Algeria Urges Restoration of UNSC’s Role, Calls for Greater Representation for Africa

In his address, Attaf stressed the need for mobilization to rejuvenate the Security Council’s effectiveness, outlining five key pillars for achieving this objective. He called for abandoning polarizing mindsets and improving the working environment within the Council by expanding the influence of the elected members (E-10), noting that this group has shown its ability to build consensus and foster communication between permanent members, crucial for advancing collective solutions in the interest of global peace and security.

Attaf also emphasized the importance of accountability, particularly in enforcing Security Council resolutions. He underscored that these resolutions, including those pertaining to the Palestinian cause, must be binding and their implementation must remain a core function of the Council. Failure to do so undermines its credibility and allows violations of international law to persist unchecked.

In advocating for better coordination between the Security Council and the General Assembly on matters of peace and security, Attaf argued that the General Assembly’s efforts, especially when the Security Council is unable to act, should be encouraged and recognized. He highlighted the importance of fostering a complementary, rather than adversarial, relationship between these two principal bodies of the UN.

Algeria’s call for Security Council reform also touched on the need to empower the UN Secretary-General. Attaf argued that the Secretary-General must have complete autonomy to initiate diplomatic actions in the service of international peace, free from the constraints of pre-arranged agreements that often prove impossible to realize within the Council’s current framework.

Addressing the broader issue of Security Council reform, Attaf called for the democratization of its working methods and the expansion of its membership to reflect the global community more accurately. He reiterated Algeria’s long-standing position that priority must be given to rectifying the imbalance in Africa’s representation, as the continent remains the only one without a permanent seat and is grossly underrepresented in non-permanent categories.

Attaf warned that multilateralism is facing its most severe crisis in the history of the United Nations. The resurgence of unilateralism, self-isolation, and the return to power dynamics, he noted, are eroding the very principles upon which the UN was founded—to build and strengthen ties among its members. He lamented the unprecedented escalation of conflicts and wars in recent international history, exacerbated by a growing disregard for international law and the weakening of the UN’s authority to address these crises.

Citing the Council’s growing inability to address successive global crises and make decisive interventions, Attaf asserted that this inaction has emboldened crisis instigators who view international legality and the UN Charter as obstacles to their objectives. He drew attention to the ongoing genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza, conducted with complete impunity, as a glaring example of how this passivity enables the continuation of inhumane and immoral violations.

Algeria’s strong stance at the UN underscores its deep commitment to championing reforms that will restore the Security Council’s role as a key arbiter of international peace while ensuring a more equitable and inclusive global order, with Africa finally receiving the representation it deserves.