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Rabat — Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Omar Hilale, delivered a strong message on behalf of Africa during the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter, calling for concrete reforms to ensure greater representation and fairness for the continent within the international system.
Speaking Friday before a plenary session of the UN General Assembly in New York on behalf of the African Group, Hilale stressed that when the UN Charter was signed in 1945, many African peoples remained under colonial rule and had no voice in shaping global governance.
He argued that the Charter itself, through its principles of sovereign equality and the prohibition of the use or threat of force, laid the legal and moral foundation for Africa’s liberation.
“The Charter did not promise Africa a better world; it gave Africa the tools to build one,” Hilale said, emphasizing that African countries remain committed to using those principles more than eight decades later.
The Moroccan diplomat highlighted Africa’s continued commitment to the UN system through tangible contributions, notably the deployment of African peacekeepers in some of the world’s most challenging conflict zones. He also pointed to the role African diplomats have played in advancing major international initiatives, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Pact for the Future, and the Seville outcomes on financing for development.
Hilale further emphasized the contributions of African jurists serving in major international judicial bodies, including the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.
While welcoming the symbolic signing of the “UN80” declaration as a renewed commitment to the principles and purposes of the Charter, Hilale urged member states to translate symbolism into action.
He called for reforms to the international financial architecture that would better reflect Africa’s growing economic and demographic weight while addressing debt-related challenges facing developing countries. He also advocated for a strengthened “UN80” reform process capable of reinforcing the organization’s effectiveness across its peace and security, development, and human rights mandates without undermining resources available to developing nations.
Hilale also highlighted the African Group’s role in securing the adoption by the General Assembly last March of a resolution reviewing the implementation of UN mandates.
According to the ambassador, the African Group ensured that the resolution preserved a balanced approach based on the UN’s three pillars — peace and security, development, and human rights — while safeguarding the principle that these pillars are equally important and mutually reinforcing.
A continent of more than one billion people deserves a UN veto powerÂ
Despite Africa’s longstanding commitment to the United Nations, Hilale argued that institutions created under the Charter have yet to fully deliver for the continent.
He pointed in particular to the UN Security Council, saying the body continues to reflect the geopolitical realities of 1945 rather than those of today’s world.
“Africa, home to more than one billion people and the subject of the majority of issues on the Security Council’s agenda, still has neither a permanent seat nor veto power,” Hilale said, reiterating Africa’s longstanding demand for comprehensive Security Council reform in line with the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration.
The high-level commemoration was attended by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and President of the UN General Assembly Annalena Baerbock, among other senior officials.
Addressing the gathering, Guterres stressed that the UN Charter cannot be applied selectively, insisting that its principles are “neither optional nor negotiable.”
He reaffirmed that the Charter requires respect for the sovereign equality of all states and prohibits threats or the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any country.
The UN chief concluded by calling for stronger diplomacy, enhanced solidarity among regions, and accelerated efforts toward sustainable development, arguing that peace, dignity, and opportunity are inseparable.
