Liberian FM STUNS the World - BLASTS western Hegemony LIVE at UN

Added: 2026-05-30

[00:00:00]Mr. President, the question of security council reform remains urgent.

[00:00:05]Effectiveness cannot be sustained without legitimacy and legitimacy cannot endure without representation. When the charter was adopted, much of Africa was not represented.

[00:00:17]Today, the continent is central to the council's agenda, yet remains underrepresented in its permanent membership. The common Africa position, as articulated in the Ezini consensus, is clear. Africa seeks no fewer than two permanent seats with full prerogatives, including the veto, alongside additional non-permanent seats. This is not a demand for privilege, but a call for equity rooted in the principle of sovereign equality, something the UN Secretary General continues to iterate.

[00:00:47]Member states seeking a permanent seat should not be coupled with the rights of Africa. The situation of injustice to Africa needs to be dealt with separately. Reform is also about conduct. The use of the veto carries moral consequences. When exercising situations involving mass suffering, it raises fundamental questions about the balance between power and responsibility.

[00:01:11]>> Yes, here we have watched a lot of speeches at the United Nations. But this week have a privilege to watch another powerful and fantastic speech from Liberia's foreign minister Salahanti stand before the UN Security Council um and had to stop what I was doing uh because this woman said things in that room that most diplomatic leaders have been afraid to say for hated years. Uh and today we are going to go through every single word. Join me in this video where we are going to witness these powerful women from Liberia.

[00:01:59]>> Mr. President, Mr. Secretary General, excellencies, Liberia congratulates the People's Republic of China for convening this timely debate and commends his excellency Wangi for presiding. We also thank the secretary general for his important briefing and the key critical points outlined today. Liberia is one of only four original African signitories to the UN charter. We understand what it cost the world to build this institution and we approach this debate as a founding member for whom the charter is not symbolic. It is a covenant to be upheld and preserved with essential reasoning. No nation, however powerful, has the right to unilaterally render the world unsafe.

[00:02:45]Today, that covenant is under strain. A divided security council is deepening global uncertainty.

[00:02:51]Crises from Gaza to Ukraine have exposed persistent divisions, including vetos that have hindered necessary interventions across Africa, from Sudan to the Sahel to the Great Lakes.

[00:03:03]conflicts continue to worsen and drive displacement.

[00:03:07]What this council increasingly lacks is not rules or principles, but the political will to apply them consistently and impartially. As speakers before me have mentioned, Liberia knows the value of a united and decisive council. When our state collapsed, United Nations peacekeeping created the space for peace, for dialogue, reconciliation, and the rebuilding of our institutions. Our experience shapes how we understand article one of the charter. The maintenance of international peace and security is not only an aspiration for some, but it is an obligation for all.

[00:03:45]Allow me to offer three reflections.

[00:03:48]First, the charter is not only a legal instrument, it is a moral architecture.

[00:03:54]Selective multilateralism where rules are invoked when convenient and bypassed when inconvenient undermines the credibility of the entire system. The normalization of inconsistency itself is a dangerous precedent.

[00:04:09]Second, the charter's promise of peace is inseparable from justice. Insecurity emerges from poverty, inequality, exclusion, and the mismanagement of our natural resources. The charter's provisions on development and human rights are not peripheral. They are foundational. The future authority of this organization will depend on whether it can bridge the divide between security and development. Third, the charter assumes good faith. Without a minimum threshold of trust, even the most carefully crafted rules lose their force. The charter challenges us not only to comply but to believe in the possibility of cooperation even amid disagreement. Mr. President, therefore, Liberia makes the following calls.

[00:04:55]First, honor the charter's provisions.

[00:04:59]Article 273 requires that a party to the dispute abstain from voting on related council decisions.

[00:05:07]While while we thank the the UN Secretary General Anton Gutz for leading us to the 2024 pact for the future, let's be reminded what the pact for the future means. It reinforces this obligation. We urge all members to implement it fully and without selectivity.

[00:05:25]Second, strengthen veto accountability.

[00:05:28]General Assembly Resolution 76262, which mandates a debate following any veto, must be treated as a serious accountability mechanism rather than a procedural formality.

[00:05:40]Third, invest in African-led peace architectures. The African Union silencing the guns initiative, Echoasled interventions have all demonstrated effectiveness and legitimacy.

