His Excellency Julius Maada Bio, President of Sierra Leone and Coordinator of the African Union Committee of Ten (C-10) Heads of State on UN Security Council reform, has urged African leaders to intensify unity and collective action to push for meaningful reform of the UN Security Council.
Speaking at the C-10 Heads of State meeting during the 39th African Union Assembly in Addis Ababa, President Bio marked twenty years since the adoption of the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration—Africa’s unified framework for Security Council reform
He emphasized that Africa seeks at least two permanent seats with full veto powers, plus five non-permanent seats, noting that the current Council remains unrepresentative and unfair to the continent.
President Bio highlighted recent milestones, including the Freetown retreat in April 2025, which produced key documents to guide Africa’s advocacy, and the 13th C-10 Ministerial Meeting in Lusaka, Zambia, which endorsed these outcomes.
He called on African leaders to move from general advocacy to text-based negotiations and warned against fragmentation or acceptance of diluted proposals.
He stressed that Africa’s push for reform is a matter of justice, equity, and legitimacy, not a favour.
President Bio reaffirmed his commitment to advancing the Common African Position with a unified voice, urging leaders to agree on concrete next steps to maintain momentum toward a more inclusive global governance system.
