Address Presiding Over the United Nations Security Council Historic Reform Debate
In August 2024, President Julius Maada Bio presided over the United Nations Security Council — one of the most consequential diplomatic stages in the world. Sierra Leone had secured its UNSC seat for 2024–2025 with an extraordinary 188 of 192 member state votes — its first seat in over 50 years and a near-unanimous global endorsement of the country’s governance trajectory under President Bio.
The Reform Agenda
As Coordinator of the AU Committee of Ten (C-10) for the Reform of the UN Security Council, President Bio used the platform to champion Africa’s demand for permanent UNSC representation — enshrined in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration. The session was historic: it placed the question of UNSC reform directly on the Council’s formal agenda, a long-standing objective of the African Union.
"Africa is in the room — and Africa's voice will be heard. The reform of this Council is not optional. It is overdue."
Resolution 2803 — November 2025
Still presiding over the UNSC in November 2025, President Bio led the Council in adopting Resolution 2803 — passed 13 votes to 2, authorising an International Stabilization Force in Gaza and establishing a transitional Board of Peace. He called it “a pivotal step toward lasting peace.”
