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General Assembly Elects 18 Members to Human Rights Council for 2025-2027 Term

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1 year ago

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  • Hears Remaining Explanations of Vote on Antimicrobial Resistance Political Declaration

  • Afghanistan’s Speaker Upset That Resolution Adopted on Scale of Assessments Fails to Reinstate His Country’s Voting Rights under Article 19 of UN Charter

The General Assembly today elected 18 members to the Human Rights Council for the 2025-2027 term, adopted a resolution on matters regarding the assessment scale for distributing the costs of the United Nations’ expenses and concluded its debate on last month’s high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance.

In the first order of business, Benin, Bolivia, Colombia, Cyprus, Czechia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Iceland, Kenya, Marshall Islands, Mexico, North Macedonia, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Spain, Switzerland and Thailand were elected to the Council — an intergovernmental body within the UN system consisting of 47 States which is responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe.

The incoming members were elected by a secret ballot. They will serve three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2025, replacing members whose terms of office are set to expire on 31 December 2024.

The outgoing members included Argentina, Benin, Cameroon, Eritrea, Finland, Gambia, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Montenegro, Paraguay, Qatar, Somalia, United Arab Emirates and the United States.  All were eligible for immediate re-election except those members who have served two consecutive terms — Argentina, Cameroon, Eritrea, India and Somalia.

The following States will continue to be members of the Council:  Albania, Algeria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Maldives, Morocco, Netherlands, Romania, South Africa, Sudan and Viet Nam.

Scale of Assessments for Apportioning UN Expenses:  Requests under Article 19 of UN Charter 

After the elections, the Assembly adopted a draft resolution titled “Scale of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations:  requests under Article 19 of the Charter”, contained in the report of its Fifth Committee (Administrative & Budgetary) (document A/79/390).

By its terms, the Assembly — urging all Member States requesting exemption under Article 19 of the UN Charter to submit as much information as needed in support of their requests — also agreed that the failure of Sao Tome and Principe and Somalia to pay the full minimum amount necessary to avoid the application of Article 19 was due to conditions beyond their control.

Further, it decided that Sao Tome and Principe and Somalia shall be permitted to vote in the General Assembly until the end of its seventy-ninth session.

Afghanistan’s representative, speaking afterwards, expressed “vigorous disapproval and deep disappointment” over the Assembly’s failure to reinstate his delegation’s right to vote and grant it an exemption under Article 19, which, he said, is “both deeply concerning and disheartening for my country”.  “Despite the compelling justifications we have provided, grounded in the harsh realities faced by Afghanistan, our pleas have unfortunately been disregarded,” he stressed.

Afghanistan is currently enduring extraordinary political, social and economic challenges that “severely limit our capacity” to meet these obligations, he went on to say.  “These challenges largely stem from the Taliban’s failure and unwillingness to address the ongoing crisis,” he added.  “Our situation is not one of neglect or unwillingness; rather, it is linked to circumstances beyond our control,” he said.  Noting that Article 19 of the Charter acknowledges such cases and provides for exemptions, he said:  “This was the first time we requested a waiver under Article 19 with valid justifications, and it’s disappointing that it was not given proper considerations due to political biases from a few committee members.”

Political Declaration of High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance

Concluding the debate which commenced on Monday (See Press Release GA/12642) under its agenda item on “Global health and foreign policy”, the Assembly heard explanations of votes on the resolution titled “Political declaration of the high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance” (document A/79/L.5).  Several speakers highlighted the importance of technology transfer in their collaboration towards this phenomenon, emphasizing the need for voluntary and mutually agreed action.  They also called for adequate financing for developing countries and an elimination of unilateral coercive measures by certain developed countries.

The representative of Hungary, speaking for the European Union, in its capacity as observer, said the regional bloc has engaged collaboratively on this phenomenon through the ONE HEALTH Network and underscores the importance of technological transfer on voluntary and mutually agreed terms.  Because the UN and its Member States do not endorse technology transfer that contravenes fundamental principles of intellectual property and contract law, “the process must be conducted in a way that respects the interest of all parties, fostering a climate of progress and creativity,” she noted.

Other speakers echoed this sentiment.  Describing the Declaration as “the blueprint for our action to achieve a future in which all countries, regardless of their level of income, can protect the health of their citizens in the face of this threat”, Peru’s delegate appealed to Member States to redouble efforts in fighting “this global public health crisis”, adding that “all countries must urgently develop their own effective strategies tailored to their local realities to tackle this threat.”

