The African Union is stepping up efforts to secure two permanent seats for Africa on the United Nations Security Council, as discussions on reforming the body continue.
Salah S. Hammad, Head of the Governance Architecture and African Peace and Security Architecture Secretariat at the African Union Commission, said the bloc is working to advance Africa’s position on permanent representation at the Security Council.
The African position is coordinated through the Committee of Ten, or C-10, a group of African countries tasked with promoting the continent’s common position on Security Council reform. The position calls for Africa to receive no fewer than two permanent seats, with all the prerogatives and privileges of permanent membership, including the right of veto if the veto is retained.
The African Union has maintained this position since the adoption of the Ezulwini Consensus in 2005. The bloc argues that Africa remains underrepresented in the Security Council despite being the only region without a permanent seat.
The issue remains part of the ongoing intergovernmental negotiations on Security Council reform at the UN. African representatives have continued to call for a reform process that addresses what they describe as the historical underrepresentation of the continent in the UN’s most powerful decision-making body.
The AU’s position also includes five additional non-permanent seats for African countries. Under the African Model presented during the reform negotiations, the continent would therefore have a larger presence in both the permanent and elected categories of Security Council membership.
The C-10 continues to coordinate the African position in negotiations with other UN member states. Its role is to ensure that the continent speaks with a common voice rather than pursuing separate national bids for permanent membership.
For the AU, the question is not only about gaining seats but also about ensuring that any new permanent African members have the same rights and responsibilities as the existing permanent members.
Security Council reform has remained unresolved for decades, with disagreements among UN members over the number of new seats, regional representation and the future of the veto. For Africa, the demand for two permanent seats remains one of the central elements of its position in those negotiations.
