African states urged to be more active in int'l organization

African countries must become more active in the decision-making processes of various international organizations, Chairperson of the African Union Commission Alpha Omar Konare has said.

Konare made the statement on Saturday while speaking about Confronting the Challenges Facing Africa at the University of South Africa in Pretoria

In the regard, he said, Africa should continue to claim a fair representation among the permanent members of the Security Council of the United Nations in New York. "Our representation at the Board of the Bretton Woods institutions also needs to be strengthened," he added.

He noted that it is almost a travesty to see that Germany, Japan and the United States together have a combined voting power at the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund that represents five times that of all the 54 African countries combined.

In addition, he said, there is no plausible reason why Africa should continue to be a bystander in decisions that affect its people.

"We should work on a proposal to strengthen Africa's representation at the Boards of the Bretton Woods institutions without further delay," he said.

Source: Xinhua