Kenyan President William Ruto has called for reforms to the United Nations Security Council to give Africa permanent representation on the body responsible for maintaining international peace and security.
Ruto made this call while addressing the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, saying Africa’s exclusion from permanent membership was inconsistent with the continent’s role in the global body.
He said Africa has 54 UN member states, representing more than a quarter of the General Assembly, yet has no permanent seat on the Security Council.
“Africa has 54 member states, more than a quarter of this Assembly, yet no permanent voice in the body entrusted with the primary responsibility of international peace and security,” Ruto said.
READ ALSO: ITUC-Africa Urges Kenya to Ensure Lawful Enforcement
He said Africa was “frequently the subject” of Security Council decisions but remained excluded from permanent membership.
Ruto said the Council should reflect changes in the global order, noting that it was created at a time when most African countries were not independent and had no representation in international institutions.
He said the world had since changed, but the structure of the Security Council had not kept pace with those changes.
The call comes amid renewed efforts by African countries and the African Union to secure greater representation in the UN system, including permanent seats on the Security Council.
South Africa’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Mxolisi Sizo Nkosi, had earlier said Security Council reform was an important part of his country’s agenda.
Ruto’s position also echoed a call by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who on Tuesday urged reforms to give Africa permanent representation on the Council.
Guterres said the continued absence of permanent African representation on a 21st-century Security Council was “unjust and indefensible”.
The Security Council has 15 members, including five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.
Africanews
