Foreign minister Amb Olivier Nduhungirehe on Saturday, April 12, clarified Rwanda’s position on Africa’s demand for two permanent UN Security Council seats, something that would make the institution more representative.

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He was speaking in Türkiye during the 4th edition of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, convened under the theme "Reclaiming Diplomacy in a Fragmented World”. Participating on a panel discussion titled "Rising Role of Africa in World Politics,” the minister explained that Africa’s influence could offset the traditional global governance structure bringing in a neutral party of non-aligned countries.

Nduhungirehe explained that African nations can play an important role in the global governance structure, acknowledging, of course, that "we need to speak with one voice.”

He said: "The African voices can be voiced louder if it is spoken together as one. And we talked about the reforms of the UN Security Council and we agree. There is really consensus through which the African Union requested for two permanent seats in the UN Security Council with a veto right as long as it exists.

"Our initial preference, as Africans, is to get rid of the veto right because no country should veto or take a decision for the whole world. But we know that...we are realistic. We know that it will be extremely difficult for the current five countries that have the veto to relinquish that right. This is why we say that we should have that right as long as it exists.”

Developing nations have long demanded permanent seats on the Security Council, the most powerful body in the United Nations. But years of talks on reform have proved fruitless.

Rwanda’s position on two UNSC seats

Last September, President Paul Kagame noted that the creation of two permanent United Nations Security Council (UNSC) seats for African states should be designed in a manner that one is occupied by the African Union Commission and the other occupied by countries on a rotational basis.

Nduhungirehe reiterated this position, saying: "But for Rwanda, we have our position on the two seats. It’s not to give two seats to African countries as such. It is to have a seat, one of the seats, given to the African Union Commission to implement the African union peace and security policy, and then the other seat will be given to an African country based on a rotational basis so that we can have a say in African affairs because two thirds of the conflicts we have now on the agenda of the Security Council are African issues.

"But we also welcome the [the fact that] the African Union is now a member of the G20 and we believe that we could continue that movement and have a say also in other institutions especially financial and technical institutions. But definitely, Africa is a rising continent and we should ensure that we have a bigger and stronger voice in the international arena.”

The Antalya Diplomacy Forum brings together global leaders, policymakers, experts, and people from different fields to discuss how diplomacy can help solve global problems.