The new US Permanent Representative to the United Nations officially presented her credentials to the Ban Ki Moon yesterday. This morning, she represented the USA at the Security Council for the first time.
The topic was run-of-the-mill Security Council stuff: a discussion about the ways in which the Council cooperates with regional and sub-regional organizations, (think: ASEAN, ECOWAS, the African Union and the Arab League. ) This is actually a very important topic. In recent years, these bodies have been the first responders when it comes to potentially destabilizing events in their region. The Arab League’s condemnation of Gaddafi led inexorably to his international isolation and eventual ouster; and when Laurent Gbagbo refused to leave office, ECOWAS imposing a banking ban on Cote D’Ivoire so he couldn’t pay his bills. Those are just a few examples–but there are many others.
Nothing earth shattering in Ambassador Power’s remarks, which focused on the value that regional organizations bring to global peace and security. But good stuff in there for us UN nerds!