After decades of striving for a greater voice within the United Nations’ most powerful body, Africa “cannot wait any longer,” Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio declared to the Security Council on Monday.
Leading a session organized by his country, President Bio reiterated the longstanding demand for increased African representation on the council, advocating for additional seats, including two permanent positions with potential veto power.
“The era of half-measures and incremental progress has passed. Africa must be heard, and its calls for justice and equity must be addressed,” Bio asserted, highlighting that the continent remains the “unquestionable victim” of an unbalanced, outdated, and unrepresentative Security Council structure.
This is not the first time the council has faced calls for expansion and reform, and African countries are not alone in seeking greater representation. While there is broad consensus that the council needs to evolve, debates have stalled over the extent of expansion, which countries should be included, and what powers should be conferred.
Bio’s address brought renewed attention to the issue ahead of a U.N. “Summit of the Future” and the annual General Assembly meeting of world leaders, both scheduled for next month.
Some nations are optimistic that the summit will generate momentum for change, with the latest draft of a potential “Pact for the Future” identifying Security Council reform as a priority and committing to an “ambitious” outcome, with specific details yet to be finalized.
“We believe it is only a matter of time. The gatekeepers will eventually find it difficult to keep us out,” Bio said at a news briefing Monday, adding that “we have a genuine and compelling case.”
Established in 1945 to maintain global peace after World War II, the Security Council wields significant power, including the ability to impose sanctions, deploy peacekeeping missions, and pass legally binding resolutions—though these are sometimes disregarded.
The council’s structure reflects the post-war global order, a time when much of Africa was still under European colonial rule.
The United States, Russia, China, Britain, and France hold permanent, veto-wielding seats. An additional ten seats—originally six before a 1965 expansion—are filled by countries serving two-year terms without veto power. The broader General Assembly elects these members by region, with Africa allocated three seats.
African countries and many others have argued that this arrangement marginalizes a continent with the world’s fastest-growing population, now at 1.3 billion. Africa’s 54 nations constitute 28% of U.N. member states. Moreover, five of the U.N.’s 11 current peacekeeping missions are in Africa, and four of the top ten troop-contributing countries are African.
The African Union has called for two additional elected seats, bringing the total to five, along with two permanent seats for African countries.
Namibia’s Foreign Minister, Peya Mushelenga, emphasized the urgency of addressing the issue of permanent seats for Africa during Monday’s session.
Any changes to the council’s structure would require approval from the General Assembly, which has debated reform for years. Assembly President Dennis Francis on Monday stated that Africa is “manifestly underrepresented” on the council and that maintaining the current structure is “simply wrong.”
However, various U.N. member states have proposed different approaches to reform, and accommodating Africa’s demands could trigger pressure to consider other proposals. The United States, for example, supports adding permanent seats for nations in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
“Let’s stop admiring the problem. We need to move toward solutions,” U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who has previously served in multiple African countries, told the council.
Bio, whose nation currently holds the council’s rotating presidency, urged the council to prioritize Africa in any structural changes.
“Africa cannot wait any longer,” he concluded.