Why UN must reform to maintain credibility

When heads of state and government meet at the UN in New York later this month, they will have an important question to answer: How to overhaul an organisation whose structures reflect the world of 1945 and not 2024. While SA was a founding member of the UN, it was then a deeply unjust nation of white minority rule. Andreas Peschke, the German Ambassador to SA, Lesotho and eSwatini questions why the composition of the UN Security Council looks as anachronistic as it does in today's world, with no permanent members from Africa. In a News24 analysis, he notes that it is the most important international organ when it comes to peace and security in the world. ‘It makes crucial decisions, deploys international missions and, in the case of apartheid South Africa, passes sanctions. The alternative is to reform or lose credibility and, ultimately, relevance. Can we afford the United Nations to lose relevance? No. It is the only truly representative global body. As one expert put it to me the other day: If there was no UN, we would urgently need to invent it. We need strong, trusted and effective UN. A continent with 53 UN member states. The continent with the fastest growing population. The continent with the highest rate of young people. Clearly, it is a continent of the future.’ Peschke points out that the UN should also support the AU's Agenda 2063 which guides the way towards a secure and prosperous continent, finally unleashing its full potential. The upcoming summit should also support the AU's Agenda 2063 which guides the way towards a secure and prosperous continent, finally unleashing its full potential. On behalf of the secretary-general of the UN, Namibia and Germany act as co-facilitators of preparing the summit's outcome document. In the heated geopolitical situation of today, this is no easy task. Still, we are aiming at a genuinely transformative "Pact for the Future" to strengthen the relevance and legitimacy of UN and other international institutions. This is key to restoring trust in the multilateral system that has eroded over the last few years.’