NEW YORK, US – President William Ruto has renewed calls for reform of the United Nations Security Council, arguing that its current structure no longer reflects the realities of the modern world and leaves Africa without a permanent voice in global peace and security decisions.
Speaking during the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Ruto criticised the concentration of permanent power among five countries, saying the arrangement was rooted in the geopolitical realities of 1945 rather than today’s world.
“Five nations possess a permanent power that the other 188 do not,” Ruto said.
He argued that while the structure may have reflected global realities when the United Nations was established, it no longer adequately represents the international community.
“That imbalance might have reflected the world of 1945. It does not reflect the world that we know today,” he said.
Ruto: Africa Is ‘Permanently Excluded’
Ruto highlighted Africa’s 54 UN member states, which account for more than a quarter of the General Assembly, but have no permanent seat on the Security Council.
“Africa has 54 member states, more than a quarter of this assembly, yet no permanent voice in the body entrusted with a primary responsibility of international peace and security,” he said.
He said African countries are frequently affected by decisions made by the Security Council despite not having permanent representation.
“We are frequently the subject of its decisions. Permanently discussed yet permanently excluded,” Ruto said.
The UN Security Council currently has 15 members, comprising five permanent members — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States — and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.
What a Permanent African Seat Would Mean
The five permanent members have special voting powers, including the ability to veto substantive Security Council decisions.
Under Article 27 of the UN Charter, substantive decisions require nine affirmative votes, including the concurring votes of the permanent members. A negative vote by any permanent member blocks adoption of the decision.
A permanent African seat would therefore give the continent a continuous presence in the Council’s decision-making, while a permanent seat with veto powers would give an African member the ability to block substantive resolutions.
Africa’s common position calls for at least two permanent seats and five non-permanent seats, with full prerogatives for the permanent members, including veto rights if the veto is retained.
Kenya Backs Two Permanent African Seats
Kenya has previously reiterated its support for the African common position on Security Council reform.
In UN negotiations, Kenya said Africa should receive at least two permanent seats and five non-permanent seats, with full rights for permanent members, including the veto for as long as the veto remains part of the Council’s structure.
The reform process is being conducted through intergovernmental negotiations in the UN General Assembly, which has been discussing equitable representation and an increase in Security Council membership for years.
Ruto Questions Consistency of International Law
Ruto also linked Security Council reform to wider concerns about confidence in the international system and the application of international law.
He argued that the challenge is not a shortage of international laws but declining confidence in whether they are applied consistently.
“The problem is not that the world lacks law. It is that confidence in its consistent application is weakening,” Ruto said.
He called for international law to be applied consistently across conflicts and crises.
“International law cannot be invoked loudly in one crisis, cautiously in another crisis and disregarded when convenient,” he said.
Ruto warned that perceptions of double standards could further undermine confidence in international institutions.
“Every perceived double standard carries a price and that price is trust,” he said.
UN Chief Also Calls for Security Council Reform
Ruto’s remarks come as UN Secretary-General António Guterres has also renewed calls for reform of the Security Council.
Opening the 81st General Assembly session, Guterres backed efforts to make the Council more representative and specifically highlighted Africa’s lack of permanent representation as an issue requiring attention.
Guterres has repeatedly argued that Africa’s absence from the permanent category is difficult to justify in the current international system.
Reform Talks Face Complex Questions
Expanding the Security Council would require agreement among UN member states on the number of additional seats, their distribution and the powers attached to them.
The African position is already clearly defined, but negotiations also involve competing proposals from other regions and groups.
A revised UN negotiating paper released in June 2026 recorded broad agreement that Africa should be equitably represented in a reformed Security Council, while noting continuing differences over the details of reform.
Ruto’s intervention therefore adds Kenya’s voice to a long-running African campaign for greater representation in the UN body responsible for international peace and security.
