AMB. EMMANUEL  MWAMBA CALLS FOR UN REFORMS

AMB. MWAMBA CALLS FOR UN REFORMS

…Former Envoy has arrived in New York City to attend the 2025 U.N General Assembly High-Level Week..

New York City-23rd September, 2025

Zambia’s Former Permanent Representative to the African Union (AU), Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba has called on the United Nations to expedite reforms to make the organisation respond to current global challenges.

Speaking on the sidelines of the official opening of the United Nations General Assembly Heads of State and Government Summit, Mwamba said the UN should use the commemoration of its 80th Anniversary of its founding, to urgently reform the organisation.

He said the current structure of the United Nations, where the UN Security Council (UNSC) holds the veto power enjoyed by only five permanent members (P5): China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US excluding Africa and the entire global south.

Mwamba bemoaned that the UN had been rendered almost irrelevant as its role has been sidelined especially in recent conflict and humanitarian crisis in the Ukraine/Russia War, the Isreal/Palestine war and the never-ending conflicts and humanitarian crisis in Africa in the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and the Great Lakes region.

Mwamba said he stated that he was privileged to contribute on proposals to reform the United Nations when he served as Permanent Representative and Zambia held the position of Vice-Chairperson on the Committee of Ten (the C-10), a group of African Union member states dedicated to advocating for the Common African Position on the reform of the United Nations.

Mwamba also called on member states to support major UN reform initiative, known as “UN80,” which were recently launched in March 2025 by Secretary-General António Guterres to address the proposed reforms and streamlining both structural and internal changes.

He also called on the C10  to collaborate with diverse range of governmental, academic, and civil society organizations dedicated to advocating fm United Nations reforms  such as Uniting for Consensus (UfC)a group of nations, including Italy, Pakistan, Mexico, and South Korea, and Article 109 Coalition, a coalition of dozens of civil society organizations, academics, and former government and UN officials, gathered to fight for meaningful reforms.

He also urged member states to use the 80th Anniversary to enhance the policy and engagement concerning the family unit as the foundation of society.

He said there were threats to the family as a natural and fundamental group unit of society, and required that it be respected and was entitled to protection by both society and the State.

Amb. Mwamba is in New York City to attend the 2025 UN General Assembly High-Level Week, marking the UN’s 80th anniversary, taking place from September 22-29, 2025.