Baerbock Urges Expansion of Permanent Seats, Cites Lack of African Representation
United Nations, (ATP): United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) President Annalena Baerbock has made a renewed call for the comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council, arguing the current structure fails to reflect today’s global realities.
Baerbock stated that the absence of any permanent member from Africa constitutes a “historical injustice,” emphasizing that the Council, established 80 years ago, is no longer representative of the world in which we currently live. She stressed the urgent need for reform to align the Council with 21st-century requirements.
As the former German Foreign Minister, Baerbock has been a long-time advocate for expanding the number of permanent members. She specifically supports the inclusion of states like India and Germany, who, along with Brazil and Japan, form the G4 group lobbying for reform.
The UNGA President has taken action to invigorate the stalled process, recently appointing new co-chairs for the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) process. She voiced strong concern over the persistent lack of substantial progress in the IGN, underlining the urgent need for Member States to begin text-based negotiations on concrete reform models.