Africa Takes Centre Stage to Reformed United Nations, Ramaphosa Tells UNGA

Addis Ababa, September 24, 2025 (ENA) -- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa used his UN General Assembly address to call for a stronger, fairer multilateral system that meets the needs of Africa and the Global South.

Marking the UN’s 80th anniversary, he said the organisation’s founding promise of peace, development and human rights remains vital but is under threat.

The UN Security Council “has proven ineffective in its current form and composition in carrying out its Charter mandate to maintain international peace and security,” Ramaphosa warned, urging text-based negotiations to reform the body so it becomes more “accountable, representative, democratic and effective.”

Highlighting Africa’s priorities, he welcomed cooperation between the African Union and the UN on peace and stability and pressed for decisive action to silence guns in conflict zones such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan.

On economic justice, Ramaphosa stated that many African nations remain trapped by debt, spending more on servicing loans than on health or education.

 

He called for fairer global lending rules, reform of multilateral development banks, and a reinvigorated World Trade Organization to strengthen the link between trade and development.

The African Continental Free Trade Area, he noted, is proof that the continent can drive its own growth.

Climate change, which “Africa did not cause but suffers most,” demands urgent global action and fulfillment of financial commitments, he added.

With South Africa presiding over the G20 for the first time in 2024 under the theme “Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability,” Ramaphosa pledged to elevate African voices.

“The UN at 80 compels us to build an organization able to address our common challenges,” he said, underscoring “Freedom is indivisible; the denial of one diminishes us all.”