New York – Zimbabwe’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Professor Amon Murwira, took the floor at the United Nations Security Council High-Level Open Debate in New York this Tuesday, using the occasion to push for Africa’s fair representation in the world’s most powerful peace and security body.
The debate, chaired by China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, was held under the theme “Upholding the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter and Strengthening the UN-Centered International System.”
Prof. Murwira told the Security Council that 80 years after the founding of the United Nations, the UN Charter remains central to safeguarding peace, security, sovereign equality and multilateral cooperation. He warned, however, that growing geopolitical tensions, unilateral measures, exclusionary practices and the selective application of international law continue to undermine collective security and trust among nations. 
He called on the Security Council to strengthen its cooperation with regional organisations, particularly the African Union, in line with Chapter VIII of the UN Charter, and reiterated Zimbabwe’s support for the full and balanced implementation of Security Council Resolution 2719.
On Africa’s place in the Security Council, Prof. Murwira was direct, telling delegates that the current makeup of the body fails to reflect contemporary geopolitical realities and does nothing to correct Africa’s historical exclusion from permanent membership and its continued under-representation in the non-permanent category.
Pressing Zimbabwe’s candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council for the 2027 to 2028 term, Prof. Murwira said Zimbabwe wants to contribute meaningfully to international peace and security by promoting dialogue, consensus-building, inclusivity, preventive diplomacy and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.
Zimbabwe also called on all UN member states to recommit to the principles of the UN Charter and work collectively toward a just, peaceful, inclusive and equitable international order.
