United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has endorsed Sierra Leonean President Dr. Julius Maada Bio’s call for Africa to have a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, emphasizing the need for reform to address the continent’s underrepresentation.
Speaking during a debate convened by Sierra Leone, where President Bio currently serves as the President of the Security Council for the month of August, Mr. Guterres highlighted the outdated composition of the Council.
“The world has changed since 1945. But the composition of the Council, despite a few changes, has not kept pace,” Guterres said, urging the inclusion of Africa as a permanent member.
President Bio, echoing the sentiments of many African leaders, called for the continent to be granted two permanent seats on the Security Council, along with two additional non-permanent seats.
“The time for half-measures and incremental progress is over. Africa must be heard, and its demands for justice and equity must be met,” he asserted.
The UN Security Council, whose permanent members—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—hold veto power, has been criticized for reflecting the geopolitical realities of the post-World War II era, a time when much of Africa was still under colonial rule.
Dennis Francis, President of the UN General Assembly, also supported the call for reform, aligning with Guterres and Bio.
“We cannot accept that the world’s preeminent peace and security body lacks a permanent voice for a continent of well over a billion people—a young and rapidly growing population—making up 28% of the membership of the United Nations,” Guterres remarked.
Guterres further noted Africa’s significant contribution to UN peacekeeping efforts, pointing out that nearly half of all UN peacekeeping operations occur on the continent, with 40% of UN peacekeepers being African. Despite this, he said, Africa remains “under-represented at the UN Security Council and international financial institutions but over-represented in the very challenges these structures are designed to address.”
He also stressed the strategic importance of reforming the Security Council. “The need for change is not only about ethics and justice,” Guterres said.
“It is also a strategic imperative that can increase global acceptance of the council’s decisions—benefiting Africa and the world.”
The debate has reignited discussions on the necessity of restructuring international institutions to better reflect contemporary global realities and Africa’s growing role on the world stage.
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