Egypt calls for permanent seats for African and Arab nations at the UN Security Council

During his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Saturday, Egypt's foreign minister, Badr Ahmed Mohamed Abdelatty, called for increased representation of Arab and African nations within the UN Security Council.

“We cannot accept that Africa and the Arab states still have no permanent representative on the Security Council, nor enjoy the associated privileges,” Abdelatty stated, according to Africa News.

The UN Security Council, tasked with maintaining international peace and security, currently has five permanent members—China, Russia, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom—all of whom hold veto power over its resolutions.

India, Brazil, and South Africa are also pushing for permanent seats on the Security Council. These nations, as founding members of BRICS, an association of emerging economies, are vying for more influence. Egypt and Ethiopia, which officially joined BRICS this year, have pledged their support for South Africa’s bid.

However, diplomatic friction emerged last week when foreign ministers from Egypt and Ethiopia reportedly declined to sign a joint statement following a BRICS meeting in New York, according to the South China Morning Post. The disagreement reportedly centers on which African nation should be prioritized for a permanent Security Council seat.

Brazil’s foreign minister is said to have abruptly ended the meeting due to the deadlock.