Special Report – Nairobi 

On the sidelines of the Africa Future Summit, the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, witnessed a high-level discussion session on peace and security issues, dedicated to discussing the future of the international system and ways to reform the United Nations Security Council, in light of the increasing demands for fairer representation of the African continent within global decision-making institutions.

During the session, participants stressed that reforming the UN Security Council has become an urgent necessity to address the historical problems related to exclusion, lack of justice, and the weak credibility of the multilateral system, emphasizing that Africa’s continued absence from permanent membership in the Council is no longer acceptable in a world that seeks to establish the principles of equal partnership and fair representation among countries.

Talks in Nairobi on Security Council reform and strengthening international justice

The speakers pointed out that the African continent, with a population exceeding 1.5 billion, remains excluded from permanent representation in crucial decisions concerning peace, security, conflicts and global stability, even though many of the issues on the Security Council’s agenda are directly related to the African continent and its security and development challenges.

The participants explained that this flaw in the structure of the international system contributes to a decline in confidence in international institutions and undermines the concept of justice and equal partnership between peoples and states, stressing that the time has come for the international community to recognize, clearly and without delay, Africa’s right to an equal voice within the UN Security Council.

The participants also stressed that the African continent no longer accepts being the subject of decisions taken in its absence or without its effective participation, considering that achieving real reform within the United Nations inevitably involves correcting this historical imbalance and granting African countries permanent representation that reflects their growing demographic, political and economic weight on the international stage.

These calls come at a time when international demands are mounting to restructure UN institutions to keep pace with current geopolitical shifts, especially with the growing role of new regional powers and the increasing need for a more balanced and inclusive international system.

The issue of reforming the Security Council has been one of the most prominent issues raised for years within the United Nations, as several African countries are calling for a comprehensive reform that ensures fair representation of the continent within the Council, thereby enhancing the chances of achieving peace, stability and development at the global level.