World leaders at the UN General Assembly have called for urgent Security Council reform, seeking expanded membership and permanent African representation to reflect today’s geopolitical realities and address concerns over the Council’s 1945-era structure and global legitimacy.
A growing number of world leaders have called for comprehensive reform of the United Nations Security Council, arguing that its current structure, established in the aftermath of the Second World War, no longer reflects the realities of the international community.
The calls for reform came during the annual United Nations General Assembly debate, with leaders from Africa, Asia and other regions urging changes to both the permanent and non-permanent membership of the 15-member Security Council. African leaders made particularly strong demands for permanent representation for the continent.
Kenyan President William Ruto said the current imbalance between the UN General Assembly and the Security Council was increasingly difficult to justify. He pointed out that while all UN member states are formally sovereign and equal under the UN Charter, five countries have permanent seats and veto powers on matters concerning international peace and security.
Ruto stressed that Africa, despite having 54 UN member states, continues to have no permanent representation on the Council. He also noted that negotiations on Security Council reform have continued for 17 years without producing a concrete outcome.
“We should not accept that reform is impossible because it is difficult,” Ruto said, calling for renewed efforts to address the issue.
Sierra Leone, which coordinates the African Union Committee of Ten on Security Council reform, reiterated the continent’s common position. The country called for at least two permanent seats for Africa, with the same rights and privileges enjoyed by existing permanent members, including veto power if the veto is retained. It also supported five additional non-permanent seats for African countries.
Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio said the Security Council continues to reflect the international order of 1945, despite major changes in global population, politics and economic influence.
“Africa, home to more than 1.6 billion people and the subject of much of the Council’s work, still has no Permanent Seat,” Bio said.
Nigeria also backed stronger African representation. Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima argued that the structure of the Security Council should be reconsidered to reflect the international system of 2026 rather than the distribution of power that existed in 1945.
“Africa cannot continue to fill the Council’s agenda while remaining absent from its permanent membership,” Shettima said.
South African Minister Ronald Lamola similarly called for permanent seats for Africa with the full prerogatives of permanent membership. He said meaningful reform of global governance should begin with changes to the Security Council, particularly given the significant attention the body devotes to conflicts and crises on the African continent.
Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama also highlighted Africa’s continued absence from permanent membership. He described the issue as unacceptable in the 21st century and argued that Security Council reform is important for the credibility and legitimacy of the United Nations.
Japan also joined calls for urgent reform. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi supported an expansion of both permanent and non-permanent membership, saying the existing structure was based on international circumstances that prevailed in 1945.
Japan did not identify specific countries it believes should receive permanent seats but called for the Council to be transformed to better reflect present-day international realities.
Several other countries expressed support for broader reform. Lesotho backed comprehensive changes in line with the Ezulwini Consensus, the African Union’s common position on Security Council reform. Saint Lucia called for greater representation for Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, Latin America and the Caribbean. Niger also questioned the legitimacy of a system in which Africa’s 54 countries have no permanent seat.
The debate also has significance for India, which has long sought permanent membership of the Security Council. India is part of the Group of Four, or G4, alongside Brazil, Germany and Japan. The four countries support expanding both permanent and non-permanent membership and back each other’s bids for permanent seats.
The African Union separately seeks two permanent seats for Africa under the Ezulwini Consensus, alongside additional non-permanent representation.
The UN Security Council currently has 15 members. China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States are the five permanent members and possess veto power. The remaining 10 members are elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms.
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Any formal amendment to the UN Charter to change the Council’s composition would require approval by two-thirds of the General Assembly and ratification by two-thirds of UN member states, including all five permanent members.
The renewed calls at the General Assembly have once again placed Security Council reform at the centre of discussions over the future structure and representation of the United Nations.
