ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — The Authorities of the Republic of Liberia on Saturday convened a Excessive-Degree Session on the way forward for the United Nations and the election of the subsequent Secretary-Basic, on the margins of the thirty ninth Peculiar Session of the African Union (AU) Meeting.
The closed-door breakfast assembly, hosted by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, introduced collectively three sitting Presidents, two Vice Presidents, two former Heads of State, eleven International Ministers, and Ambassadors and Everlasting Representatives from roughly 25 nations.
Liberia convened the session in its capability as Chair of the African Group in New York for February 2026, searching for to advertise unity, strategic readability, and proactive African management at what it described as a pivotal second for international governance.
UN at a Crossroads
The assembly comes because the United Nations prepares to elect its subsequent Secretary-Basic amid rising considerations about institutional effectiveness, legitimacy, and responsiveness—notably in areas of peace and safety, sustainable improvement, and the priorities of the International South.
“The United Nations stands at a crossroads, and Africa should resolve wherein route we want to see it transfer,” President Boakai declared. “Africa should not be a passive observer in shaping the way forward for the United Nations.”
Whereas emphasizing that the UN stays indispensable, President Boakai underscored the necessity for systemic and inclusive reforms grounded within the realities of Member States.
He highlighted Africa’s longstanding dedication to multilateralism, noting Liberia’s standing as one among 4 African unique signatories to the UN Constitution and the continent’s central function in advancing the UN’s peace and improvement agenda.
Africa’s Position in Choosing the Subsequent Secretary-Basic
Leaders taking part within the session agreed that Africa should play a decisive function within the upcoming choice of the subsequent UN Secretary-Basic, reflecting the continent’s vital share of UN membership and its rising geopolitical weight.
Members endorsed the formation of a coalition of keen nations—by their International Ministers—to work alongside the African Three (A3) members of the UN Safety Council to advance agreed rules for the choice course of.
The A3 presently contains Liberia, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
International locations represented on the assembly included Rwanda, Angola, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guinea, Libya, and Nigeria, amongst others.
Partaking the Everlasting 5
The session affirmed the necessity for guiding rules centered on safety and strengthening of multilateralism, safeguarding International South pursuits, restoring belief in worldwide establishments, enhancing efficient supply and making certain management able to navigating a fragmented international order.
The coalition, working carefully with the A3, plans to have interaction the Everlasting 5 (P5) members of the Safety Council to safe assist for Africa’s place on each the Secretary-Basic choice course of and broader UN reform.
Leaders additionally dedicated to sustained coordination with the African Union Committee of Ten (C10) on UN Reform to advance the Widespread African Place.
A Name for African Unity
A central theme of the casual session was the pressing want for African unity amid what leaders described as a world disaster posing an existential menace to multilateralism.
President Boakai harassed that Africa should communicate with one voice and act with strategic readability to affect the route of world governance.
“Africa should not be a passive observer,” he reiterated, affirming the continent’s duty—and proper—to form reform and management on the United Nations.
The session types a part of Liberia’s broader diplomatic engagement throughout its 2026–2027 tenure on the UN Safety Council and concluded with a shared dedication to sustained dialogue and coordination in assist of Africa’s collective agenda.
