RAILA ODINGA: I will ensure Africa gets 2 permanent seats at the United Nations if elected as African Union Chairperson

Saturday, December 14, 2024 - Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has pledged to collaborate with African leaders to secure two permanent seats for the continent on the United Nations Security Council if elected as African Union Chairperson.

Raila Odinga emphasized that securing permanent representation for Africa on the UN Security Council, complete with veto powers, is non-negotiable and would ensure fair representation for the continent under his leadership as African Union Chairperson.

He lamented that Africa, with 55 sovereign nations, does not have any seat yet Europe has three.

“I'm not going to talk about permanent representation. If the heads of state see fit that I should head this, I will work with all the leadership of the continent to ensure that we get a fair treatment of the international scene,” he said.

Raila Odinga made these remarks on Friday night during the African Union Leadership debate, Mjadala Afrika.

He, however, attributed the continued under-representation of Africa to the fact that the UNSC was formed at a time when most parts of Africa were colonies.

Raila said it was unacceptable that Africa with 1.4 billion people has no representation on the council.

The Kenyan DAILY POST