Nigeria Heads UN Security Council

Nigeria has assumed the month-long rotational Presidency of the 15-member UN Security Council, for July.

The Nigeria Envoy to the UN, Prof Joy Ogwu is expected to address the UN correspondents on Friday to outline the programme of work for the month.

However, in an interview with some Nigerian journalists covering the UN, Ogwu hinted that preventive diplomacy, peacekeeping operations, conflict prevention and civilians in armed conflicts, were some issues under consideration for the month.

“In a period where we are discussing the increasing cost of peacekeeping, we think the moment is ripe to talk about ways of preventing conflicts so that the pains and burdens of peacekeeping would be minimised,’’ she said.

Ogwu said there would be a high-level debate which might be attended by President Goodluck Jonathan or Foreign Minister Odein Ajumogobia, on July 16.

If Jonathan attends, he will chair the meeting, just as President Barack Obama did last September when the U.S. held the Council’s presidency.

Another highlight of the Nigerian month-long presidency will also be the historic visit of the Queen Elizabeth 11 of England in the second week of July to the UN, where she  is expected to address the UN and appeal for ‘world peace’.

Ogwu said she would savour that moment, recalling that some 54 years ago, she had met the Queen as a Girls Guild’s leader in Port Harcourt, South-South of Nigeria during her visit to the country.

“Fifty-four years later, I am meeting her as Nigeria’s Ambassador to the UN and President of the Security Council, isn’t God faithful,’’ she asked rhetorically.

The Tide learnt that the Queen is preparing to deliver one of the most important speeches of her 58-year reign when she arrives in New York next week after a nine-day visit to Canada.

Also commenting on Nigeria’s assumption of the Presidency, Mr Paul Lolo, a senior career diplomat at the Nigeria Mission and Minister (Security Council), said each presiding country had the responsibility for the Council for that month.

“You have the responsibility to decide but not necessarily determine the agenda of the council for that month.”

“You may as President, be able to convince the other members of the council of things that may not come on the agenda for any given reason and these are all contained in the provisional rule of the procedure of the Council,’’ he said.

Lolo explained that from Nigeria’s election in October 2009, “the then Former Minister of Foreign Affairs announced that preventive diplomacy would be a defining issue for Nigeria in the Council.’’

The Nigerian diplomat noted that peacekeeping had grown in complexity, size and costs.

“For instance, while peacekeeping costs the UN about $2 billion in the early 2000s, it now costs about $8.5 billion.

“How long will the world finance such operations?”, he asked.

Lolo said Nigeria’s membership and presidency of the council would also focus on how to foster regional stability in West Africa.

The Tide source  report that Nigeria was elected to a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council in October last year.

The country is serving a two-year term which began on Jan. 1, 2010.

Africa was allotted two seats that went to Nigeria and Gabon.

As a member of the Council, Nigeria participates in decisions, ranging from deploying UN peacekeepers to imposing sanctions.

The country previously served three terms, most recently in 1994-1995 and a former envoy, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari had presided over the Security Council twice.