The United Nations Secretary-General has called for a reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC) to address its outdated structure and ensure Africa is given a permanent seat, emphasizing that the continent is significantly underrepresented.
In his address during a high-level debate on Monday, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted that the UNSC’s composition has not adapted to the realities of the modern world.
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“We cannot accept that the world’s leading peace and security body lacks a permanent voice for a continent with over a billion people,” Guterres stated. “Nor can we accept that Africa’s perspectives are undervalued on issues of peace and security, both within the continent and globally.”
The UNSC, consisting of 15 members, includes five permanent members with veto power—China, France, Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The remaining 10 non-permanent seats are regionally allocated: three for African states, two each for Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Western Europe and other states, with one for Eastern Europe.
In May, the UNSC acknowledged the need to enhance the role of African countries in addressing global security and development challenges.
UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis echoed this sentiment at the debate, stating that the UN must reflect current global realities. “Africa’s continued underrepresentation on the Security Council is fundamentally wrong, as it contradicts principles of equity and inclusion,” he said. “It undermines the principle of sovereign equality of states and underscores the urgent need for reform to align the institution with today’s world, rather than how it was nearly 80 years ago.”
Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio, speaking at the UNSC, advocated for Africa to have two permanent seats and two additional non-permanent seats. He proposed that the African Union should select the permanent African members and called for the abolition of the veto power. If the veto is to remain, he argued it should be extended to all new permanent members.
Carlos Lopes, a professor at the University of Cape Town and former high representative for the African Union, told Al Jazeera that the push for better African representation is not new but noted that current geopolitical dynamics make this moment particularly opportune.
“Africa’s bloc has become more complex to align, and the continent has navigated these geopolitical tensions adeptly,” Lopes said. “We’ve seen the G20’s expansion to include the African Union, and now Africa is making another push to enhance its role in the Security Council.”
