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| United Kingdom Parliament |
The United Kingdom has again underscored its long-standing support for permanent African representation on the United Nations Security Council, the body primarily responsible for maintaining international peace and security.
Speaking at a Security Council meeting on cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union (AU), Ambassador Kate Foster, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, described the partnership between the two organisations as “indispensable” at a time of deepening conflict and insecurity across parts of the African continent.
Foster highlighted several interconnected challenges facing the region: terrorism, the impact of climate change, unconstitutional changes of government, and external interference. These factors, she said, are undermining stability, increasing humanitarian needs, and holding back progress and opportunities across Africa.
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Strengthening UN-AU Coordination
The UK diplomat emphasised the practical benefits of closer collaboration. Regular engagement between the UN Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council, stronger links between headquarters, and better coordination on the ground could produce better results than either organisation working alone.
Such alignment, Foster argued, would help identify risks earlier, strengthen prevention and mediation efforts, and resolve disputes before they escalate—avoiding the high human and financial costs that follow prolonged crises.
She noted that the UK is backing this partnership in concrete ways, including through its £25 million African Union Partnership Programme. This supports AU mediation efforts and the UNDP-AUC African Facility to Support Inclusive Transitions, which helps states navigate complex political transitions.
The UK has long supported permanent African representation in the Security Council as part of broader reform efforts to make the body more representative of today’s world.
Focus on Key Crises
Foster pointed to several ongoing situations where UN-AU cooperation is already delivering results or remains essential:
• Somalia: AU forces have made significant sacrifices, supported by the UN, to advance stability alongside Somali security forces. The UK provided £16.5 million in direct support to AUSSOM in the past year, plus an additional £8.5 million to the UN trust fund for logistical support. Continued realistic coordination between Somalia, the AU, troop-contributing countries, and the UN will be critical to protect hard-won gains as the security transition continues.
• Sudan: Cooperation through the Quintet is supporting an inclusive, Sudanese-led political process. Closer coordination between UN and AU fact-finding missions is helping strengthen accountability and avoid duplication of efforts.
• Northern Ethiopia: Close UN-AU cooperation is essential in responding to the current escalation.
• Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo: AU mediation and UN peacekeeping efforts complement the Washington and Doha diplomatic processes.
These examples, Foster said, illustrate what effective partnership can achieve. The same principle applies to joint work on climate security, women’s participation, security sector reform, disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration, and counter-terrorism.
Progress on Resolution 2719
The UK welcomed progress on United Nations Security Council Resolution 2719, which established a framework for UN support to AU-led peace support operations. Foster called for maintained momentum so that the necessary tools and mechanisms are ready when needed, with robust oversight as well as human rights and financial compliance standards in place.
“A stronger African Union, working in partnership with a stronger United Nations, is essential to meeting the continent’s most pressing peace and security challenges,” she concluded.
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Why Permanent African Seats Matter
Africa’s call for permanent representation on the Security Council is not new. The continent’s common position, rooted in the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration, seeks at least two permanent seats (with the same prerogatives as existing permanent members, including the veto for as long as it exists) and additional non-permanent seats.
African states make up more than a quarter of UN membership, and a large share of the Council’s agenda concerns African peace and security issues, yet the continent has no permanent seat.
Successive UK governments have expressed support for greater African representation as part of Security Council reform. The issue gained renewed visibility during recent UN General Assembly debates, where multiple African leaders and UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the absence of permanent African seats as unjust or indefensible.
Reform remains complex. Questions about which countries would hold new permanent seats, the role of the veto, and the need for consensus among the existing permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) continue to slow progress. Still, statements such as Foster’s keep the issue on the agenda and signal continued political support from a permanent member.
Why This Matters for Readers
Stronger coordination between the UN and AU, combined with more representative decision-making structures, could improve the effectiveness of international responses to conflict, humanitarian crises, and political transitions across Africa. For policymakers, analysts, and citizens following global governance, these developments illustrate both the practical value of multilateral partnerships and the unfinished business of making the Security Council fit for the 21st century.
Source: Statement by Ambassador Kate Foster at the UN Security Council meeting on UN-African Union cooperation, 6 October 2026 (full transcript available on GOV.UK).
Samuel O. Sulaimon is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Naijapiz. He covers News, Sports, Finance, Faiths, Education, Technology.
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