[00:05:55]Coming in here today, we met Abdul Salam, a Nigerian in the UN DSS in the security force here at the UN. He took a bullet in Liberia when he was the first group on the ground as ECOM, the Echoas intervention in Liberia. These mechanisms, however, require predictable, sustainable financing, not episodic attention. Fourth, and perhaps most fundamentally, we must address the conditions under which the secretary general can exercise genuine independence.

[00:06:29]The charter tax the secretary general with acting in the interest of the organization above all else. That is a custodial role with direct bearing on this institution's capacity to maintain peace and security and uphold the purposes that member states and the peoples they represent committed to in 1945.

[00:06:47]Yet that custodial role is compromised when structural incentives pull in a different direction. A secretary general seeking reappoint has every reason to avoid the decisions that genuine reform demands. Because real reform unsettles entrenched interests and asks powerful actors to accept discomfort for the sake of institutional health, the possibility of a second term is in practice a quiet constraint on the courage the moment requires. We therefore pose this openly.

[00:07:19]Should the next secretary general not consider making the ultimate institutional sacrifice, committing fully to reform in a first term, even at the cost of a second? Should this council not think beyond established practice and delve into unchartered territories regarding options for UN reforms? There is no precedent for what this organization now faces. The only comparable moment is the one that gave birth to United Nations itself. When the world look at the wreckage of the League of Nations that lacked the will to reform from within, it was replaced with what we have today. We cannot afford that conclusion again. We must fix the institution we have with the urgency the task deserves. Mr. President, the question of security council reform remains urgent. Effectiveness cannot be sustained without legitimacy and legitimacy cannot endure without representation. When the charter was adopted, much of Africa was not represented.

[00:08:19]Today, the continent is central to the council's agenda, yet remains underrepresented in its permanent membership. The common Africa position, as articulated in the Esawini consensus, is clear. Africa seeks no fewer than two permanent seats with full prerogatives, including the veto, alongside additional non-permanent seats. This is not a demand for privilege but a call for equity rooted in the principle of sovereign equality. Something the UN secretary general continues to iterate.

[00:08:49]Member states seeking a permanent seat should not be coupled with the rights of Africa. The situation of injustice to Africa needs to be dealt with separately. Reform is also about conduct. The use of the veto carries moral consequences. When exercising situations involving mass suffering, erases fundamental questions about the balance between power and responsibility. The relationship between the council and regional bodies should be one of partnership, not delegation.

[00:09:18]Mr. President, the UN is at crossroads.

[00:09:21]The secretary general's term ends later this year. He's given us a pack for the future. He's given of giving us many ideas about what needs to be done. Now the choice of a new leader cannot be separated from the question of what we are asking them to lead. A machinery that cannot deliver on the promise of peace, security and human dignity does not uphold the charter but betrays the peoples in whose name it was written. We the peoples. The words with which the charter opens is not cliche. Those words represent the mother in Sudan who has fled from her home three times. It represents a child in Gaza who has known no day of life without fear. It represents a civilian in Ukraine who has to endure another winter of war. They are the community in the Sahel who looks at the institution for protection. When the debate when we debate the purposes and the principles of this charter, we are debating the conditions of human lives. Is it not time for us to pause and reset to avoid a similar fate of the League of Nations? Are we prepared to give the next Secretary General the freedom in the new thinking that new times and new realities demand? This would not be weakness but rather strength in giving we the peoples what we deserve. A more representative, a more responsive and accountable United Nations is within reach if we collectively summon the will to achieve it. Let us reaffirm not only the words of the charter but the values that give those words meaning. In doing so will not only preserve the legacy of those who founded this organization, will answer to those who are in the most need of this organization.

[00:10:57]If it's not done now, then when? And if it's not done by us, then by who? I thank you, Mr. President. Mr. Secretary General, excellencies, Liberia congratulates the People's Republic of China for convening this timely debate and commends his excell.

