The United States has called for two permanent seats on the UN Security Council for African nations, along with a rotating seat for island states — but made clear that these new members should not have veto power.
US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, made the announcement on Thursday during a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations.
“I’m announcing that the United States supports three additional changes to the Security Council,” she said, specifying that this would include “creating two permanent seats for Africa.”
Thomas-Greenfield also highlighted the U.S. support for a new elected seat for small island developing states on the Security Council.
These proposals aim to transform the 15-member Security Council, which has remained largely unchanged for decades and has often been hampered by disagreements among its existing permanent members.
However, US officials clarified that the new African representatives would not hold veto power, unlike the current permanent members—Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States.
African nations currently have three non-permanent seats on the Security Council, filled on a rotating basis for two-year terms.
Reforming the Security Council, long delayed due to divisions among the permanent members, would require unanimous approval from all five current permanent members, as well as adoption and ratification by two-thirds of the UN’s 193 member states.
Washington has reiterated its opposition to expanding the veto to new members, arguing it would create further deadlock within the Council.
“We’ve been very clear that we do not support the expansion of the veto,” said Thomas-Greenfield. “None of the permanent members want to give up their veto power, including us. I’m being honest about that.”
Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio addressed the Security Council in August, calling for the abolition of the veto but asserting that if the veto remains, it must be extended to all new permanent members “as a matter of justice.”
The United Nations welcomed the U.S. call for greater African representation. A spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the announcement “an important and welcome step,” though he noted that details would need to be determined by member states.
In September 2022, US President Joe Biden expressed support for Security Council reform, backing the idea of permanent seats for Africa and Latin America without specifying details.
However, Russia has urged caution, particularly for African nations, warning that adding seats for long-standing US allies such as Japan and Germany could undermine efforts to address historical injustices against Africa.