Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — French President Emmanuel Macron made his conclusion on Wednesday Africa trip The negotiations in Ethiopia included, among other issues, the long-standing question of Africa’s representation in the UN Security Council.
Macron held talks with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and later met with African Union Commission Chairman Mahmoud Ali Yusuf and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and together they discussed inclusive international governance.
According to a readout shared from the meeting, the leaders “recognized the need for African representation”.
Macron, who visited Egypt, Kenya and Ethiopia during his Africa trip, had called for better representation of Africa in international institutions such as the UN Security Council.
During his inaugural address in Africa Forward SummitCo-hosted by France and Kenya and held for the first time in an English-speaking country, Macron recognized the need for permanent seats for Africa on the council.
The peace and security declaration made at the end of the summit also called for “the urgent need for comprehensive reform of the United Nations Security Council to make it more effective and representative.”
Africa’s quest for permanent seats has always been based on the need to reflect contemporary global realities, with continental bodies criticizing the exclusion of the continent of more than 1.4 billion people from permanent decision-making power.
Guterres said on Wednesday that the world would benefit from an inclusive UN Security Council.
He said, “A Security Council that does not represent the realities of the world geographically today. We have three European permanent members, one North American and one Asian. No Latin American, no African, is obviously a Security Council that has a problem of legitimacy, and that brings with it a problem of effectiveness.”
Following the meeting between Macron and Abiy, a new $63.9 million loan financing agreement for Ethiopia’s green energy investment and digitalization program was announced.
During the Africa Forward Summit, Macron said the French government and private sector will mobilize $27 billion in investments to promote inclusive growth across the continent.
