Push for review of UN Security Council structure - Annoh-Dompreh tells African countries

African countries have been urged to unite and push for a review of the structure of the United Nations (UN) Security Council to allow other less powerful countries to be part of the council.

They have, therefore, been called upon to give full backing to that advocacy made by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at last year's UN General Assembly Council.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Nsawam-Adoagyiri and Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of Parliament, Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh, made the call while representing the Parliament of Ghana at the ongoing workshop on weapons of mass destruction in Tanzania.

Africa’s role downgraded

Mr Annoh-Dompreh said Africa's role could continue to be downgraded at the world stage, hence the need for the UN to go beyond the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and look at making other countries especially the less powerful also members.

He said the threat of weapons of mass destruction such as biological weapons was more evident than ever as terrorists kept threatening the world.
He, therefore, urged African and other countries to show more concern and help combat terrorism.

Reflect the realities of time

" The structure of the UN Security Council is outdated and does not reflect the realities of time. The Security Council should reflect the core principles of universality and democracy," he said.

The Director of Peace and Democracy of Parliamentarians for Global Action Group (PGA), Mr Peter Bacroft, noted that the threat of terrorists getting hold of weapons of mass destruction was worrying.

He, therefore, called on African countries to implement the various treaties against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.