New York, 21 September 2025 – His Excellency, President Dr. Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, Chairman of ECOWAS Authority and Coordinator of the African Union Committee of Ten (C-10) on United Nations Security Council Reform, has renewed Africa’s demand for permanent representation at the UN’s highest decision-making body.
Opening the Seventh C-10 Summit at UN Headquarters in New York, President Bio described the meeting as a historic moment, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration of 2005. These documents form Africa’s Common Position, calling for at least two permanent seats with full veto powers and two additional non-permanent seats on the Security Council.
President Bio reminded delegates that when the UN was founded in 1945, Africa had no voice, and today remains the only continent without permanent representation, even though African issues dominate the Council’s agenda.
“This was not a plea for favour. It was, and remains, a demand for justice to correct a historic wrong,” President Bio said.
The summit brought together the ten C-10 member states, Algeria, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Libya, Namibia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zambia. High-level participants included Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, who is also the current Chair of the African Union, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Kenyan President William Ruto; and Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.
President Bio praised Africa’s unity, noting that no country has broken ranks in two decades of advocacy. “Despite our diversity, Africa has remained steadfastly aligned behind a single, principled position. That unity is our strength. No reform can succeed without a united Africa,” he said.
He highlighted recent milestones, including the Freetown Retreat and Lusaka Ministerial Meeting, which produced the African Union Reform Model, a blueprint for structured negotiations.
Calling for action, President Bio urged permanent members to match their recognition of Africa’s claim with political will and pressed negotiators to move beyond entrenched positions. “Africa’s demand is legitimate, non-negotiable, and just,” he declared. “Equal representation for Africa is not only an African imperative, it is a global necessity,” he concluded.
