Oxfam Urges AU Leaders to Demand African Representation on UN Security Council. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — The international charity organization Oxfam has called on African leaders gathered for the 39th African Union summit to push for significant reform within the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
The organization emphasizes the need for permanent African representation on the Council, given the continent’s disproportionate role in global conflicts and humanitarian crises.
Since 2016, Africa has been the epicenter of numerous conflicts, with millions of lives lost and millions displaced.
According to Oxfam, nearly 46 million people have been forced from their homes, and 120 million people across 26 African countries are facing hunger. Despite these challenges, African representation in critical decisions concerning its security and future remains minimal.
Oxfam’s briefing note, “Africa’s rightful seat: from vetoing humanity to a just multilateral order, “highlights the continent’s exclusion from permanent representation at the UN Security Council.
The charity organization notes that conflicts across Africa have dominated UNSC resolutions over the last decade, totaling 80 per cent, yet no African country holds a permanent seat on the Council. Fati N’zi-Hassane, Oxfam in Africa Director, commented on the imbalance in global decision-making: “Many of the world’s most deadly and protracted conflicts are taking place in Africa, yet the continent continues to be denied a permanent seat at the table.
This underscores a long — standing imbalance in global decision-making on peace and security.”
Oxfam’s report also points out that resolutions too often fail to deliver peace or address root causes, leaving ordinary people to bear the brunt of the crises.
The organization estimates that conflicts in Africa cost the continent around $18 billion each year, significantly derailing development and disrupting trade.
As African leaders gather for the 39th AU Summit, Oxfam is calling on them to strongly reaffirm the common African position held since the Ezulwini Consensus.
The Ezulwini Consensus, adopted in 2005, calls for at least two permanent seats with veto power and five non-permanent seats for Africa in the UN Security Council.
The situation remains critical, with Africa’s representation in global decision-making continuing to be a point of contention.
Further details are expected as the summit progresses and African leaders consider Oxfam’s call for reform.
