Antonio Guterres has called for reform of the global body to better reflect the modern world order<\/p>\n
Africa\u2019s continued lack of permanent representation on the United Nations Security Council is unjust and must be addressed, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said.
\nSpeaking at the opening of the 81st UN General Assembly debate in New York on Tuesday, Guterres called for reform of the 15-member body to better reflect the modern global order. Africa remains the only continent without a permanent seat on the council despite accounting for more than a quarter of UN member states and every third child born.
\n\u201cWe must reform the security council … A 21st UN security council without permanent African seats is unjust and indefensible. This must change,\u201d the UN chief said.<\/p>\n
UN Security Council without permanent African seats is unjust and indefensible \u2014 Antonio Guterres\u2018Security Council was designed in the aftermath of WWII, but the world has fundamentally changed since then\u2019 https:\/\/t.co\/L8S7U38rY5 pic.twitter.com\/wlNk3cB5sw\u2014 RT Intl (@RT_on_X) September 22, 2026 <\/p>\n
The Security Council has five permanent members \u2013 Russia, China, the US, the UK and France \u2013 which hold veto powers, as well as ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms. African countries \u2013 the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, and Somalia \u2013 currently only participate through the latter category.
\nEarlier this month, Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama renewed calls for permanent African representation on the Security Council, arguing that the continent\u2019s continued exclusion undermines the legitimacy of the UN\u2019s most powerful body.
\n\u201cIt is no longer acceptable for Africa to be excluded from permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council,\u201d the leader said.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Ghana calls for permanent African UNSC seat<\/p>\n
Other African leaders have made similar demands. In July, representatives of several countries renewed calls for the continent to be granted permanent representation on the Security Council, arguing that its current structure no longer reflects global realities. The African Union\u2019s shared position calls for at least two permanent seats with the same privileges as existing members, including veto powers.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Africa demands its seat at the table. Will it get one?<\/p>\n
Calls for reform have also received support from Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously backed expanding the Security Council to include greater African representation.\u00a0
\nIn August, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that greater representation for the continent would help correct a historical injustice, arguing that any future expansion should primarily benefit African countries rather than Western states, which he said are already overrepresented.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Antonio Guterres has called for reform of the global body to better reflect the modern world order Africa\u2019s continued lack of permanent representation on the United Nations Security Council is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38710,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t