President Karis: Reform of the UN Security Council is inevitable

Meeting with his Senegalese counterpart Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli of Nepal in Seville today, President Alar Karis discussed the deterioration in the international security situation and the need for the UN Security Council to be reformed. The head of state also spoke to both leaders about closer cooperation in the digitalisation of national services.

President Karis says the war in the Middle East, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and crises in Africa call for greater unity among, and a prompter response from, the international community. “The UN Security Council must be capable of acting and fulfilling its core mandate of championing peace and security around the world, but unfortunately it is not,” he remarked. “That being the case, the reform of the Security Council is inevitable. That must include a fairer and more balanced representation of countries on the council, including African nations.”

The head of state spoke with his Senegalese counterpart about the security situation in the Sahel region, and with the Nepalese head of government about the security situation in South Asia, while also raising Russia’s war against Ukraine with both.

President Karis highlighted the furthering of cooperation in the field of digitalisation in both discussions. “The best way to avoid making mistakes is to learn from other countries,” he said. “We are happy to share the lessons we have learned in adopting digital and e-governance solutions. We look forward to welcoming representatives of Senegal and Nepal to Estonia to appraise themselves of our experience.”

In the course of both meetings, the head of state also outlined Estonia’s candidature for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council from 2026-2028.