Sierra Leone’s ascent to the presidency of the United Nations Security Council (‘the Council’) for the month of August coincides with a potentially epoch-making moment in United Nations (UN) history – a time at which the world’s foremost diplomatic and international relations organisation, tasked with the unenviable task of maintaining international peace and security, seeks to forge its future path, nearly 80 years after its judicious creation.
Fifty-three years after first sitting as a non-permanent member of the Council, Sierra Leone has been presented with a golden opportunity to contribute far more than a ‘mere footnote’ to the story of Council reform. In the over half a century since, Sierra Leone has experienced pervasive civil conflict, as well as decades of post-conflict recovery and peacebuilding, in partnership with the UN, African Union (AU), and regional mechanisms. This extraordinary journey has instilled in Sierra Leone a profound and unwavering faith in the power of multilateralism as a cornerstone for sustaining global peace and security. Accordingly, seizing this opportunity could serve a greater purpose for Sierra Leone, positioning it as a driving force in challenging the often-negative perpetuated narratives that depict Africa merely as a benefactor of global peace and security mechanisms and institutions. Instead, Sierra Leone can highlight Africa as a worthy and valuable contributor to these mechanisms and institutions. What is undeniable is the potential for Sierra Leone to determinedly push the Common African Position (CAP), born out of the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration, and which calls for two permanent seats on the Council for Africa and an increase in non-permanent seats, bringing the total to five. The AU will bear the responsibility for selecting the continent’s permanent representatives. Additionally, the CAP advocates for the abolition of the veto power. However, should there be significant resistance to this position and the veto is to be maintained, the CAP calls for it to be extended to all new permanent members as a matter of fairness and equity.
The 79th UN General Assembly and Summit of the Future, get underway at a moment where the Council finds its mandate to maintain international peace and security frustrated by its current composition and the actions of certain permanent members of the Council. This has resulted in the Council being impotent in dealing with crises in Ukraine and the Middle East, among others, which has seen multiple resolutions vetoed by Russia and the USA, respectively. This has served to undermine the functioning and ultimately the legitimacy of the Council. Thus, the Summit of the Future must result in the essential resolutions which will lay out a new vision of global multilateralism for future generations, with specific focus on redressing the historical injustices of the past and enhancing Africa’s representation in the Council. The UN Secretary-General (UNSG), António Guterres, concurred that reform is not just a question of ethics; “it is also a strategic imperative that can increase global acceptance of the Council’s decisions”. He went on to say that “reform of this Council membership must be accompanied by a democratisation of its working methods.”
It has become evident that this moment provides Sierra Leone, and by extension the states of Africa with the opportunity to drive the crucial reform of institutional hierarchies which seemingly continue to favour the founding powers.
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It has become evident that this moment provides Sierra Leone, and by extension the states of Africa with the opportunity to drive the crucial reform of institutional hierarchies which seemingly continue to favour the founding powers. These powers moulded and formed the organisation at a time and in a world vastly different to that which we live in now. Indeed, amid a rapidly evolving global power structure the contemporary complexities of conflict and security in an increasingly diffused, and multipolar global order require an agile and effective body to address these issues with due consideration to equity, representation and inclusivity. The UNGA President, Mr Dennis Francis, echoed this sentiment in his statement where he declared, “the fact that Africa continues to be manifestly underrepresented on the Security Council is simply wrong.” Thus, the question beckons – how relevant and effective is the Council in its current composition?
On Monday, 12th of August, H.E. Dr Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, and Coordinator of the African Union Committee of Ten Heads of State and Government on the Reform of the United Nations Security Council (C-10) firmly answered this question and put forward an irrefutable case for the serious consideration of the CAP. On behalf of the 1.3 billion Africans, accounting for over 28% of UN member states, that supported Sierra Leone’s candidacy, Sierra Leone has undertaken to be a key advocate of the CAP in a crucial moment in Council history. A council which remains largely unreformed, bar an addition to the number of members in 1963, since its creation at the end of the Second World War, at a time when most African states remained under the control and influence of colonial powers. The groundbreaking high-level debate of 12th August was according to President Bio, ‘the first debate’ on this issue to take place on the Council floor. While this debate on Council reform marked a historic first in bringing the issue of Africa’s representation to the forefront with unprecedented focus and urgency, the broader topic of reform has echoed through its halls in less targeted discussions in years past. The debate also served as a platform for Sierra Leone to present to the Council a concept paper which emphasised the importance of addressing Africa’s underrepresentation in the Council, particularly its lack of permanent seats. It went on to highlight the significance of the CAP and explores how increased African representation could enhance the Council’s legitimacy and effectiveness. Greater representation would also address the unbalanced nature of decision-making in the Council, that is, where the majority of issues which come before the Council have historically involved Africa, and where African states are a major troop contributor to UN Peacekeeping operations, but are not afforded permanent seats or veto powers. These “cracks” in the Council’s foundation have become “too large to ignore” according to the UNSG and serve as a clarion call for the speedy transformation of the Council and as President Bio puts it, “Africa cannot wait any longer”.
[T]he Summit of the Future must result in the essential resolutions which will lay out a new vision of global multilateralism for future generations, with specific focus on redressing the historical injustices of the past and enhancing Africa’s representation in the Council.
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This transformation requires African states to present a united front on how they envision Council reform. This necessitates alignment on the issues of how permanent seats for African states will be allocated and how the veto power should be exercised constructively. While the IGN process has shown general support from the international community for increased representation and the need for overall reform of the Council, the IGN has struggled to advance significantly. Such reform has been complicated by the strategic calculations of powerful nations, such as the P5 grouping (United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China) and their desire to not dilute their own power; the internal dynamics within Africa, especially between hegemonic powers vying for the possible permanent seats; and the broader geopolitical considerations that shape the positions of various global actors. Moreover, the UNSG’s flagship project, the New Agenda for Peace, underscores the need to reimagine the global order in this post-colonial era, in which new poles of influence have emerged, new economic blocs have formed, and axes of contestation have been redefined. Thus, the work of conflict management, conducted through bodies like the Council, must be representative, inclusive, and cognisant of historical injustices if it is to meet the complex conflict and security challenges of the 21st century.
While all efforts in driving the debate on inclusive and equitable Council reform are necessary and venerable, we cannot delay addressing historical injustices without ensuring greater representation, especially when such action is likely to enhance the work of the Council. The recognition of Africa’s contribution to issues of global affairs is growing and it is time for Africa to have permanent seats, not only in the Council, but at the broader global governance table too. This process has already commenced, as seen through the AU’s recent inclusion in the G20 grouping and South Africa, Egypt and Ethiopia’s ascension to the BRICS+ bloc. This shows that there is no better time than now to continue in this vein and enhance the effectiveness of the Council through enhanced representation and inclusion of African states, thus defeating the “gatekeepers” and naysayers who seek to protect their vested interests at all costs.
Keenan Bryden Govender is a Research Consultant at ACCORD, an Early Career Scholar with the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), and a former Peace & Security Fellow at the African Leadership Centre, King’s College London.
