TUNIS: According to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Japan would utilise its position on the UN Security Council to lobby for an African seat on the top international body.
At the Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Tunis, Kishida stated, “Japan reiterates its intention to address the historical wrong against Africa of not being represented by a permanent membership on the Security Council.”
According to him, in need for the UN to function well for stability and peace, the Security Council needs to be strengthened urgently.
He noted that the UN is facing “a moment of truth.” In June, five nations were chosen to fill the two non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council for 2023 and 2024, including Japan.After testing positive for Covid-19 a few days earlier, Kishida spoke via live video from Tokyo and reaffirmed his Saturday announcement to invest $30 billion in Africa over the following three years.
Additionally, he declared that Japan would send a special envoy to the Horn of Africa, where a protracted drought has forced the UN weather agency to issue a warning this week about a “historic humanitarian calamity.”
Kishida announced that Japan would invest $8.3 million in the difficult Liptako-Gourma tri-borders region between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, which is rich in gold but has recently been devastated by jihadist attacks.
According to him, the assistance will work to “create excellent relations between people and local authorities” and will enable the region’s five million citizens receive better administrative services.
In addition to expressing support for “fair and transparent” elections across the continent, the Japanese prime pledged assistance for the training of police officers.The United States, Russia, China, France, and Britain are the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, which has 15 members total. Five of the other 10 positions—totaling 10—are filled by foreign nations for two-year terms.