[00:11:15]>> Welcome back to Make Africa Great. If you're new here, this is a channel where we tell Africa's story the way it deserve to be told with honest with pride and without any apology. Um, in this video I'm going to do something little different. I'm going uh to share my full unfeitted commentary on the speech Saland the foreign minister of Liberia delivered at the UN security council this week. Uh I'm going to go through uh two key areas. Uh area number one is the issue of permanent seat at the UN security council. Why Africa we need a permanent seat at the UN security council? Why we deserve it? Do we need to beg for that? Do we need to ask them to give us? Will they give us? And also another area is the issue of silencing the guns in the continent of Africa. As you know, um Africa is breeding in some parts of our continent. Africa is breeding in Sudan. Africa is breeding in Congo. Africa is breeding in Somalia. In uh some part in South Sudan. So Africa is breeding. So in some areas and the war in Congo will affect all of us. War in Sahel is affecting all of us. So we need also to share our views and uh to find solutions for what is going on in the continent of Africa in terms of silencing of the guns. Starting with the area of um permanent seat at the UN security council. uh she has said as you heard in front of United States of America as a permanent member, in front of Latashia, in front of um China, in front of United Kingdom, in front of France, all these are five permanent member at the UN Security Council with vit.

[00:13:20]the foreign minister of of Liberia without fear of anyone she has told them that a permanent seat is not a gift is not a gift for Africa it must Africa deserve to have a permanent seat at the UN security council because if you look our population 1.4 4 billion if not five we are not represented there someone who would decide for us that's why she has dropped this statement that a permanent seat is not a gift a permanent seat for Africa is not a gift it is about equity the current structure is not equitable when non-permanent members who represents a significant portion of the world's population do not have an equal voice So family have been saying this many time that you know the the west and these powerful nations they're not interesting with Africa and all these things that we are talking about they don't care because they know we we don't have energy we don't have power to force them to give us permanent seat at the security council so what can we do as Africans you know when sometimes we need to take decisive actions people saying this is not diplomatic but diplomatic will not give us the results that we want. Uh if it was me or a leader of Africa have to convene a meeting calling African leaders and saying that we not attend any UN General Assembly until Africa is being included into this uh United Nations Security Council.

[00:15:07]And what also we need to understand we need to be powerful.

[00:15:12]No one will care a weak person if you are weak they don't care about you.

[00:15:18]Whether you provide natural resources for their industrial revolutions if you wherever you provide cheap labors they don't care. They need someone who is power. And I've been saying this many times that we Africans if we want is it's true we want a permanent seat at the UN security council. We don't need two or five or whatever. We need only one a one permanent city for African continent for a united Africa. Not just a continent for a united Africa. You know when we talk about Africa continent you include all of us but we are not speaking with one voice. We are not speaking as one. We are divided. So we need to find a mechanism where we can come together unite. Even subsaharan region if this subsaharan region can come together and unite form a single country a united Africa Africa can be respected we don't need to go there and beg we can share our speeches we can speak even very eloquent but they don't care about what we are saying and to to prove what I'm saying go and do your own searches when African leaders are speaking at the UN general assembly the loom looks empty and of of course always rooms are empty but when the US president is talking or is delivered speech you see the room is full when French is speaking the room is full but when African leaders are speaking no one listen no one care they just like speaking them for themsel so for Africa to be respected For Africa to restore its dignity, we need to have a united Africa. And I don't know why we fear a united Africa. So despite she has spoken very well, she has delivered this fantastic speech calling for the reform of the UN Security Council. But remember, it's almost 80 years since this organization were there. But what happened?

[00:17:36]Are they accepted to give permanent seats to Africa? And they will accept.

[00:17:41]Of course, I know they will accept. Time will come they will accept. But they will not give us veto power. They will not give us veto power. And that's why we are saying we need Africans, African leaders to unite this continent and say from now onward what we will not attend this useless meeting if we don't be included in the on the table. You know how can you go to the UN security council spending money taxpayer money resources then you speak for nothing. No one care about you.

[00:18:14]No one care about you. When the world sit down to to decide you're not there, what does that mean? That's why we saying we are too much diplomatic, we are too much soft. We need to move out of that softness. We need to be like other country that are so strong. So um on the issue of UN security council department, please if you have something to share with us, please do so. You may had something that you think and you thought uh can maybe change things. Let us now move on the issue of peace uh and issue of the silence of the guns.

[00:18:53]Silencing the gun matter but peace does not come from silence of the guns alone.

