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Sierra Leone’s UN representative announced that the debate will be held on August 12
The UN Security Council will discuss Africa’s representation in the international body on August 12.
Sierra Leone’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Michael Imran Kanu, made the announcement on Thursday ahead of Sierra Leone’s upcoming presidency of the Security Council in August.
“We are seeking a discussion or debate in the presidency on the reform and composition of the Security Council, but with a focus on historical injustices in Africa.” He said. “This is to ensure equitable geographical distribution, a principle of the UN Charter.”
Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio will chair the meeting. Speakers expected to include UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UN General Assembly President Denis Francis and a civil society representative.
Currently, there are three countries holding seats on the Security Council: Sierra Leone, Algeria and Mozambique.
The UN Security Council is composed of 15 member states, including five permanent members (Russia, China, the United States, the United Kingdom and France) and 10 non-permanent members, whose term of office is two years.
Antonio Guterres previously said that most UN member states recognize the need for Security Council reform. “The Security Council does not have a single permanent member from Africa. There is no doubt that changing this will be very difficult, but we have to start with things on which we can agree.” He said.
In July, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed that any expansion of the Security Council should include countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, rather than increasing the number of Western countries.
“The current imbalance in the Security Council, dominated by Western countries, must be corrected.” He said.
The African Union became a permanent member of the G20 last year.
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