PERMANENT OBSERVER MISSION OF
THE AFRICAN UNION TO THE UNITED NATIONS
The African Group
Message from the Chair
The Member States in the United Nations General Assembly are divided into various geographical groupings. These are the groupings through which elections are conducted into various UN bodies and agencies.
Africa is allocated 3 non-permanent members of the Security Council, 14 members on ECOSOC, 13 Members on the Human Rights Council and the President of the General Assembly in years ending 4 and 9.
The Africa Group at the United Nations is made up of the 54 African Union Member States at the United Nations. The bloc coordinates its efforts on various topics, ranging from health and migration to issues of peace and security.
The group hold regular meetings to receive briefings from guests and UN officials and discuss on UN resolutions and topics so a common African position can be reached.
The group is chaired by an Ambassador from a Member State, with the position rotating monthly. The African Union Observer Mission serves as a coordinating secretariat for the group by arranging meetings, supporting the Chair, and generally providing logistical and administrative assistance where necessary.
"En tant que représentant permanent de l'Éthiopie auprès des Nations unies, c'est un privilège unique pour moi de présider notre estimé groupe africain à New York pour le mois de mai 2025. Comme les États membres le savent, le mois de mai, au cours duquel l'OUA a été créée en 1963, revêt une importance historique pour notre continent.
En cette période de réforme institutionnelle des Nations unies, nous nous attacherons à comprendre le processus et les changements qui le façonnent pour qu'il soit bénéfique à l'Afrique."
H.E. Mr. Amb. Tesfaye Yilma Sabo
Ambassador and
Permanent Representative of the Republic of Ethiopia to the United Nations
President of the African Group for the month of May 2025