File image of President William Ruto.
President William Ruto on Wednesday proposed that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) be expanded to have 12 permanent members.
Speaking at Peking University in Beijing, Ruto said the council should be represented by the five continental blocs.
He explained that since Europe already has 3 member states in the UNSC, America, Asia, and Africa/Middle East should also have three members.
“It is my view that the security architecture of the World as it is today should be representative of the five continental blocks, that is, the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Africa/Middle East, with equal representation for each of the regions,” said Ruto.
“Seeing as Europe already has three members – France, the UK, and Russia – it seems reasonable that the membership for each region be set at three, for a total of 12 permanent members.”
President Ruto also questioned the relevance of the UNSC’s current structure in addressing today’s peace and security challenges.
Ruto criticized some UNSC member states for taking sides in global conflicts instead of remaining neutral.
“The Security Council, once a beacon for peace and diplomacy, now has one permanent member invading one country, while another member takes sides in conflict in contradiction to the Council’s own resolutions. Yet today, the permanent members live in denial and resist reform, even as the Security Council becomes less and less legitimate and its relevance is being put to question,” Ruto said.
His remarks come amid growing global calls to reform the UN’s highest decision-making body on matters of peace and security.
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