AU Strives for Permanent African Seats at UN Security Council: AU Official

Addis Ababa, August 28, 2026 (ENA) — The African Union Commission (AUC) is working to secure permanent seats for Africa at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), an African Union (AU) official said.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Head of the Governance Architecture and African Peace and Security Architecture (AGA APSA) Secretariat at the AUC, Ambassador Salah S. Hammad, said the Commission is working to advance Africa’s demand for permanent representation on the UN Security Council.

He said Africa has long been “neglected” and “ignored,” describing the lack of permanent African representation on the Security Council as an injustice that African people have faced for a long time.

To advance the continent’s position, the African Union established the Committee of Ten (C 10) Heads of State and Government, whose main objective is to promote Africa’s demand for two permanent seats on the UN Security Council.

According to the Ambassador, the time has come for Africa to claim its rightful place within the Security Council.

He said the AUC, through its Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, supports the C-10 in advancing efforts to reform the Security Council and address Africa’s longstanding demand for equitable representation.

Africa currently has no permanent seat on the UN Security Council, one of the world’s principal bodies responsible for decisions on international peace and security.

The C-10 is therefore working to secure two permanent seats for Africa as part of broader efforts to ensure fairer and more effective African representation in the Council.