Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul wants to choose one Reform of the UN Security Councilthe most powerful body in the United Nations. “The Security Council must reflect the world of the 21st century and not that of the immediate post-war period after 1945,” said the CDU politician to the dpa news agency. “That’s why we will work very hard to ensure that the global south in particular has a much stronger role there.”
In June, Germany is running for one of the non-permanent seats on the Security Council in 2027 and 2028. The council includes 15 of the 193 UN member states. The USARussia, Great Britain, France and China are permanent members and have veto rights over the body’s decisions. Some of the other 188 UN members rotate every two years in the remaining ten seats.
UN body often blocked by veto rights
Basically, Germany is one of the supporters of the system United Nations and will “not withdraw like others have done,” said Wadephul, presumably with an eye on the USA. The US administration of Donald Trump had reduced their financial contributions to the United Nations budget. Nevertheless, the federal government is of the opinion that the body needs a thorough reform, said Wadephul. In this way, some things can be slimmed down and simplified.
About a possible reform of the UN Security Council has been discussed for decades. It is not only the composition of the body, which reflects the global distribution of power after the Second World War in terms of veto powers, that is causing criticism, but also its functioning. The veto right of a few states ensures that the body often there is no quorum.
Merz called for permanent seats for African countries
With regard to the composition of the Security Council, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) had already called for two permanent seats for African states at the end of November on the sidelines of an EU-Africa summit in Angola. Europe and Africa together have more than 40 percent of all votes in the United Nations, said Merz. “Together we have great weight. But to achieve this, Africa must also be better represented internationally, in keeping with the weight of this continent.”
When asked what he wanted to do to ensure that Germany prevailed against its competitors Austria and Portugal in the election for a non-permanent seat, Wadephul answered evasively: “In football terms, I would say: We always have to be playable in every position for our international partners.”
The CDU politician made more concrete announcements regarding climate policy. For example, Wadephul spoke of the situation, in which there are small island states whose existence is threatened by rising sea levels. In view of climate change, he wanted “a climate foreign policy that addresses the particular existential challenges of these states,” said Wadephul. To this end, he wants to build global partnerships this year. “This will now include the Indo-Pacific, Africa and Latin America, following strong engagement in Europe and Asia.”
