A group of Ghanaian, South African, and Ukrainian civil society organisations (CSOs) at a day’s seminar in Accra, have called on the African Union (AU) to lead the way for safer nuclear energy development.

The CSOs advocated for better protection of children, especially during wars, and fewer opportunities for nuclear-armed states to threaten disarmed nations, through the reform of the United Nations Security Council.

The seminar was organised by the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), a regional civil society organisation in collaboration with the Institute of Justice and Reconciliation, the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, the Democratic Institute Foundation (DIF), and the Ukrainian Association of South Africa.

Dubbed: “The African Peace Mission and Ukraine Peace Formula: Strategic Engagements on Regional Security, Nuclear Safety, and Human Rights,” the seminar is being organised ahead of the African Union Mid-Year Coordination Meeting, which will be taking place from 18-21, July, in Accra.

The CSOs underscored the fact that nuclear energy was one of the decarbonised options for sustainable development on the African continent.

The experts called on the AU and African states to initiate UN reform to reduce the power of the veto-right.

This means empowering the United Nations General Assembly to overrule a veto with a 2/3 majority.

According to the experts, Ukraine’s experience showed that while the majority of countries condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine (over 141 states), Russia could block any UN action to defend Ukraine by using its veto at the UNSC.

They reiterated that changing the veto power distribution would help ensure global peace if any veto-holding country starts military aggression against another state.

The mechanism for a provisional review and amendment of the UN Charter is also built in Article 109, which enables a special “Charter Review Conference” to be convened by a two-thirds majority of the UN General Assembly and a single vote from the nine-member Security Council.

Such a vote cannot be vetoed by the permanent members and would be democratic, since Article 109 states that “each member of the United Nations shall have one vote”.

Professor Olexity Haran, Research Director at the Democratic Initiative Foundation, speaking to the Ghana News Agency, described Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as illegal and further called for an immediate end to the war.

He commended Ghana’s diplomatic support for Ukraine in the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine.

He called for more international solidarity with the people of Ukraine in support of the country’s self-defence against the Russian Federation’s aggression.

Professor Tim Murithi, Head of Peacebuilding Interventions Programme at the Institute of Justice, and Reconciliation, noted that in 2023, a group of four African heads of State led by President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa were in Kyiv and Saint Petersburg, as part of the African Peace Mission, aimed at a peaceful resolution of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

He said both President Vladimir Putin of Russia and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine agreed to continue to engage with the African Peace Mission, by which the African initiative was welcomed.

He noted that should be acknowledged as an important contribution to laying the foundation for peacemaking in this very challenging conflict that was affecting children, women, and many displaced communities in Ukraine.

“The African Peace Mission is an example of Africa’s Agency in global affairs, and we should as Africans celebrate this intervention and acknowledge that Africa also has something to contribute towards international relations,” Prof Murithi said.

Dr Festus Kofi Aubyn, Regional Coordinator, Research and Capacity Building, WANEP, in his welcome address, said the Russia-Ukraine war had brought devastations, loss of lives, displacement of civilians, violations of human rights and huge sufferings to civilians; stating that its impact on Africa, especially when it comes to food and energy security could not be easily underestimated.

He said the African Ukraine-Russia Peace Mission, led by South Africa represented African states' collective commitment to finding a diplomatic solution to the war; but more importantly, it was also a great milestone for the continent as it was the first time African states were intervening to resolve a conflict outside of the continent.

“However, the situation today is a stack reminder of the urgent need for a negotiated diplomatic solution to end the war through an innovative and a common strategic approach and political engagement,” Dr Aubyn said.