After the election of Nigerian diplomat, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, as President of the UN General Assembly at its upcoming 74th session, the African continent is poised to play a more prominent role in the multilateral organization. Ghana will also take UN´s permanent seat, according to the 2019 draw. Both the developments will substantially contribute in granting a prominent role to Africa in the UN and also bring to the forefront several pending issues that have been calling the attention of the UN Security Council for years. Africa so far has been underrepresented in the UN, with three non-permanent members, South Africa, Equatorial Guinea, and Cote d’Ivoire.
Apart from peace and security the newly-elected General Assembly President said he will focus on issues like climate change and Sustainable Development Goals, eradication of hunger and poverty, and a better education during his mandate effective in September.Muhammad-Bande also said that he is committed to working toward achieving progress and the consensus in the much delayed Security Council reform to reflect the changing global reality.
