Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, has called on the United Nations (UN) to give Africa, especially Nigeria, a permanent seat in its security council.
Kalu made the call at the UN headquarters in New York City, United States of America, where he is representing Nigeria at the Heads of Parliaments Summit ahead of the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva, Switzerland, in July under the auspices of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
He stressed that the current multilateral approach was driven by the Global North, leaving the Global South to face significant developmental challenges.
According to reports, multilateralism refers to the practice of multiple countries working together to address common challenges, promote shared interests, and establish common standards.
Speaking on the ‘challenges faced by countries in the world and how Parliaments can help ameliorate them through multilateralism’, Kalu advocated increased representation of developing countries in decision-making rooms and tailoring conversations to address their unique challenges.
Using the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as an example, the Nigeria’s Deputy Speaker noted that while the goals aimed to address global issues, they may not align with the priorities of developing countries, which are still struggling to achieve industrialization and economic growth.
Kalu, who advanced Nigeria’s position on the issue, therefore, emphasised the need to expand the voices in the room to accommodate more of the Global South, ensuring that multilateral aspirations are truly global.
He said: “We need to define what we want to achieve with Multilateralism. The current dynamic of multilateralism is driven by the Global North while the Global South is facing pressing developmental issues.
“My people in Nigeria have a saying that you cannot shave a man’s head in his absence. If you want developing countries to embrace multilateralism, give them more seats in rooms where developmental conversations are held and tailored the conversation to embrace and address their challenges.
“Using the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as an example. We have 5 years to go to attain the SDGs. I agree that the SDG Goals were designed to address global issues but a critical appraisal will indicate that some of the issues the SDGs seek to address are not yet what developing countries wish to prioritize as they are yet to scale the hurdle of industrialisation and economic growth.”
Kalu added that the concept of multilateralism would remain theoretical as the principles of inclusivity and cooperation were excluded.