UN Security Council campaign wooing Africa Promises to help increase the continent's representation met with applause. By Laura Payton Published January 6, 2010

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African diplomats in Ottawa are reacting positively to a Canadian commitment to seek better representation for the continent at the UN Security Council. But UN experts question whether Canada will follow through.

In his speech at the UN General Assembly opening session last fall, and again in a presentation to diplomats posted in Canada a few weeks later, Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon told African diplomats that the government wants to see more of their countries on the UN Security Council, the world body's most powerful body.

"Should Canada be offered an opportunity to contribute to the Security Council, I will ensure that my government demonstrates strong and constructive leadership," Mr. Cannon told ambassadors to Canada in a speech at a diplomatic event in Whistler, BC in early October.

"Canada has long supported efforts to make the Security Council more responsive to today's security challenges, and more representative of the world's regions, particularly Africa, which has been historically under-represented."

Mr. Cannon made the comments as he asked the diplomats to support Canada in its election campaign to win a two-year non-permanent seat on the council from January 2011 to December 2012.

The message is being well-received by some of the diplomats who heard it. African leaders have for years demanded change at the UN.

"We think that we can work with Canada on those agendas," said Peter Kallaghe, high commissioner of Tanzania to Canada. "[African countries] understand that Canada will be supportive of our broad interest in the UN, which is the reform of the UN, to get a greater focus on development.

"Tanzania thinks that with Canada we've got a base on which we could work together on this issue. That's why we're supporting Canada's candidacy. But Canada clearly needs to do more for Africa, there's no doubt about that," he said.

Last February, the government announced it was cutting the number of countries on which it would focus the brunt of its bilateral aid. Seven of 14 African countries were cut, many of them unaware of the decision until it was reported in the media. The move was condemned by development organizations, opposition critics and, most importantly, many of the African nations themselves.

Ever since, experts have warned that the cuts to Africa—combined with a concerted shift towards Latin America and the Caribbean—will have major ramifications for Canada's bid for a Security Council seat. Africa has 52 member states, more than a quarter of all UN votes. The proposal to press for expanding African representation on the council could be seen as a carrot to win some of those votes back.

James Paul, executive director of Global Policy Forum in New York City, said government officials make statements like Mr. Cannon's to encourage other nations to think of them as friends.

"I think we have to approach these kinds of statements with a little skepticism and recognize that vague general statements are not really where it's at," Mr. Paul said. "Words are cheap, I'm afraid to say."

But Lucien Bradet, president of the Canadian Council on Africa, says the government is stepping up efforts on Africa, with Mr. Cannon and his parliamentary secretary, Deepak Obhrai, travelling to the continent over the fall, and the government committing funding for the African Development Bank. However, he says the aid cuts hurt Canada's reputation.

"You are not going to sway African nations to vote for Canada without talking to them and without explaining some of the actions that the government took, like drastically cutting the number of focus countries.... This is something responsible people have to deal with and take the necessary measures to fix the issue, and it is an issue. There's no question about that."

Nigerian High Commissioner Iyorwuese Hagher said he has noticed a distinctive effort by the government to enhance relations with Africa over the past six months.

"It's beginning to look like Canada, now that the Conservative government is more confident, can afford to play the role that Canada needs to play in the world, and Africa is [part of that]," he said.

But the support for increased African representation at the UN doesn't make up for the aid shift away from Africa, he said. "Now that it's on the radar screen, I hope that Canada will become more positively engaged."

The ambassador of Egypt to Canada was less critical, saying his country appreciates the role Canada plays in Africa and around the world.

"Africa is under-represented in the Security Council, be it in the permanent seats category or in the elected seats category," said Shamel Elsayed Nasser. "Africa definitely deserves better representation on the Security Council and a more representative security council will have more moral clout and more legitimacy."

That raises an important point: Whether the government's proposal meets African expectations when it comes to UN Security Council reform.

South Africa High Commissioner Abraham Nkomo pointed to a 2005 African Union position statement that lays out the details of the continent's preferred UN reforms. The position calls for two permanent seats for Africa on the Security Council, including veto power, and five non-permanent seats. The AU is opposed to the veto power permanent members exercise, but wants it available to all permanent members if it continues to exist.

"In broad outline we would welcome such a gesture," Mr. Nkomo said of the Canadian commitment to help Africa be better represented on the council. "But of course what has not been spelled out are the specifics."

Canada is opposed to adding new permanent seats, Mr. Cannon's spokeswoman wrote in an email to Embassy, "as this would undermine the principles of accountability, equality, and democracy and would merely extend the privileges of a few countries to a few more."

"Instead, Canada supports an expansion of elected, non-permanent seats and would want any such expansion to make provision for Africa," wrote Natalie Sarafian.

"Increasing the number of elected seats would enable a larger number of UN member states, including African countries, to stand for election and serve on the Security Council."

Ms. Sarafian disagreed that the government has made Africa less of a priority. The government has followed through on a Liberal commitment to double aid to Africa.

"Canada's position on the representation at the UN Security Council has no impact on Canada's international aid focus. Our stances on UN reform, and notably UNSC reform, are based on our strong belief in the need to make the institution more representative of the world's regions, particularly Africa. Our international assistance strategies are based on needs and capacity to deliver aid effectively," she wrote.

"These are two distinct issues and our strong principled stances on each are widely respected."

lpayton@embassymag.com

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