South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on 12 September made a forceful call for comprehensive reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) at the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, arguing that Africa's continued absence from permanent representation on the Council is 'neither just nor sustainable.' The session was held under the theme 'Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism.'

Africa's Case for a Permanent Seat

Ramaphosa anchored his argument in numbers and moral weight. Africa accounts for 54 member states of the United Nations — nearly one-fifth of humanity — yet holds no permanent seat on the Security Council's five-member permanent bloc. 'This is neither just nor sustainable,' he said, reiterating South Africa's longstanding demand for a Council that is more representative, more accountable, more transparent, and more effective.

The remarks echo a decades-old grievance from the African Union, but carry renewed urgency as the global order faces mounting stress from conflicts in Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Africa itself. This is not the first time Ramaphosa has raised the issue at a multilateral forum, but the BRICS platform — now expanded to a broader coalition of the Global South — gives the call a wider political resonance than ever before.

Why BRICS Matters More in Today's Geopolitical Terrain

Ramaphosa argued that the relevance of the United Nations and the durability of the multilateral system are now directly threatened by what he described as overt violations of the UN Charter and the resort to war to settle differences between member states. Against that backdrop, he positioned BRICS as a critical counterweight.

'The greatness of BRICS lies not in the fact that we are the same, but precisely in the fact that we are different. We represent different continents, different civilisations, political traditions and stages of development. Yet we have discovered that our diversity need not divide us,' Ramaphosa stated. He added that BRICS represents a world in which no nation needs to choose between East and West, North and South — a pointed reference to Western pressure on Global South nations over geopolitical alignments.

Broad BRICS Convergence on Global Governance Reform

Sudhakar Dalela, Secretary of Economic Relations at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), confirmed at a media briefing on the sidelines of the summit that BRICS leaders — speaking from their respective national perspectives — showed broad convergence on the need for reform. 'The leaders reiterated support for comprehensive reform of the United Nations, including its Security Council, with greater representation of developing countries and for reform of the international financial architecture to give developing countries and the Global South a stronger voice,' Dalela said.

He noted that discussions reaffirmed the foundations of BRICS cooperation — anchored in mutual respect, equality, solidarity, openness, inclusiveness, and consensus — with differences addressed through dialogue rather than confrontation. Notably, this convergence spans members with sharply different relationships with Washington and Brussels, underscoring BRICS's claim to non-aligned pluralism.

What the Push for UNSC Reform Means

The demand for a restructured Security Council is not new, but its momentum is building. India, Brazil, Germany, and Japan — the so-called G4 — have long sought permanent seats; the African Union seeks at least two. At the 18th BRICS Summit, that ambition now has a collective platform that represents a significant share of the world's population and economic output. Whether the P5 — the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China — will engage seriously with reform proposals remains the central question.

The summit's outcomes and any joint declaration on UNSC reform will be closely watched by UN member states ahead of the next General Assembly session.