UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said the absence of a permanent African seat on the UN Security Council is “indefensible”. Speaking at the 39th African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, the UN Chief said that UN-AU cooperation has reached “new heights” over the past decade, pointing to joint frameworks on peace and security, sustainable development, and human rights.

“This is 2026 – not 1946,” he said. “Whenever decisions about Africa and the world are on the table, Africa must be at the table.” Guterres described the AU as a “flagship for multilateralism” in a world marked by division and mistrust.

He outlined three priorities for deeper cooperation: peace, economic action, and climate justice. The UN Chief called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Sudan, renewed dialogue in South Sudan, and respect for the territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Regarding the Sahel, Libya, and the Horn of Africa, he stressed the need for African-led political solutions backed by sustained international support

Meanwhile, the summit closed with a pledge of “zero tolerance” for unconstitutional changes of government and reiterated the “determination to silence the guns” in Africa. The Assembly also underscored the “imperative of predictable, sustainable and flexible financing for AU-led peace support operations”.

The theme of this year’s gathering -Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063 – comes against a backdrop of sobering statistics showing 400 million people on the continent lack water for their daily needs, and over 800 million lack basic hygiene services.