Africa’s push for a greater role in global decision-making takes centre stage at the ongoing United Nations General Assembly, with Burundi calling for stronger representation in key international institutions.
The call adds to longstanding demands for reform of the UN Security Council, which currently has 15 members, including five permanent members — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States — all of which hold veto powers.
“We are here to convey a conviction: Africa must be listened to more, it must be better represented and more closely involved in the decisions that shape the future of our planet,” Ndayishimiye said.
Speaking in his capacity as Chair of the African Union for 2026, the Burundian president said Africa intended to become “a full-fledged player” rather than remain a mere observer expected to applaud decisions in which it had not been involved.
He specifically called for an African country to be included as a permanent member of the Security Council, saying such representation would help build trust between Africa and other continents. “Peace remains the primary condition for development,” Ndayishimiye said.
He said Burundi was paying close attention to the security situation in the Great Lakes region, Sudan, the Sahel and Somalia, while stressing the need to find “African solutions to African problems”.
Ndayishimiye also called for stronger partnerships between the African Union and the United Nations to support peaceful settlements of conflicts across the continent.
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On human rights, he criticized what he described as the use of the Human Rights Council to target specific countries.
He said the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Burundi’s human rights situation was established without consultation with his government. Ndayishimiye maintained that Burundi respected human rights and was committed to fighting impunity.
The Burundian president also called for greater African participation in global trade discussions, arguing that the continent’s 55 countries and more than 1.4 billion people could not be sidelined.
Speaking on behalf of the African Union, he called for equitable representation within the World Trade Organization. “This is not a favour we are asking for, but justice we are demanding,” he said.
On Burundi’s development ambitions, Ndayishimiye said the country was determined to become an emerging country by 2040 and a developed country by 2060.
He identified investment, technology transfer and capacity building as key areas of partnership needed to support the country’s transformation.
Earlier, at the opening of the General Debate, President of the 81st session of the General Assembly, Khalilur Rahman, also called for fairer representation on the Security Council.
Rahman noted that the UN had grown from 50 member states in 1945 to 193 today, saying the organization’s survival alone was not evidence of success.
He said Africa’s continued absence from permanent membership of the Security Council after eight decades must change on grounds of fairness, justice and the credibility of the UN. “When the Security Council works, the United Nations works,” Rahman said.
He further called for action to address Africa’s lack of a permanent seat, despite the continent’s significant contribution to UN peacekeeping operations. “Africa needs a seat at the table, not to be on the menu,” he said.
Similarly, UN Secretary-General António Guterres renewed calls for Security Council reform, describing the continued absence of permanent African representation as “unjust and indefensible”.
Guterres said the 15-member Council’s composition no longer reflected contemporary geopolitical realities, and reiterated his call for reforms to make the body more representative.
NAN
