Excellencies,
I am honoured to participate in this 7th Summit of the African Union C-10 on the reform of the Security Council, held at a time of historic significance as we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration. I wish to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the President of Sierra Leone, H.E. Julius Maada Bio (coordinator of the African Union C-10), the President of Angola, H.E. Joao Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço (Chairperson of the African Union) and the Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf for this remarkable milestone and for their leadership and resolute engagement in support of the reform of the Security Council.
The year 2025 marks also the 80th anniversary of the creation of the United Nations providing us with a meaningful occasion to underline the need to redress the historical injustice against Africa. We are committed to a reform that takes into account the aspirations of the whole UN membership, including the African continent. Uniting for Consensus recognizes that the reform should serve to remedy the current geographic imbalance rather than perpetuate existing ones. Ensuring the stronger representation of Africa and other underrepresented regional groups such as Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Caribbean in the Security Council is essential to strengthen the authority and the effectiveness of this organ. We are looking forward to the presentation of the African Union’s model at the IGN: our group will stand ready to engage in a very constructive way in those discussions with our African friends.
Excellencies,
The Uniting for Consensus’ model recognizes the urgent need to make the Council more representative, inclusive, transparent, effective, democratic, and accountable. In this regard, we appreciate the progress made so far within the IGN, which remains the sole legitimate forum to negotiate the reform of the Security Council.
In the spirit of reciprocal flexibility and compromise, we look forward to building on the convergences to eventually reach agreement on a proposal that enjoys the widest possible political acceptance.
The Uniting for Consensus proposal stems from the understanding that any reform of the Council, and especially its enlargement, should take into thorough consideration the Council’s working methods and their impact on its ability to generate concrete outcomes. In this spirit, the Security Council and the General Assembly must work in harmony, complementing and reinforcing each other’s mandates. As for enhancing cooperation between the Security Council and other UN bodies, we advocate for closer collaboration with the Peacebuilding Commission as well as more consistent engagement with multilateral and regional partners, such as the African Union’s Peace and Security Council.
Uniting for Consensus, a diverse, cross-regional, pro-reform group will continue to engage with the African Union to work for a reform for all, in sync with our times, inclusive, transparent, and reflective of the shared aspirations for a Security Council that truly serves the global community.
Thank you.
