UN chief says there’s no excuse for lack of permanent Africa seat on Security Council

MOGADISHU, Somalia

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday that there is no excuse that Africa still lacks permanent representation on the UN Security Council.

Guterres was in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, attending the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union, which began on Saturday.

The two-day summit brought together heads of state to discuss key regional and continental issues, including peace and security, economic integration and institutional reforms.

He said he will keep working with the African Union and all UN member countries to “ensure the representation Africa needs, including with two permanent members” of the Security Council.

Many African heads of state see the UN Security Council as dysfunctional and non-inclusive and have been campaigning for two seats on the council nearly 80 years since its establishment.

The African Union’s summit focused on the biennial report on the bloc’s “Silencing the Guns” initiative, which aims to end armed conflicts on the continent by 2030, and assessed its role in the G20, after it became a permanent member in late 2023.

Africa is the second largest continent with 54 countries representing 1.4 billion people.