Switzerland’s representative pointed out that, despite the importance of public–private partnerships in the development of new antimicrobials and access to them, the approach and procedures employed during the negotiations preceding the Declaration “were not optimal” and did not consider the perspectives of all delegations.  She hoped it would be improved in the future, adding that, because “technology transfer is only possible if the owner of a technology decides to agree on such a transfer and accept the conditions attached to it”, Switzerland would have preferred to have such explicit reference in the document.

Uganda’s delegate, for her part, and speaking for the Group of 77 and China, said while capacity-building and technology transfer are “vital for enabling local production of antimicrobial medicines”, the international community must recognize the “damaging effect” of unilateral coercive measures on developing countries’ ability to combat the resistance.  This weakens health systems and further compounds their already difficult situations, she noted.  These measures should therefore be eliminated.

Supporting this claim was Iran’s speaker, who said that the Declaration’s text did not address the detrimental effects of these measures and that the risks associated with improper antimicrobial use is heightened when people’s access to medicines, vaccines and medical equipment is cut off.  “Nothing could ever justify such horrific measures against people,” he lamented.

He also observed that the UN’s fundamental principle of respecting the views and priorities of Member States was “frequently disregarded” during the negotiations as “priorities of a few were accommodated at the expense of many developing Member States”.  As such, the document is “an unbalanced text that ignores concerns and priories of a large number of countries by one-sidedness, deliberate obscurity and ignorance, which unfortunately prevailed over neutrality, transparency, and inclusiveness”.  Iran is therefore not committed to parts of the document that contradict its national laws and regulations, he affirmed.

Other speakers raised other concerns about the text.  For the United Kingdom’s delegation, there should have been stronger and more specific funding in paragraphs 37 and 38 for antimicrobial resistance, “which we know is critical to meeting our target to reduce AMR deaths by 10 per cent”.  Its speaker also described as a “missed opportunity” the absence of a time-bound commitment for phasing out medically important antimicrobials for growth promotion in animal agriculture.

The delegate of the United States, attempting to address a foreign policy issue for his Government, called on the UN to respect independent mandates of other processes and institutions, including trade negotiations, and not comment on decisions and actions in other fora, including the World Trade Organization.  “While the United Nations and the WTO share some common interests, they have different roles, rules and membership,” he said, further disassociating from the language “Acknowledging the need to remove trade barriers” in paragraph 82.

Informing Member States that the Russian Federation’s attacks against her country have inflicted “devastating damage” on its healthcare infrastructure, with over 1,800 health facilities damaged and 47 civilian healthcare workers killed, the representative of Ukraine said hospitals now face the challenge of maintaining infection prevention and control “crucial in preventing the spread of antimicrobial resistance”.  Moscow’s actions have not only compromised Ukraine’s public health efforts but also disrupted access to essential medicines, creating conditions that may exacerbate the spread of such resistance within the region.  She observed that “to suggest that Russia is a key contributor to global health while it continues destabilizing actions presents a false and harmful narrative”, adding that “our response to AMR must be based on facts and a shared understanding of the real challenges we face”.

The representative of the Russian Federation, exercising the right of reply, recalled how, on 26 September, the Ukrainian delegation used the high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance “exclusively for the purpose of spreading their lies”.  Ukraine’s actions today do nothing but undermine the pooling of global efforts geared towards preventing the spread of this resistance.  It is at odds with the principles of strengthening and enhancing cooperation in this sphere, he said.

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Enugu Revenue Leader Details Tax Plans, Commits to Responsible Fund Management

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3 months ago

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August 8, 2025

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In a bid to address rising public concerns and social media speculations about taxation in Enugu State, the Executive Chairman of the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (ESIRS), Emmanuel Nnamani, has provided clarifications on the government’s tax policies. During a press briefing in Enugu, Nnamani dismissed what he described as “false and misleading claims” and reassured residents that the government’s fiscal operations are firmly rooted in law, transparency, and public good.

Clarifying Misinformation and Affirming Legality

Nnamani opened the session by stressing that no taxes or levies in Enugu State are imposed outside the provisions of the law. “Taxes and revenues in Enugu State remain within the limits of the law. We do not impose any levies outside what the law permits,” he stated, pointing to the Personal Income Tax Act (as amended) as the guiding legal framework.

