Africa has rejected a proposed compromise on United Nations Security Council reform that would grant regions fixed seats without guaranteeing permanent membership.

The continent maintains that the proposal falls short of its long-standing demand for equal representation on the Council.

Africa says it will not accept a proposal that leaves the continent without the permanent representation it has demanded for decades on the UN Security Council.

Namibia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Penda Naanda, delivered the African Group's position during a UN General Assembly plenary meeting on equitable representation and increasing Security Council membership.

"Africa, however, does not accept the bridging proposal of 'fixed regional seats'. A seat held on elected, renewable and reviewable terms is not a permanent seat within the meaning of the Ezulwini Consensus, the Sirte Declaration or the UN Charter."

Naanda warned that imposing conditions on new members that do not apply to existing permanent members would entrench the very inequalities that Security Council reform seeks to address.

Africa wants any interim compromise to take into account proposals submitted by member states, including the African Reform Model, without prejudging the final outcome of negotiations.

The continent is also calling on the international community to honour commitments under the Pact for the Future, adopted in 2024, which identifies correcting the historical injustice against Africa as a priority.

The 80th UN General Assembly session ended without agreement on a consolidated reform model, and Africa is now pushing for meaningful progress during the current session.

The African Group says it reserves the right to pursue the priority and special status granted to Africa under the Pact for the Future if negotiations remain deadlocked.

"Africa has waited eight decades. Our call is not a mere aspiration. It is a moral imperative and a commitment this Assembly has already made. The eighty-first session therefore must be the one in which that promise becomes action."

The push for Security Council reform has also received support from countries outside Africa. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has similarly described the absence of permanent African representation on the Council as unjust and indefensible.