African Integrity Magazine – The New Partnership for World Peace

The New Partnership for World Peace

Jan 16, 2017 Samuel Cover Story 0

In the quest for a stable world, the year 2016 is significant in three ways: first is the emergence of a new United Nations Secretary-General scheduled to resume office on January 1, 2017; secondly, is the change in the leadership in the United Kingdom: the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameroon and the emergence of Teresa May from the Parliament as the new Prime Minister of Britain. Thirdly, is the most surprising Presidential election in America where the Republican Party flag bearer, Donald John Trump was declared the President-elect. In Africa, Ghana and the Gambia elected new Presidents in December and November 2016 respectively to join the league of new partnership for World Peace.

In Ghana, the opposition party leader Nana Akufo-Addo defeated the incumbent president John Mahama. Ghana’s presidential election result went the same way as that of Nigerian’s April 2015 Election.

It is pertinent that midway into 2016, a passionate letter titled WHO LEADS THE UNITED NATIONS? by President of the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly, Mr. Morgenslyketoff, was circulated to the 193 member-countries of the world body. The opening paragraph of the letter reads in part: “This year, the United Nations will choose its next Secretary-General. We need the best possible candidate for the job. It is often spoken of as the most impossible job in the world. And given the facts that the next United nations Secretary-General will take over on 1 January 2017, it is easy to see why: appalling conflicts and human suffering in parts of the Middle East, Africa and Europe; violent extremism that is threatening us all; continued discrimination against women and girls; a worrying rise in xenophobia; over 800 million people struggling to escape extreme poverty; close to 60 million displaced around the world; a unique window-of-opportunity to address Climate Change and the Sustainable Development Goals before it is too late; and an organization that needs to adapt the challenges and new Goals the world is facing. In its 70 year history, the UN, for all its flaws, has demonstrated that it can rise to such challenges. But to do so today, it must secure the best possible candidate through this year’s process of selection and appointment of the next Secretary-General.”

The New United Nations Secretary-General LAILA DE LIMA of the Philippines, who succeeds Ban Kim Moon on January 1, 2017 will be saddled with the aforementioned challenges coupled with daunting tasks before the 36 United Nations System. Most worrisome is the task before the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the African Continent. According to UN Representative for Refugees in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mrs. Angel Atangana, there are 2 million Internally Displaced persons IDPs to be sheltered and are on the brink of starvation following the Boko Haram insurgency. And in Kenya that harbours the world’s largest refugee camp, the government had just extended by 6 months its earlier decision to close the Dadaab Camp last November. This camp that is home to more than 300,000 Somalis was setup in 1991.

The change in the political leadership of the United States (8th November 2016) and Great Britain (23rd June 2016) is still clouded with political and economic uncertainty in Africa, the European Economic Community and the North Atlantic Treaty organization NATO.

As Donald Trump takes-over the White House on January 20, 2017 and goes ahead with the implementation of his 9-point electoral promises, it will no doubt amount to a setback towards world peace.

Trump during his election campaign across the United States had consciously made far-reaching 9 electoral promises:

– Will build a wall to separate the U.S from Mexico and make the latter to pay for the cost of the wall;
– Will build a wall to separate the U.S from Mexico and make the latter to pay for the cost of the wall;
– Will transfer the Israeli’s capital from TelAviv to Jerusalem;
– Will defeat ISIS;
– Will repatriate all undocumented immigrants;
– Will stop all Moslems from entering the United States;
– Will resile from the multilateral Climate Change (Paris) Agreement;
– Will contact out of the NATO confraternity;
– Will stop carriage on U.S street and
– Will appoint a Special Prosecutor to prosecute, and put, Hilary Clinton (his main contestant in the U.S Presidential election) in jail…

Political analysts believe that Donald Trump’s popularity or unpopularity during his first four years in office; or remains President after November 2020 Presidential election, will depend largely, on the extent to which he fulfils, and the manner in which he executes his electoral promises.

Donald Trump, the 46th President of the US. From January 20, 2017, rode to power of the banner of the Republican Party. He is more of a business mogul than a professional politician. He has also made history as the oldest American (age 70) to be elected President of the United States, though his victory triggered-off unprecedented protests in several major cities across the U.S

The historic referendum in the United Kingdom (22nd June 2016) in which the Citizens voted in favour of Britain’s withdrawal of her membership of European Union, EU, brought about a sudden change in the political leadership of Her Majesty’s government.

The then Prime Minister David Cameroon was championing the British continued membership of EU but democracy (majority rule) had its way.

David Cameroon n 12th September, 2016 resigned paving the way for Teresa May to emerge from the Parliament as the New Prime Minister. She is a strong advocate of Britain pulling out from the European Economic Community with 28 member states. She has vowed to lead UK in the process that will last two years, even as Scotland and Ireland are clamoring to remain in the EU.

David Cameroon became the leader of the ruling conservative Party in the British Parliament in 2005 and elected Prime minister in 2010.

Of all the emerging world leaders in the outgoing year 2016, it is obvious that Donald trump of the United States and Teresa May of Britain will be the focus on engineering the road to a new world economic and social order as well as embracing democracy as the most viable mode of governance for human development.

That the American President-elect has rescinded his decision to probe Hilary Clinton three weeks after his election victory is commendable. Donald trump in an interview with New York Times stated that he would not push for further investigations into the Clinton Foundation or into Hilary Clinton’s use of private e-mail server while she was U.S Secretary of State. The expectation is that the promise will be fulfilled. The world is watching.

Democracy is on Course in Africa as the Gambia becomes the second country after Nigeria where incumbent President lost power to the opposition. President Jammeh was recently defeated in a Presidential election by Adama Barrow who becomes the President-elect of the West African State of the Gambia.