The African Union has announced that it is actively working to secure a permanent representative for the continent on the United Nations Security Council. The move is aimed at giving Africa a stronger voice in global peace and security matters.

The UN Security Council, established after the Second World War to maintain international peace, is considered one of the six principal and most powerful organs of the United Nations.

The council consists of 15 member states. Five of these members—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—are permanent and hold veto power. The remaining ten members are elected to serve two-year terms.

According to the African Union, a permanent seat is essential to ensure that the continent’s perspectives and interests are consistently represented in a body whose decisions have a profound impact on peace and security worldwide.