[00:18:59]It comes from choices. Choices made early deliberately and sustained sustained over time. This is the light here. This is a light. This is a line that stopped me of course completely when I I first held uh the speech and heard this statement because this line is not diplomatic language. This is test testimony. This is this is lived experience speaking. Uh you know we have been saying this many times that um conflict and wars in Africa is much billion industry. People are making money and we must understand the effect of all these things. Look, let us go deep on this matter. If there's a war or conflict, first of all, we must understand we we are going to create fools. Our children will not go to school. If we they don't go to school, it means 10 to 5 years to 20 years, we don't have professionals. We don't have doctor, we not have doctors, we don't have engineers. You see all areas we have fools, we have ignorant people. So at the end of the day we'll find a country has no specialist. They have no professionals and what what next? These people who have created conflict. They will come back and say you have destroyed your country but we have engineers, you have resources, you have minerals. So can we sit down and sign agreements contract that we are going to build your bridges your way your loads but we are going to have a portion in your minerals that's what they going to do so these wars it's not about maybe fighting it's about strategy how they will control us the same to medicine they know that they selling medicine to us we are busy fighting each other they will sell medicine to us they will sell medical equipment drugs to us because at that time where we supposed to train our people to train our children to be professional in drugs and medicine the time was not there. We are busy fighting each other. So we don't have we don't have professional in medicine in uh doctors and we will import medicine and drugs from them those who who created this conflict. So they're going to control our health. Apart from that they're going to control our minds because they will they will become superior on us because they say they are educated they are civilized we we are not civilized we are busy fighting each other so that's how they make money remember that our mothers our fathers our people we not go to farm what we are going to do we going to create anger if we we face anger we are going to to beg for food. If you beg to someone, someone can decide yes, you want food and you you need food to survive. So, we give you food, but you have to offer this. You see, this is about control.

[00:22:11]And that's why I'm saying war and conflict in Africa is multi-billion industry. And this topic need maybe more than five hours to discuss about this issue because family brothers and sisters war and conflict has made western powers rich.

[00:22:31]Look Bill Gates is so rich.

[00:22:34]He's so rich.

[00:22:36]Do you know why he's a for he own pharmaceutical industries we while we are fighting each other bigot is making money because fighting people will be wounded and people will be injured so we need drug to treat our wound and other things who will supply those medicine or those drugs it's them the same they are selling weapons to us to fight each other that's why we are saying we need to silence the guns. African leaders, they have to sit down and see how they can silence the guns because these politicians are those who are fighting and they use young people to fight the their their battles have been saying this many times. Young Africans, young people, I will not blame them because that's how they were treated and that's how they were treated.

[00:23:32]Africans, young men and women are being fighting the battle or the war of old men. When holdmen starting fight each other, they use Africans. They use Africans to fight their wars. So we young people, we need to stop fighting the war of old men and women.

[00:23:57]So African Union has responsibility, has duty to make sure that Africa is at peace. So family brothers and sisters those are my views my opinions on the issue of service in the gun. So you can see that if we continue fighting we will not grow food we will not get engineers we not get jobs. So at the end of the day the war will not end to become an endless war and the war will spread across the entire continent of Africa because these people don't they don't have job they don't have work to do.

[00:24:27]What they will do they will move to another country and they will go there and steal and start fighting another community. That's what will happen. So this is a plan to make sure that Africa is under control.

[00:24:43]This is a plan to make sure that Africa is under control.

[00:24:47]So conflict, wars, these things are multi-billion industry for the western powers. So we need to be careful. We need to understand that we Africans, we need to silence the guns.

[00:25:03]So um let me let me not speak for too long. Let me end here. Um if you have something also to add, please add through the comment section. Share your views. Share share your thoughts. What do you see? And uh what have you heard from this uh brave woman from Liberia and what is the solution of all this?

[00:25:24]All the matter she led what is the solution? So share with us through the comment. If we're new, make sure that you join this big family of make Africa great by subscribing. And if you have already subscribed, make sure that you share the message, you share this video, you like the video, and um you tell fellow African that this is a place where we tell Africa's story the way it deserve without compromising, without apology. We are telling our own story with pride and honesty. So have a nice time. See you in next videos.

[00:26:02][music] [music] You make everybody.

[00:26:14]Thank you my free God.