NEW YORK — President William Ruto has urged African leaders to stand together in pressing for long-delayed reforms of the United Nations Security Council, calling the continent’s exclusion “a historic injustice.”
Speaking at the 7th Summit of the Committee of Ten Heads of State and Government on UN Security Council Reform, Mr Ruto said Africa must amplify its voice in global forums and insist on fair representation.
“Africa carries a disproportionate share of the Security Council’s agenda and is among the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping,” he told fellow leaders. “Yet we remain the only continent without permanent representation. This historic injustice must end. The time to act is now.”
The meeting, convened by Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio during the 80th United Nations General Assembly, drew senior African figures, including João Lourenço of Angola, Namibia’s Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, and African Union Commission chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.
Mr Ruto said the UN’s credibility would be judged by whether it finally recognised Africa’s role in shaping global security. At the same time, he urged leaders to prepare for the responsibilities that permanent membership would bring, including finding agreement on how Africa’s representatives should be chosen.
“This is a delicate and complex undertaking, but also an opportunity to show Africa’s maturity, cohesion and vision for an effective international order,” he said.
President Maada Bio struck a similar tone, declaring Africa’s claim “legitimate, non-negotiable and just.” He insisted that no reform could succeed without a united continent. “The time for action is now,” he said.
Mr Lourenço reminded the summit that African issues dominate much of the Security Council’s work, yet the continent lacks a permanent seat. “The UN was founded to ensure a more just society. Africa deserves a voice at the highest table,” he said.
Namibia’s Ms Nandi-Ndaitwah called on existing Council members to support Africa’s demands and “be on the right side of history.”
For Mr Youssouf, the current arrangement perpetuates an imbalance the world can no longer tolerate. “Africa will no longer wait on the margins of history,” he said.
Kenya, Mr Ruto stressed, remains committed to the Common African Position, an agreement that demands at least two permanent and five non-permanent seats for Africa on the Council. “We are ready to work with the C-10, the African Union, and the broader UN membership to ensure our demands are no longer deferred,” he said.
The push for reform comes at a time when divisions over global governance are deepening, with many African leaders arguing that their continent’s absence from the Security Council undermines both fairness and legitimacy.
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