for African states and one seat that would be rotated among small island developing states, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield will make the announcement on Thursday.
The action is being taken as the United States tries to strengthen its relationships with Pacific Island countries that are crucial to fending off Chinese influence in the area and mend fences with Africa, where a lot of people are upset over Washington’s backing of Israel’s assault in Gaza.
The declaration, which Thomas-Greenfield described as a part of US President Joe Biden’s legacy, is intended to “move this agenda forward in a way that we can achieve Security Council reform at some point in the future,” she told British news agency Reuters.
In addition to Washington’s long-standing support for India, Japan, and Germany to also receive permanent seats on the council, there is a drive for two permanent African members and a rotating seat for small island developing states.
Developing countries have long sought seats on the Security Council, the UN’s most powerful body, on a permanent basis. However, years of negotiations on change have yielded little results, and it is uncertain if American backing would spur action.
Thomas-Greenfield made it clear to Reuters prior to her statement at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York on Thursday that Washington opposes extending the veto power beyond the five nations that currently possess it.
The Security Council is tasked with upholding global peace and security and possesses the authority to levy fines, impose arms embargoes, and provide permission to deploy force.
There were eleven members of the Security Council at the UN’s founding in 1945. In 1965, the number of members rose to 15, consisting of five permanent veto-wielding nations (Russia, China, France, the United governments, and Britain) and ten elected governments serving two-year terms.
