Committee: UNSC (United Nations Security Council)

Country : Gabon
Delegate : Saskia Aulia Putri
Topic : The Annexation of Crimea

our country agrees that Russia’s invasion breached the UN Charter and that the annexation
declaration has no validity.

The ability of the UN Security Council to play a crucial role in conflict resolution may
be limited further to those wars where great powers have no direct interest, which in
some ways would be reminiscent of the cold war period. For a small country like
South Africa, which empha- sises the importance of creating a rules-based global
order, the multipolar period is likely to be a more problem- atic one to navigate,
making it difficult for the country to contribute towards crafting global frameworks
that are applicable to all and protect smaller states from the strong.

 There are people on the continent who see how Russia has been an imperialist
power and think it should be condemned, but there are also people who see
this as an increasingly proxy battle between the West and Russia and have
decided that, since Russia did not play any part in colonizing Africa, people in
Africa have decided that they will show support to the Russians.

The impact of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine may appear disconnected from

Gabon, as Africa is far from the region in concern. In reality, however, Gabon is
severely affected by this event. Among others, an energy crisis and a food crisis
are two major consequences of the war that affect Africa.

How have Western countries responded to the crisis caused by the Russian invasion
of Ukraine, and how do African countries perceive it? There are at least three
distinctive features that can be identified.

First, African people feel that Western countries take self-centered measures to
energy security. In May, German Chancellor Scholz visited Senegal and South Africa,
securing energy resources and strengthening a stable supply system[15]. U.S.
President Biden visited Saudi Arabia on July 15. Although Saudi Arabia is a country
with various humanitarian concerns for the U.S., the energy security has seemingly
pushed these issues aside.

In the arena of international conferences on Climate Change, a division has long

existed between the West and the rest: the West demands all countries curb fossil
fuel use, while developing countries have no choice but to depend on fossil fuels for
development. Developing countries have insisted that developed countries impede
the “right to develop” of developing countries by demanding them to stop using
fossil fuels, despite the fact that developing countries have used fossil fuels
abundantly for their own development. In this context, gabon view Western
countries' reactions with disgust as they rush to secure energy resources for their
own needs, regardless of their previous stances on climate change.

Secondly, as for the food crisis, African countries believe that the West does not
recognize the seriousness of the situation that Africa is facing right now. At least 30
countries have issued restrictions on food exports since Russia's invasion. Russia has
clearly succeeded in enhancing its presence as an indispensable partner of Africa
during this food crisis, and it now takes a casting vote on the fate of the region.

Thirdly, the generous support in the West towards displaced persons from Ukraine
and the accompanying heated media coverage must be considered. Western
countries, including Japan, have provided generous assistance to Ukrainian displaced
persons, and these stories have been repeatedly broadcast as an expression of
humanitarianism. However, other media covered a story on a limited scale about
African students studying in Ukraine being denied entry at the border. gabon and
other developing countries feel, that "in Palestine, Iraq, and Afghanistan, the chaos
was created by the interests and interventions of major powers and it has not solved
yet. In Yemen and Somalia, conflicts continue for a long period and all the people in
the world notice the severe human suffering there, but abandoned them without
providing necessary measures and decisive solutions.” Under such a context,
Gabonese and other African people perceive the ‘humanitarian’ response to
Ukrainian people as a ‘double-standard’ response. African people's hearts and minds
seem to diverge from the West every time ‘warm hearted' assistance to displaced
Ukrainians is broadcasted in the media.

Africa is changing at a very rapid speed. However, Western countries, including

Japan, may not be aware of these changes and seem to treat them with an old-
fashioned approach.

Africa is recognizing and gaining confidence in the enormous influence it has on the
world. Let us take a look at the UN resolution condemning Russia's invasion in
Ukraine in March 2022. In this resolution, 8 of 54 African countries were absent, 17
abstained, and one country voted against. In other words, about half of the African
countries did not vote in favor of the Western-led resolution. African countries
observe dispassionately the confrontation engaged by the West, on one hand, and
Russia and China, on the other. While U.S. and European allies have stepped up
pressures on African countries to take a tougher line against Russia after the
resolution Russia showed its supports to Africa by proposing a more powerful role
for developing countries, including Africa, at the UN Security Council[36]. African
countries grow skeptical of the West, which demands others complying with the
West's values and visions[37], despite them not taking Africa's challenges and
demands seriously[38].

If this trend continues, the West may be left behind by the new framework of world order
that is about to emerge. It is necessary to have a “long-term vision” and build “equal
partnerships” with African countries. To this end, it is important to see the challenges that
Africa itself faces, and work together to solve them.

The AU held two emergency summits in May. The first was a humanitarian summit, and the
second was a summit on ‘Terrorism and Unconstitutional Change of Governance'[39].
Despite the AU's 20th anniversary ceremony scheduled in July, these 2 summits were hastily
organized 2 months in advance. We could feel the pulse of Africa throughout these events in
how seriously they take the current crises they face: challenges of an energy and food crisis,
and threats of terrorism and coups. These are the pressing issues that African leaders are
concerned about today.

The support that comes in the most difficult times will not be forgotten even long after
those times have passed. Now that the entire world is facing energy and food crises, and
Africa is facing serious challenges with terrorism and governance, it is high time to support
Africa and move beyond a “My country-first” nationalist mentality.

Biang was hammered with questions as to why he abstained in a Sept. 30 Security Council
vote condemning Putin’s attempt to annex regions of Ukraine. (See video below.) Saying
that his country agrees that Russia’s invasion breached the UN Charter and that the
annexation declaration has no validity,

His position on the annexation question may reflect his country’s preference to remain
neutral amid the perceived West vs. Russia battle, aware that Gabon is a developing
country that needs support from all major powers, especially when the fighting may stop
and the White House may fall back into Republican hands and ignore the economic needs
of Gabon. (Brazil, China and India also abstained in the Council vote on Sept. 30. A similar
draft resolution will be submitted to the General Assembly for a vote on Oct. 10. It will be
a closely watched contest.)