A coalition of Ghanaian, South African and Ukrainian civil society organisations is calling on the African Union (AU) and African countries to, among other things, introduce reforms at the United Nations (UN) that limit the power of the veto.

According to them, this means that the United Nations General Assembly will be given the power to override a veto with a two-thirds majority.

They argue that Ukraine’s experience has shown that more than 141 states, the majority of countries, have condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and that Russia can block any UN action to defend Ukraine by using its veto power in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

They explained that changing the distribution of veto power will help ensure world peace should a country with veto power launch military aggression against another country.

Speaking at the event at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra, the founder of the Ukraine-based think tank, the Democratic Initiatives Foundation, Professor Oleksiy Haran, said: “Although the UN system is aimed at maintaining international peace and security in the world, the number of conflicts has increased over the past decade.

He said this is partly due to the unequal distribution of power among countries, as the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) – China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States – have more power through their veto power on each United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting.

He added that the Russian veto blocked the United Nations Security Council action against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014. On February 24, 2022, Russia, while still holding the presidency of the UN Security Council, launched a full-scale war by invading the territory of another UN member.

Professor Haran said that “delays in implementing systematic UN reforms to circumvent the veto powers of UN Security Council members are likely to further deteriorate global security and humanitarian conditions”.

He added that the UN General Assembly should be given the right to override the veto of a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

According to Professor Tim Murithi, head of the Peacebuilding Interventions Programme, Africa has an important role to play in bringing about long-lasting peace in Ukraine.

He said: “There is a need for long-term peace in Ukraine and African countries have a crucial role to play in achieving that. That is what we should strive for.”

In his remarks, Regional Coordinator for Research and Capacity Building at the West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP-Regional) Dr Festus Kofi Aubyn said the situation in Ukraine is a stark reminder of the importance of negotiated diplomatic solutions to end the war.

The civil society coalition also wants the AU and African states to take immediate action to uphold international non-proliferation obligations and stop aggression by nuclear powers against denuclearized countries. They also want protection of peaceful nuclear power plants by adopting new binding international legislation prohibiting military attacks on nuclear facilities.

According to the group, children are the first victims of military conflicts. As of June 2024, Russia has unlawfully and forcibly deported 19,546 Ukrainian children. After 2022, Russia has adopted new legislation that will allow changing the citizenship, name, surname and date of birth of Ukrainian children without parental consent.

Ukrainian children have been sent to 57 regions in Russia, some of whom have already been adopted by Russian families. Despite support from UN agencies, the International Red Cross, religious leaders such as the Vatican and individual states such as Qatar, only 388 children have been returned in almost three years. There is a lack of effective mechanisms for their return.

The groups call on the Africa Peace Mission to continue to address the concerns and take action to implement them.

Russia militarily invaded Ukraine in 2014 and as the international community failed to respond to this aggression, the military invasion escalated into a full-fledged war in 2022.

The expert collaboration platforms were initiated by the Institute of Justice and Reconciliation, the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, the Democratic Institute Foundation (DIF) and the Ukrainian Association of South Africa (UAZA).

DISCLAIMER: The views, comments, opinions, contributions and statements made by readers and contributors on this platform do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of Multimedia Group Limited.