African Group
United Nations regional group
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Group of African States, or African Group, is one of the five United Nations regional groups and is composed of 54 Member States from the African continent.[1] The African Group is the largest regional group, and compose 28% of all United Nations members.
| |
| Formation | 1964 |
|---|---|
| Type | Regional group |
| Legal status | Active |
 Politics portal | |
The Group, as with all the regional groups, is a non-binding dialogue group where subjects concerning regional and international matters are discussed. Additionally, the Group works to help allocates seats on United Nations bodies by nominating candidates from the region.[2][3]
Role
The Group, as with all the regional groups, plays a major role in promoting the region's interests. It provides a forum for Member States to exchange opinions on international issues, carry out follow-up on the topics that are being discussed in international organisations, build common positions on complex issues and prepare statements reflecting the joint position of the Group.[4][5]
However, most importantly, the Group allows for the discussion and coordination of support for candidates for different United Nations organisations from the region.[2]
Member States
The following are the Member States of the African Group:[6][7]
Algeria
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cape Verde
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Congo
Côte d'Ivoire
DR Congo
Djibouti
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
São Tomé and Príncipe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Sudan
Tanzania
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Representation
Security Council
The African Group currently holds three seats on the Security Council, all non-permanent. The current members of the Security Council from the Group are:[8][9]
| Country | Term |
|---|---|
 Somalia |
1 January 2025 — 31 December 2026 |
 Algeria |
1 January 2024 — 31 December 2025[10] |
 Sierra Leone |
Economic and Social Council
The African Group currently holds 14 seats on the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The current members of the Economic and Social Council from the Group are:[11][12]
| Country | Term |
|---|---|
| Algeria
|
1 January 2025 — 31 December 2027 |
 Kenya |
1 January 2024 – 31 December 2026 |
 Mauritania | |
 Niger | |
 Senegal | |
 Zambia | |
 Botswana |
1 January 2023 — 31 December 2025 |
 Cabo Verde | |
 Cameroon | |
 Equatorial Guinea |
Human Rights Council
The African Group currently holds 13 seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council. The current members of the Human Rights Council from the Group are:[13][14]
Presidency of the General Assembly
Every five years in the years ending in 4 and 9, the African Group is eligible to elect a president to the General Assembly.[15]
The following is a list of presidents from the Group since its official creation in 1963:[16]
| Year Elected | Session | Name of President | Country | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 19th | Alex Quaison-Sackey |  Ghana | |
| 1969 | 24th | Angie E. Brooks |  Liberia | |
| 1974 | 29th | Abdelaziz Bouteflika | Algeria | |
| 1979 | 34th | Salim A. Salim |  Tanzania | Also chaired the 6th and 7th emergency special, and 11th special sessions of the General Assembly |
| 1984 | 39th | Paul J. F. Lusaka | Zambia | |
| 1989 | 44th | Joseph Nanven Garba |  Nigeria | Also chaired 16th, 17th and 18th special sessions of the General Assembly |
| 1994 | 49th | Amara Essy |  Côte d'Ivoire | |
| 1999 | 54th | Theo-Ben Gurirab |  Namibia | Also chaired the 22nd, 23rd and 24th special sessions of the General Assembly |
| 2004 | 59th | Jean Ping |  Gabon | |
| 2009 | 64th | Ali Abdussalam Treki |  Libya | Also chaired the 29th special session of the General Assembly |
| 2014 | 69th | Sam Kahamba Kutesa |  Uganda | |
| 2019 | 74th | Tijjani Muhammad-Bande | Nigeria | |
| 2024 | 79th | Philémon Yang | Cameroon | |
| Future | ||||
| 2029 | 84th | TBA | TBA | |
| 2034 | 89th | TBA | TBA | |