President Bio Steers UN Security Council, As Global Hunger and Reform Take Center Stage
Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio is presiding over a pivotal moment at the United Nations, as his country takes on the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council in November 2025. In his dual role as ECOWAS Chairman, Bio led a high-level open debate on “Conflict-Related Food Insecurity” on November 17th in New York, warning that hunger is increasingly weaponized in modern conflicts, a tactic he said violates international law.
Beyond the Security Council role, President Bio continues to champion Africa’s call for meaningful UN reform. He recently chaired the African Union Committee of Ten (C-10) virtual summit, pressing the case for permanent African representation on the Council. He has also reiterated his long standing argument that the current Security Council setup is outdated and unjust, once again calling for institutional reform.
The UN Security Council is the UN’s most powerful body on peace and security. It has the authority to pass legally binding resolutions, impose sanctions, and authorize peacekeeping missions. Its decisions can directly impact global conflict zones by shaping intervention mandates, deploying forces, or pressuring parties toward negotiation. Its role in maintaining international peace is foundational but also controversial, given the disproportionate power held by the five permanent members (the P5).
Africa has long argued that it deserves permanent representation on the Security Council. Despite 54 nations and a large share of the UN’s work on peace and security involving African conflicts, no African country sits among the Council’s permanent members. Bio and many African leaders say this undermines the Council’s legitimacy. They propose at least two permanent seats for Africa, a demand grounded in fairness and justice, not charity.
President Bio’s current leadership at the UN comes at a critical juncture, as he highlights the human cost of conflict driven hunger, he is also urging structural changes to empower African voices permanently in global peace and security decision making.
