By Faridah N Kulumba
Africa-Press – Uganda. The president of the Republic of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni called for reforms in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for Africa to have not less than two Permanent Seats with veto power as well as two Non-Permanent Seats in the United Nations Security Council. The call was made during the 6th Summit of the Committee of Ten African Union Heads of State and Government on the Reform of the United Nations Security Council (C-10) held virtually on Friday 25th July 2025. The Summit that was attended by Heads of State of Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Namibia and Zambia, was presided over by H.E Dr. Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, who is also the coordinator of the C-10. However, Heads of State of Algeria, Congo Republic, and Senegal were ably represented by Ministers.
Why Museveni called for Reforms
Since 2005, the C-10 has been working to, on behalf of the African Union, champion the Common African Position (CAP) on the reform of the UNSC. The resolutions of the C-10 will form the African position to be discussed at the United Nations General Assembly and other fora. President Museveni called on the United Nations to consider the African proposals for fair representation to rectify the historical injustice against Africa which was perpetrated by the exploitative colonial powers. He noted that at the time the United Nations was founded in 1945, Africa had only four Independent States (Ethiopia, Liberia, Egypt and the Union of South Africa) and only these were invited to the San Francisco Conference at which the UN Charter and the Statute of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) were adopted. Currently, Africa has 54 independent States, which forms almost 28 percent of the UN membership. It is therefore imperative to reform the UNSC to reflect the current realities. The President urged members of the C-10 and the African Union in general to step up building the “Africa We Want” in accordance with the vision of the African Union, united, cohesive and speaking with one voice in all aspects of the UNSC reforms.
Why Africa doesn’t have a permanent seat
It is almost 80 years ever since the United Nations, however Africa has yet to be granted a permanent seat on its most powerful organ, the Security Council. This “institutional discrimination” against African countries is both legally indefensible and politically untenable. Moreover, for Western nations seeking legitimacy and adaptation in a changing global geopolitical landscape, excluding four states representing over a billion people is strategically disadvantageous. This Policy Brief posits that a strategic window of opportunity now exists for the African continent to secure permanent representation on the Security Council. It urges African countries to fully seize this opportunity and proposes several modalities and recommendations for more effective inclusion of Africa among the permanent members of the Security Council.
According to the Policy Center for the New South, a strategic window of opportunity appears to be opening for the African continent in its quest to secure a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. Two powerful calls have recently supported the imperative of Africa’s inclusion in the exclusive club of permanent Security Council members. On August 12, 2024, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, during a Security Council debate themed “Addressing Historical Injustice and Strengthening Africa’s Effective Representation on the Security Council,” called for urgent reform by granting Africa a permanent seat. A few weeks later, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, stated before the Council on Foreign Relations that the United States supports granting two permanent Security Council seats to Africa.
These two initiatives, when aligned with the context of the Summit of the Future held at the end of September 2024—with an agenda that includes discussions on pathways for UN reform—demonstrate the existence of an African momentum that the continent must seize to enhance its representation on the Security Council. However, several questions remain regarding the trajectory that the issue of Africa’s permanent inclusion on the Security Council will take, the context of its deployment, the possible avenues for its realization, and the stance African countries should adopt to maximize the strategic gains that could result. The UNSC is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) that was established on 24 October 1945 to ensure international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, and approving any changes to the UN Charter. Its powers as outlined in the United Nations Charter include establishing peacekeeping operations, enacting international sanctions, and authorizing military action. The UNSC is the only UN body with authority to issue resolutions that are binding on member states. The Security Council consists of fifteen members, of which five are permanent: including China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
For More News And Analysis About Uganda Follow Africa-Press
