Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, recently led Nigeria’s delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union in New York, United States, PHILIP NYAM reviews activities at the meeting
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu led Nigeria’s delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting at the United Nations Headquarters, New York, United States, preparatory to the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva, Switzerland in July this year.
At the meeting, the deputy speaker urged the United Nations to give Africa, especially Nigeria, a permanent seat at the Security Council, stressing that the current multilateral approach is driven by the Global North, leaving the Global South to face significant developmental challenges.
Speaking on the “challenges faced by countries in the world and how parliaments can help ameliorate them through multilateralism,” Kalu advocated for increased representation of developing countries in decision-making rooms and tailoring conversations to address their unique challenges.
Using the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as an example, the deputy speaker noted that while the goals aim to address global issues, they may not align with the priorities of developing countries, which are still struggling to achieve industrialization and economic growth.
He said: “We need to define what we want to achieve with multilateralism. The current dynamic of multilateralism is driven by the Global North while the Global South is facing pressing developmental issues.
“My people in Nigeria have a saying that you cannot shave a man’s head in his absence. If you want developing countries to embrace multilateralism, give them more seats in rooms where developmental conversations are held and tailored the conversation to embrace and address their challenges.
“Using the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as an example, we have five years to go to attain the SDGs. I agree that the SDG goals were designed to address global issues but a critical appraisal will indicate that some of the issues the SDGs seek to address are not yet what developing countries wish to prioritize as they are yet to scale the hurdle of industrialization and economic growth.
Therefore, expecting them to embrace aspirational SDG targets may be a challenge. “Let us define what we choose to achieve by multilateralism and expand the voices in the room to accommodate more of the global South so that the aspirations will be truly global.
I was addressing the presiding officers from all over the world who gathered to have this preparatory meeting for the world Conference of Speakers coming up in July. This is our 3rd meeting. “I reminded them that the concept of multilateralism that all of us are talking about would remain a theoretical concept if it’s not shaped in line with the principles that should guide it: principles of inclusivity and cooperation.
The goal should be peace and prosperity in the world, for us to be able to achieve that, you need to ensure that at all times, and those principles that guide the concept of multilateralism should be upheld to the highest level. “When you do a critical analysis of how we’ve operated multilateralism, you find out that the practice of equality is not there.
The Global South, which Africa falls under, is not treated as equal when it gets to the table of making global policies that will benefit the world. “If you break it down further, you find out that inclusivity is key to multilateralism. Africa at the moment is not part of the permanent seat in the security council of the United Nations.
If we must preach multilateralism, I think it’s about time we talked about the amendment of article 108 of the UN Charter, to give more space for Africa to be involved. “I believe that the goals that multilateralism is supposed to chase, certain areas around the globe, should be designed differently.
“Africa with the burden of debts that has lingered for a number of years is not expected to perform on the achievements of the SDG goals just like any other continent around the world. These were some of the things I shared with the body of speakers around the world at this New York conference of the United Nations”
UN funding structure
Nigeria advocated for a review of the current funding structure of the United Nations (UN), citing the need for a more balanced and truly multilateral system.
Submitting Nigeria’s contributions to IPU’s draft resolution of the preparatory committee for the upcoming 6th world Conference of the Speakers of Parliaments in Geneva, Switzerland, Kalu said that the prevailing dependency on a few major donor countries allows them to dictate priorities, undermining the principles of multilateralism.
Specifically, he said that the proposed reform aims to reduce the undue influence of major donors and promote more equitable decision-making, stressing that this, in turn, would facilitate greater cooperation and collective action in achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Kalu said: “Nigeria calls for a review of the current funding structure of the United Nations. The prevailing dependency on a few major donor countries allows these nations to dictate priorities—embodied in the adage ‘he who pays the piper dictates the tune.’
To ensure a balanced and truly multilateral system, the funding participation scope should be expanded to include a broader range of nations, thereby reducing undue influence and fostering equitable decision-making.”
Similarly, Kalu proposed the inclusion of “prosperity” to the current theme of the Conference, which is “A World in Turmoil: Parliamentary Cooperation and Multilateralism for Peace and Justice for All” to now read “A World in Turmoil: Parliamentary Cooperation and Multilateralism for Peace, Justice and Prosperity Advancing the rationale behind the proposal, the deputy speaker said that the inclusion of “prosperity” underscores the essential role that economic and social well-being play in creating an environment conducive to lasting peace and justice.
“In an era marked by unprecedented global challenges and uncertainty, the quest for peace, justice, and prosperity is not merely aspirational—it is imperative.