He explained that the ESIRS collects personal income tax through two lawful means: Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) for those in formal employment, and Direct Assessment for informal sector workers. While compliance among salaried workers has been largely smooth, the agency sometimes employs legal enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance among self-employed individuals.

Formalising the Informal Sector

A key challenge, he noted, has been bringing the informal sector—especially market traders and transport operators—into the formal tax net. Upon assuming office, his administration discovered that an overwhelming 99% of informal sector actors were not remitting taxes to the state, largely due to the disruptive influence of non-state actors engaged in illegal collections.

In response, the government introduced a consolidated ₦36,000 annual levy for market traders. This amount, payable between January and March, covers all relevant state-level charges, including those by the Enugu State Waste Management Agency (ESWAMA), Enugu State Structures for Signage and Advertisement Agency (ENSSAA), storage fees, and business premises levies. “Once this amount is paid between January and March, the trader owes nothing else for that year,” Nnamani clarified. Traders who fail to pay by March 31 are subject to enforcement.

For street vendors operating outside structured markets, an annual levy of ₦30,000 applies, with ESWAMA charges handled separately. Transport operators such as Okada riders, Keke drivers, minibuses, tankers, and trucks pay via a daily ticketing system.

A Human-Faced Approach to Enforcement

Although the law allows for a 10% penalty on unpaid tax and an interest charge tied to the Central Bank’s Monetary Policy Rate of 27.5%, Nnamani disclosed that the state has adopted a softer, pro-business approach. Instead of the full punitive charges, a flat ₦3,000 penalty is applied in most informal sector cases to promote ease of doing business and encourage voluntary compliance.

Taxation and the Cost of Rent

Addressing growing concerns over rising rent, Nnamani rejected claims linking the trend to state tax policies. He described the issue as a national challenge influenced by supply and demand, rather than fiscal policy.

Citing personal experiences dating back to 2015, he observed that a shift in private development preference – from rental apartments to gated residential estates – has contributed to the housing squeeze. “If we had more high-rise buildings, rent would drop,” he noted. The state government, he added, is taking proactive steps through the Ministry of Housing and Housing Development Corporation to build mass housing and student hostels near institutions like ESUT and IMT, freeing up central city housing and helping moderate rents.

Technology, Transparency, and Trust

In line with its commitment to transparency and digital innovation, the ESIRS has launched a tax calculator on its official portal – www.irs.en.gov.ng – allowing residents to compute their taxes with ease and clarity. “This is about transparency and giving our people confidence,” he said, inviting residents to compare Enugu’s tools with those in more advanced states like Lagos.

Understanding the Cost of Development

Responding to concerns that Enugu has become one of Nigeria’s most expensive states, Nnamani acknowledged the perception but clarified that the temporary inflation is largely demand-driven. With Enugu undertaking widespread infrastructural renewal – including smart schools, primary health centres, and hospitality infrastructure – the surge in construction activity has led to increased demand for building materials like granite and rods, which are sourced from other states.

“Once these projects are completed, demand will drop, and prices will stabilise,” he assured. He emphasised that the projects are visible testaments to what taxpayers’ money can achieve when properly managed.

A Call for Mutual Understanding and Civic Partnership

More than a tax clarification, Nnamani’s address served as a reminder of the symbiotic relationship between citizens and government. He appealed for public understanding, noting that when citizens fulfil their tax obligations, the government can, in turn, provide essential services and infrastructure that uplift everyone.

His message was clear: responsible taxation, managed transparently and invested wisely, is the bedrock of sustainable development. From roads to schools and healthcare to housing, Enugu State is demonstrating how taxpayers’ money, when efficiently deployed, can improve lives and build the future.

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Houston Gets a Taste of West Africa at Chef Kavachi’s ‘Art of Fufu’ Show, August 8

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3 months ago

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July 30, 2025

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When it comes to international culinary gems and cultures across the United States, the city of Houston is counted among one of the best places to experience an authentic taste of every corner of the world.

 On the evening of Friday, August 8th, Houstonians will have a chance to engage all of their senses into the world of real West African flavors at Grubido’s ‘Art of Fufu’ Food & Art Show, a free culinary and art experience taking place at Flatland Gallery (1709 Westheimer Rd.) in Montrose.

  Curated by Grubido founder and Culinary Cultural Curator Kavachi Ukegbu, the annual celebration of west African cuisine and artistry will once again open its doors to patrons to witness the delights of creating and eating Fufu (a starchy, dough-like food that is a staple in many West and Central African countries), and its delicious and diverse pairings of soups and stews that originate from various parts of the continent, and uniquely compliment the beloved food staple as a complete meal. The event will also celebrate the observance of National Fufu Day  in the United States on August 11th.

