African Leaders Renew Push for Permanent Seats on UN Security Council

African heads of state addressing the United Nations General Assembly have renewed their demand for reform of the Security Council, calling for permanent representation for the continent in the body's highest decision-making structure.

Many leaders who have spoken since the session opened on Tuesday argued that Africa's absence from the council's permanent ranks is untenable as global security crises — including the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israel-Hamas conflict and the recent U.S. war with Iran — dominate this year's agenda.

The 15-member Security Council has five permanent members — the United States, Russia, France, the United Kingdom and China — which hold veto power. The remaining members are elected by the General Assembly and serve two-year staggered terms. Africa currently holds three of those non-permanent seats.

Kenyan President William Ruto told delegates on Wednesday that the charter's promise of sovereign equality stops at the council's door, noting that five nations hold permanent power on questions of war and peace that the other 188 do not.

Ethiopia's president, Taye Atske Selassie, asked how a world guided by conscience could justify denying 1.6 billion Africans equal representation.

Leaders said the imbalance has raised doubts about the organization's credibility and its stated commitment to multilateralism and equality among nations. They also pointed to Africa's large population and the high number of African member states.

In 2024, the United States said it would back two new permanent seats for African countries on the council, a position taken under the administration of former President Joe Biden.

Most leaders are holding to the African Union's 2005 position, which calls for at least two permanent seats. Namibia's president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, said the time had come to recognize that negotiations have gone on too long.

As leaders debated the future of artificial intelligence, several African officials insisted that developing nations must help shape decisions on the technology's rapid growth. Botswana President Duma Boko said this extends to critical minerals, rare earths and energy resources that power technological development, much of which comes from developing countries. He called for developing countries to have a meaningful voice in setting standards and safeguards for these technologies.

The interventions came a day after U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres urged global competitors in artificial intelligence to cooperate on addressing threats from the technology, and as the Security Council held a special meeting on AI at which industry leaders sought help in managing it.