2005 — Africa Demands a Veto: The Ezulwini Consensus

On March 7 and 8, 2005, the African Union's Executive Council met in Addis Ababa and adopted the Ezulwini Consensus, Africa's common position on United Nations Security Council reform. It demands at least two permanent seats with full veto rights, plus five non-permanent seats, for Africa's fifty-four nations.

Named for the Eswatini valley where it was forged, the consensus remains the continent's official negotiating line two decades later. Fifty-four nations speaking with one voice asked for a full place at the table where the world's hardest decisions are made, with the veto power that permanent membership carries, and that demand has not been withdrawn.