Officials at UN Security Council push for a permanent seat for Africa

The United Nations chief has called for the UN Security Council (UNSC) to reform its outdated structure and assign Africa a permanent seat at the table, stressing that the continent is underrepresented.

Addressing the council on Monday during a high-level debate, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the composition of the UNSC has failed to keep pace with a changing world.

He stressed that it was not acceptable that the world’s preeminent peace and security body lacks a permanent voice for a continent of well over a billion people, nor can it be acceptable that Africa’s views are undervalued on questions of peace and security, both on the continent and around the world

The 15-member UNSC consists of five permanent members with veto power; China, France, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom, while the remaining 10 nonpermanent seats are allocated regionally.

The 10 seats include three seats for African states; two each for Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Western Europe and other states; and one for Eastern Europe.

In May, the UNSC called for the role of African countries to be strengthened in addressing global security and development challenges.

Reporter: Nokusa Masuku