The African Union's Committee of Ten convened in the city of Djibloho in Equatorial Guinea and concluded with the signing of a declaration calling for two permanent seats for the continent on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and two additional non-permanent seats.
Participating countries also called on African officials to advocate for the continent to be deemed a special case and priority in the UNSC reform process, including at the 2024 Future Summit, the communique said.
The presidents of Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone and the Republic of Congo with high officials from Kenya, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Senegal, Namibia, Libya, Algeria noted the "historical injustice" to the continent.
"It is an anomaly that a major continent like Africa, which plays a crucial role in the maintenance of international peace and security is not represented in the Permanent Category of the UN Security Council," said Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio, who chaired the summit.
The leader of the West African nation emphasized that Africa's journey to take "its rightful place at the UNSC may be long and arduous," but the unity and determination of African countries will help the continent succeed in this area.
He was echoed by the host of the summit, President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, who said that Africa had been seeking a seat on the UNSC since 2005 "without making significant progress in realizing its legitimate aspirations." To achieve the goal, Obiang called on African countries to unite and speak with one voice.
"It is essential that all African states remain vigilant, speaking with one voice so as not to let other countries and regions take advantage of Africa by forming alliances to achieve their own interests in becoming permanent members of the United Nations Security Council," the leader said as quoted by media.
More broadly, the leader said that the expansion of the UNSC "seems inevitable" because of the underrepresentation of the Global South in the organization.
Calls for the expansion of the UN Security Council to include African nations have recently grown louder from the continent.
In September, at the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in the United States, the leaders of South Africa, Algeria, and Senegal appealed to world leaders to strengthen the continent's voice in the organization. Senegalese President Macky Sall noted that the multilateral system, a legacy of a "bygone era," is already outdated.
Earlier, Sergey Ordzhonikidze, former UN Under-Secretary-General from 2002 to 2011, told Sputnik that the UN Security Council should include countries from Africa, Latin America and Asia to make the body meet the new global realities.
Russia has also consistently advocated reforming the UN by increasing the participation of developing countries. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov repeatedly noted that the UN Security Council should be expanded not at the expense of Western countries, but at the expense of representatives from Asia, Africa and Latin America.