Extraordinary And Plenipotentiary Diplomatist July 19 Edition . | Seite 44

AFRICA DIARY
AFRICA IN THE GLOBAL ORDER:
AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE
STATEMENT BY HIS EXCELLENCY MICHAEL OQUAYE, HIGH COMMISSIONER
OF GHANA TO INDIA, 29TH MAY, 2019
Compliments:
Permit me to begin by thanking the organizers of this
programme as part of the 2019 Africa Day celebrations in
India.
The topic Africa in the Global Order: African Perspective
is very broad for the time allocated. I will, therefore, try my
possible best to summarize, with the hope that we can go into
details during the discussion segment.
By way of defi nition –the Global order refers to global
issues among States within the international system,
including climate change, the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), Financing a better future, Eff ective Unites Nations,
overcoming inequalities and defending Human Rights,
Humanitarian Crises, Trade and Development.
The historical exclusion of a majority of the world,
including Africa in designing and upholding global order,
is very much on the continent’s radar screen. Historically,
Africa, as some other parts of the world has been excluded
from the design and construction of the global order. Given
its historical exclusion, exploitation and oppression, it is vital
in terms of global justice for Africa to assert its right to shape
the future global order.
Currently, the reality of negotiation processes in the United
Nations Security Council perpetuates and reproduces this
paternalistic exclusion of the African Continent. More than
60 percent of the issues on the UNSC agenda are focused
on Africa, paradoxically, the continent does not have any
representation among the Permanent 5. Given the fact that the
P5 can veto all manner of decisions before the Council, it is a
travesty of justice at its most basic level that African countries
can only participate in key deliberations and decision-making
processes as individual non-permanent members of the
Council. There is, therefore, the need to accelerate the global
democratic transformation to enable the societies in the so-
called developing regions of the world, including Africa to
benefi t from the global order.
44 • Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 7 • Issue 7 • July 2019, Noida