Ethiopia's UNSC Bid Gaining Momentum

By Fetsum Berhane  03-25-16

It was last year that the government of Ethiopia announced Ethiopia's bid for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the year 2017–18. After the African Union (AU) endorsed Ethiopia’s candidacy last January the bid is gaining momentum as Brazil, China and Italy announced their backing this month.

The Security Council is one of the six main organs of the United Nations, set up for the maintenance of international peace and security. The Council has fifteen members of which five (the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom) are permanent members with veto power and ten non-permanent members. The ten non-permanent members are elected for two year terms. The Security Council plays an authoritative role in global politics as it holds the power to impose sanctions and authorize interventions in response to threats to international peace and security.

What's the Goal?

Ethiopia has always been a strong advocate of the principles of collective security and multilateralism as can be witnessed in her strong participation in every regional, continental and global bodies.

According to Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom, Ethiopia's desire to be a member of the Security Council emanates from a strong and real belief that our solid record of continued contribution to the maintenance of international peace and security puts us in a well-placed position to shoulder the responsibility. Ethiopia also believes there are areas in which reform is needed to further invigorate the UN’s role in addressing current global challenges and is a main proponent of the establishment of a permanent seat for Africa in the United Nations Security Council.

No One deserves It Better

Ethiopia's participation in various peacekeeping missions:- Ethiopia is one of the only two African founding members of the United Nations after the end of World War II, the other being Liberia. It served as a non-permanent member of the Security Council twice, in 1967/1968 and 1989/1990. Ethiopia has shown consistent commitment to the UN as well as to the League of Nations, its predecessor, even though the commitment was not reciprocal. 

As the foreign minister stated at the launching of the bid, “Ethiopia has always responded to UN calls for collective action on international peace and security. Since the inception of the UN, Ethiopia has deployed over 80,000 military and police personnel to more than 10 peacekeeping missions worldwide.’ Ethiopia now provides the second largest number of troops to peacekeeping operations – a total of 8,326 personnel”

Indeed, Ethiopia has an extended list of works in promoting international peace and security. Since the 1950s Korean War in which Ethiopia joined a multinational UN peacekeeping force and continued its involvement in the UN peacekeeping operations in the 1960s in the war in Congo.

Ethiopia has also been involved in UN peace keeping in Rwanda and Burundi and is currently engaged in observing regional peace in several peacekeeping missions. These include the UN Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), UN Mission in Liberia (UNML), UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan(UNMISS), and UN Operations in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI) as well as the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) in which Ethiopia is providing all of the 4,400 troops deployed in Abyei. Ethiopia is at present the second largest contributor to UN peace keeping operations and the largest in Africa. Ethiopia is also a major contributor to the African Union Mission on Somalia (AMISOM) and is a leading participant and host to the East African Standby Force. This long list of activities showcases Ethiopia’s vision for the continent and the world that lie within the scope of the Security Council.

A marked presence in U.N. Agencies:- Ethiopia is one of the few third-world nations that has a discernible presence in various U.N. agencies and committees. Ethiopia is represented in all of the agencies of the U.N it is eligible to.

Embracing a Nuclear-free Africa resolution:- Ethiopia has contributed in creating an international push that is capable of dealing with disarmament and arms-smuggling through the African Union and the U.N. Ethiopia has adopted an African resolution for the creation of both a nuclear and weapons of mass destruction-free zone in the continent.

A continental leader in Climate Change negotiations:- Ethiopia has been a signatory of the Kyoto protocol and is served as a leader of African delegation in the UN Climate Change Conferences since the beginning. The country is one of the first in formulating a green economy national policy thereby showing its dedication in the global effort to tackle climate change. 

Is it achievable?

After Ethiopia’s announcement of its bid, both Kenya and the Seychelles abandoned their likely candidacy in favor of Ethiopia, making it the sole candidate to represent the fifty-four member state African continent. Ethiopia’s bid was recently endorsed by the African Union’s 28th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council and the Assembly of the African Union followed in endorsing Ethiopia’s candidacy for the election to be held in UN headquarters in June.

 

On the diplomatic level, Ethiopia has employed its capacity in securing the bid for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council. Meetings have been held with ambassadors from various regional states from different parts of the world. One of the support that is expected to enable Ethiopia attain success in its bid is the overwhelming African support over Ethiopia's representation of Africa during the past decade and also the current African endorsement of this particular bid.

What's in it for Ethiopia?

The Ethiopian bid for the seat is a strategic aim to affirm Ethiopia’s status on the world stage, and also an attempt to cement its current status as a regional power player that supports peace and stability. A UNSC seat provides the elected states with the opportunity for African countries to have a say in shaping global agendas and to respond to global issues, to engage and negotiate with the major international powers on a regular basis, and raise their own international profile and standing.

If Ethiopia succeeds there would be a higher chance that it would get one of the new permanent seats to represent Africa on the Security Council, if the position were ever to be expanded, based on the calls for reform and more fair proportional representation for all the geographical regions in the Security Council.

Secondly: Ethiopia’s presence in the Security Council may bolster Ethiopia's efforts in instituting regional peace and integration in the countries of the East African region. This would go a long way in supporting Ethiopia's development and its economic rise.