NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 7- The African Union Commission (AUC) and the Russian Federation have renewed calls for sweeping reforms to the global governance system, urging the international community to correct what they described as the “historical injustice” of Africa’s exclusion from permanent representation on the United Nations Security Council.The commitment was made during high-level consultations between African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the AUC headquarters in Addis Ababa, where both sides pledged to deepen strategic cooperation ahead of the third Africa-Russia Summit scheduled for October in Moscow.In a joint statement issued after the talks, the two sides said they remain committed to strengthening multilateralism at a time of growing geopolitical tensions, insisting that the United Nations must remain at the centre of international cooperation.“The African Union Commission and the Russian Federation reiterated their commitment to advancing effective multilateralism and restoring trust in the multilateral system, with the United Nations at its centre, to address emerging global challenges,” the statement read in part.The consultations placed significant emphasis on reforming the UN Security Council, with Russia reaffirming its support for Africa’s long-standing demand for equitable representation based on the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration.“Both sides stressed the need to approach the reform of the UN Security Council through redressing the historical injustice against Africa and treating the continent as a special case,” they said.Russia also backed the African Common Position, supporting calls for comprehensive reforms that would give the continent a stronger voice in global peace and security decision-making.Beyond institutional reform, the two delegations discussed conflicts across the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, the Great Lakes region, Sudan, South Sudan and Libya, reaffirming support for African-led conflict resolution mechanisms.Lavrov reiterated Moscow’s backing for the African Union’s principle of “African Solutions to African Problems,” while both parties called for predictable and sustainable financing for African Union-led peace support operations authorized by the UN Security Council through the full implementation of Resolution 2719.“The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation reiterated his country’s support for African-led and African-owned approaches to conflict prevention, mediation, peacebuilding, and post-conflict reconstruction and development,” the statement said.The meeting also highlighted the need for closer coordination between the three African elected members of the UN Security Council (A3) and Russia’s mission in New York on peace and security matters.On the global economy, the AU and Russia called for reforms to the international financial architecture, arguing that developing countries, particularly African states, continue to face disproportionate debt burdens, expensive borrowing costs and limited access to concessional financing.The two sides advocated for greater African representation in international financial institutions, expanded lending by multilateral development banks, increased technology transfer and fairer global trade and investment frameworks to accelerate the continent’s industrialisation and economic transformation.Food security also featured prominently in the consultations, with both sides pledging to strengthen agricultural cooperation and ensure uninterrupted supplies of food, fertilisers and agricultural inputs to African markets amid persistent global supply disruptions.The leaders further agreed to explore enhanced cooperation in responding to Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda by supporting the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in surveillance, laboratory systems, scientific research and emergency response.The consultations also reaffirmed support for Africa’s long-term development agenda, including Agenda 2063, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), infrastructure development, energy access, transport connectivity and industrialisation.“The Chairperson of the African Union Commission and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation agreed to conduct regular high-level political consultations, at least once a year, to establish a long-term, predictable framework for cooperation between Russia and the African Union.”Both sides expressed confidence that the third Africa-Russia Summit, scheduled for October 28-29, 2026 in Moscow, will provide fresh momentum for political, economic and security cooperation between Africa and Russia while advancing shared priorities on global governance, peace and sustainable development.