Nigeria firmly believes that prosperity is the essential foundation upon which sustainable peace and justice are built. Without a robust and inclusive economic environment, the ideals of peace and justice remain out of reach. Ensuring that the indispensable element of prosperity is fully integrated into our collective pursuit of a just and stable global order is, therefore, paramount.
“In light of this understanding, Nigeria submits the following recommendations to amend the draft resolution from “A World in Turmoil: Parliamentary Cooperation and Multilateralism for Peace and Justice” to “A World in Turmoil: Parliamentary Cooperation and Multilateralism for Peace, Justice and Prosperity.”
“The inclusion of “prosperity” underscores the essential role that economic and social well-being play in creating an environment conducive to lasting peace and justice,” Kalu said. He also proposed the amendment of Article 108 of the UN Charter Provisions to help secure permanent seats for the continent of Africa.
His words: “Nigeria notes that while the UN Charter and its provisions are foundational for ensuring peace, Article 108 presents significant obstacles, especially in securing permanent representation on the UN Security Council for countries from the Global South.
“Current statement is that all countries and global institutions must abide consistently by the International Rule of Law, beginning with the Charter of the United Nations, avoiding double standards that more than anything else undermine the legitimacy of the multilateral system.
“The recommended amendment is to revise the text to: All countries and global institutions must abide consistently by the International Rule of Law, beginning with the Charter of the United Nations, and actively work to amend any provisions that conflict with the principles of multilateralism.
“While Nigeria accepts the Charter in its entirety, a dialogue is needed to reform provisions that hinder the full realization of multilateralism. Amending Article 108 is essential to enabling a more inclusive and representative global governance framework.”
Coordination of SGDs
Kalu told the meeting that Nigeria’s strategy aligns with the SDGs ambitions, leveraging aid as a strategic tool for sustainable growth. He however acknowledged the challenges posed by the Official Development Assistance (ODA) shortfall and disproportionate allocation to humanitarian crises and climate mitigation.
“Despite the global ODA reaching $223.7 billion in 2023, Nigeria still faces gaps in core infrastructure funding,” he said. To effectively address the challenges, he proposed several strategies, including the drafting of legislation to regulate philanthropy and impact investing, ensuring aid sustainability and accountability.
“Nigeria’s approach to optimizing development cooperation aligns with SDGs ambitions, leveraging aid as a strategic tool for sustainable growth. These are the things we have done so far. “Legislative Framework: The House of Representatives is currently drafting legislation to regulate philanthropy and impact investing, ensuring aid sustainability as well as accountability.
In particular, some of the members of staff in the National Assembly have gone through the training to be able to achieve this. “We are looking at aid as a catalyst. Nigeria prioritises using concessional finance to derisk private investment in renewable energy, agriculture and digital infrastructure via public, private partnership. But we have noticed ODA shortfall”.
WTO committee
At the meeting, Kalu was invited to join the Steering Committee of the Parliamentary Conference on the World Trade Organisation (PCWTO), a significant development that will enable Nigeria to benefit from African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA) global trade policies and boost trade across Africa.
The invitation was extended by Martin Chungong, Secretary-General of the InterParliamentary Union (IPU), in a letter dated February 12, 2025 and addressed to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
The letter read in part: “Since 2002, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the European Parliament have jointly led a process known as the Parliamentary Conference on the World Trade Organization (PCWTO) – a permanent mechanism of parliamentary oversight of the WTO and its de facto parliamentary dimension.
“The principal objective of the Conference is to enhance the external transparency of the WTO and hold it to account to legislators as elected representatives of the people.
A Steering Committee ensures the smooth functioning of the Conference. It is composed of representatives of some 25 national parliaments, regional and global parliamentary assemblies and structures, as well as the IPU and WTO Secretariats. The Committee usually meets twice a year, alternatively in Geneva and Brussels.
“The composition of the Steering Committee is subject to regular rotation among national parliaments on the basis of the principles set out in Article 4 of the Conference Rules of Procedure (copy enclosed).
“The Committee is inviting six new parliaments to replace the same number of outgoing members for a period of four years, commencing in September/October 2025, the date of the next session of the Steering Committee.
“Participation in the work of the Steering Committee allows legislators to keep WTO negotiations under close scrutiny, regularly obtain first-hand information on Doha Round talks, interact with leading WTO negotiators and experts, and exchange information with parliamentary colleagues from other countries.
“I would like to invite Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu to join the Steering Committee. In that case, I would then nominate him to the Steering Committee upon approval by the Steering Committee. Considering the importance of parliaments’ contribution to promoting global trade, I would be most grateful if you could support this invitation.
“The Steering Committee could provide meaningful support to the work of the WTO only if the members contribute to and participate in its sessions on a regular basis. Therefore, I would be grateful for any arrangements you would make in view of your representative’s regular attendance of these sessions.”
