Ruto renews calls for permanent UN Africa seat

Kenyan President William Ruto has renewed calls for sweeping reforms to the UN Security Council, urging world leaders to grant Africa permanent representation and overhaul the global financial system to better serve developing economies, according to Africa Updates. Addressing the UN General Assembly in New York, Ruto said Africa's continued exclusion from the Security Council's permanent membership undermines the credibility and legitimacy of the international rules-based order. ‘Institutions that do not reflect the people whose co-operation they require will eventually struggle to command their trust,’ Ruto told delegates. Africa, home to 54 UN member states and more than 1.4bn people, has no permanent seat on the 15-member Security Council despite the continent featuring prominently on the council's agenda through peacekeeping missions, conflict prevention and peace-building efforts. Ruto argued that meaningful reform is needed to ensure global institutions reflect today's geopolitical realities rather than the balance of power established after the Second World War. His position aligns with the African Union's Ezulwini Consensus, which calls for at least two permanent African seats on the Security Council, with full veto powers if the veto system is retained, in addition to more non-permanent seats.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres also reiterated his support for permanent African representation on the Council, in a post on his official X account.  ‘… A 21st century Security Council without permanent African representation is unjust & indefensible. We must reform the council so that it reflects today's world with the legitimacy and effectiveness that today's challenges demand.’ His remarks add to growing international calls to reform the Security Council so that it better reflects current global political realities and strengthens the legitimacy of the UN's principal body responsible for maintaining international peace and security, notes Africa Updates. Beyond Security Council reform, Ruto urged changes to the international financial architecture, saying developing countries continue to shoulder unsustainable debt burdens that limit investment in essential public services. He said high debt-servicing costs and expensive borrowing divert resources away from healthcare, education, infrastructure and climate resilience in many low- and middle-income countries. The Kenyan leader called for reforms to multilateral lending institutions and international credit rating systems, arguing that existing frameworks increase borrowing costs for developing economies and deepen global inequalities.

Full report in Africa Updates