  From the process of how different types of fufu are grown and manufactured, to the careful guidance on properly preparing the fufu to be eaten, the ‘Art of Fufu’ Food & Art showcase will give patrons a full circle perspective and appreciation for the food staple that has gained global popularity on social media and in many countries around the world.

  Attendees will be treated to fufu and soup samples, live Afrobeats music, an impressive display of fufu inspired artwork and collectables from over the years, and the opportunity to purchase Grubido food products, t-shirts, and the official The Art of Fufu cookbook. Originally published and released by Chef Kavach in 2021, “The Art of Fufu is a fascinating and informative guide to fufu, one of the most delicious and beloved staple foods of West Africans.” All cookbook purchases at the event will be signed by Chef Kavachi.

Entry for this event is free to all guests, but RSVP is strictly required in advance. To RSVP for the upcoming Art of Fufu Food & Art show, please visit the official website online at www.TheArtofFufu.com, or contact Grubido at (832) 818-6847.

The Art of Fufu Cookbook is a culinary treasure that explores the flavors, techniques, and cultural significance of fufu. It is a testament to the artistry of West African cuisine and serves as a guide for those seeking to immerse themselves in this beloved dish.

For more information, please visit www.theartoffufu.com & www.artoffufu.com

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The Leadership Deficit: Why African Governance Lacks Philosophical Grounding

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3 months ago

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July 30, 2025

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Leadership across nations is shaped not only by policies but by the quality of the individuals at the helm. History has shown that the most transformative leaders often draw from deep wells of ethical, philosophical, and strategic thought. Yet, in many African countries—and Nigeria in particular—there appears to be a crisis in the kind of men elevated to govern. This deficit is not merely political; it is intellectual, philosophical, and deeply structural.

There is a compelling correlation between the absence of foundational wisdom and the type of leaders Nigeria consistently produces. Compared to their counterparts in other parts of the world, Nigerian leaders often appear fundamentally unprepared to govern societies in ways that foster justice, progress, or stability.

Consider the Middle East—nations like the UAE and Qatar—where governance is often rooted in Islamic principles. While these societies are not without flaws, their leaders have harnessed religious teachings as frameworks for nation-building, modern infrastructure, and citizen welfare. Ironically, many of Nigeria’s military and political leaders also profess Islam, yet the application of its ethical standards in public governance is nearly non-existent. This raises a troubling question: is the practice of religion in African politics largely symbolic, devoid of actionable moral guidance?

Take China as another case study. In the last four decades, China’s leadership has lifted over 800 million people out of poverty—an unprecedented feat in human history. While authoritarian in structure, China’s model demonstrates a deep philosophical commitment to collective progress, discipline, and strategic long-term planning. In Western democracies, especially post-World War II, leaders often emerged with strong academic backgrounds in philosophy, economics, or history—disciplines that sharpen the mind and cultivate vision.

In stark contrast, African leaders—particularly in Nigeria—are more often preoccupied with short-term political survival than long-term national transformation. Their legacy is frequently one of mismanagement, unsustainable debt, and structural decay. Nigeria, for example, has accumulated foreign loans that could take generations to repay, yet there is little visible infrastructure or social development to justify such liabilities. Inflation erodes wages, and basic public services remain in collapse. This cycle repeats because those in power often lack not just technical competence, but the moral and intellectual depth to lead a modern nation.

At the heart of the crisis is a lack of philosophical inquiry. Philosophy teaches reasoning, ethics, and the nature of justice—skills that are essential for public leadership. Nigerian leaders, by and large, are disconnected from such traditions. Many have never seriously engaged with political theory, ethical discourse, or economic philosophy. Without this grounding, leadership becomes a matter of brute power, not enlightened governance.

The crisis of leadership in Africa is not solely one of corruption or bad policy—it is one of intellectual emptiness. Until African nations, especially Nigeria, begin to value and cultivate leaders who are intellectually rigorous and philosophically grounded, the continent will remain caught in cycles of poverty and poor governance. True leadership requires more than charisma or military rank—it demands the wisdom to govern a society with justice, vision, and moral clarity. Without this, the future remains perilously fragile.

♦ Dominic Ikeogu is a social and political commentator based in Minneapolis, USA.

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