Op-Ed by
His Excellency Dr. Julius Maada Bio,
President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, and Coordinator of the African Union Committee of Ten Heads of State and Government on the Reform of the United Nations Security Council
17 August 2024
For the month of August 2024, Sierra Leone assumes the presidency of the United Nations Security Council.
Sierra Leone returns as a non-permanent member of the Security Council after an absence of 53 years, and this shows we are no longer defined and confined by a troubled past. Twenty-five years ago, our shattering civil war was among the thorniest concerns on the Security Council’s agenda. Today the international community views us as a liberal, progressive, confident and enterprising nation capable of shaping and grappling with the Council’s agenda.
But Sierra Leone’s transformation leading to this moment is about much more than Sierra Leone. It signals a growing, but not yet fully realized recognition of the need for equitable representation. For too long the nations that have dominated international institutions such as the UN Security Council have marginalized Africa leaving them, at best, at the periphery. For Africa, this means non-representation in the permanent category, and underrepresentation in the non-permanent category. This historical injustice ignores the full potential of Africa as a dynamic and vibrant continent capable of contributing meaningfully to the advancement of peace, security, and prosperity worldwide.
Since its establishment after World War II, the Security Council’s composition has remained largely unchanged, with permanent seats held by, as they are called, the “victors of that war” – the United States, the United Kingdom, the Russian Federation, China, and France. Even after a Security Council reform in the mid-1960s that expanded its membership from 11 to 15, Africa still, to this day, has no permanent representation.
This injustice stems from a long and painful history of colonial legacies and power imbalances that persist to this day. The legacy of slavery intersects with other forms of historical injustice, including colonialism, imperialism, and exploitation. Africa has long been left out of global decision-making processes and its voices often drowned out, resulting in a lack of meaningful representation for Africa on issues that directly affect our continent – not least, conflict prevention, peacekeeping operations, conflict resolution, and sustainable development. This systemic bias reinforces the notion of Africa as a passive actor in shaping global affairs.
No one involved with international institutions can say they are unaware of these concerns, which African countries have long made known, and the African Heads of State and Government have adopted a Common African Position espoused in the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration. More recently, under the leadership of African Union Committee of Ten Heads of State and Government on the reform of the UN Security Council (also known as the C-10, which I coordinate), Africa has been steadfast in its commitment to rectify this injustice and imbalance of the UN Security Council.
The C-10 has coalesced around the Common African Position that calls for two permanent seats in the UN Security Council and an additional two seats in the non-permanent category, bringing the total of non-permanent seats to five. The African permanent members will be chosen by the African Union. The C-10 is also advocating for the abolishment of the permanent members’ power to veto any measures that come before the Security Council. If, however, UN Member States wish to retain the veto, our view is it must be extended to all new permanent members.
Africa’s demand for reform is rooted not just in the need for greater representation of African voices but also in the imperative to address the continent’s unique challenges and aspirations. There must be African leadership and solutions for African challenges. From persistent to emerging conflicts, terrorism, man-made famine, and humanitarian crisis, Africa faces a myriad of complex issues that require global cooperation and solidarity. African leadership has to be involved in international responses to these challenges. By prioritizing Africa’s concerns within the framework of UN Security Council reform, the UN can demonstrate its commitment to addressing the root causes of conflict and instability on the African continent, thereby advancing the cause of peace and prosperity for all.
These proposed reforms and the justice and equity they represent will not only benefit African countries, but the rest of world as well. We live now in an era when growing fortunes and challenges anywhere in the world reverberate quickly and powerfully across the globe. It is therefore also in the self-interest of countries that dominate international institutions to give a greater voice – and listen – to the second most populous continent and home to a significant portion of the world’s nations.
We are truly encouraged by growing support for the Common African Position and some progress on the matter within the UN General Assembly Intergovernmental Negotiations process. But, after 20 years of negotiations in the current format, the time to address Africa’s specific plight is now. For their own good and the good of African countries, the UN can no longer delay these urgent and necessary reforms.