U.S REJECTS UN BID TO REDRAW WORLD MAPS, WARNS: “WE WILL VOTE NO”.(PHOTO).

 U.S Rejects UN Bid To Redraw World Maps, Warns: “We Will Vote No”

The United States has rejected a United Nations resolution seeking to change how the world is represented on maps, warning that the initiative reflects a broader ideological agenda and risks further damaging the credibility of the global body.

The resolution, led by Togo on behalf of the African Union, calls for more accurate and equitable cartographic representations, particularly of Africa, whose size is significantly understated by widely used projections such as the Mercator map. It promotes the use of equal-area projections, including the Equal Earth projection, which more accurately represents the relative size of continents.

Supporters argue that maps are not merely technical tools but can influence how people understand geography, history and the importance of different regions. Togo has linked the initiative to “cognitive justice” and historical redress, arguing that distorted representations have contributed to an inaccurate perception of Africa over generations.

But Washington strongly objected to the initiative, accusing its proponents of turning a cartographic debate into a much broader ideological project.

“This resolution mocks the work and purpose of this institution.

“While this initiative is presented as an anodyne effort to update cartographic proportions, the United States clearly sees it cannot be separated from the much larger and more radical ideological project it belongs to, as its most vocal and committed proponents plainly and openly state.

“Instead of focusing on genuine problems of international peace, prosperity, or good relations, this body is debating map projects from the 15th century and their role in promoting reparations and cognitive justice.

“Resolutions like this one and the ideological agenda they promote are barnacles on our work here and the reason this institution is losing its credibility.

“When the United Nations questions why it is losing legitimacy in the world and is not taken seriously time and again, we point to resolutions such as this.

“We urge countries to instill common sense in this body and fully reject this text.

“The United States will vote no on this resolution.”

The US position put Washington at odds with proponents of the initiative, who maintain that correcting the visual imbalance in commonly used world maps is part of a wider effort to improve how Africa and other regions are represented globally.

The controversy also comes as countries debate whether traditional map projections should continue to dominate classrooms, institutions and public communications despite their known distortions of land area. France, for instance, announced that it would move away from the Mercator projection in favour of a projection that more accurately represents the relative size of continents.

The dispute has therefore transformed what might ordinarily appear to be a technical cartographic question into a wider argument over history, representation, colonial legacies and the role of the United Nations in addressing them.