UN chief seeks global financial reform, permanent Security Council seats for Africa

UNITED Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres yesterday called for sweeping reforms to global governance structures, urging permanent African representation on the UN Security Council and an overhaul of multilateral financial institutions. “We must reform the international financial architecture that was created by the rich for the rich, and we must make it more representative of the needs of developing countries, especially in Africa,” Guterres told attendees at the Unstoppable Africa 2026 forum, held on the margins of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York. The UN chief emphasized that the continent was a “double victim of colonialism,” explaining that historic subjugation prevented African nations from having a seat at the table when post-World War II international institutions were established.