Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio said serving on the UN Security Council has been a great learning experience for his country and stressed the importance of amplifying Africa's voice in global decision-making.
Sierra Leone was elected a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2024-2025 term and has twice held the rotating presidency during that period. The country also joined the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative (GDI) in early 2024.
Noting growing uncertainties over the past two years, the Sierra Leonean president said that the countries of the world must take care of one another, recognizing their common interests.
"We have to recognize, as we normally say, that the world is a village today. And if it is this a village, then we have to take care of one another, and that is what I admire China for. They have been open and willing to help other countries. China is a successful example of a country that has made so much progress in the last 50 years, and they have the experience that we can learn from," Bio said in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) that aired on Friday.
Since taking office in 2018, Bio has twice presided over high-level open debates at the UN Security Council. He said those experiences offered his country valuable opportunities to understand world politics at the highest level and to navigate complex challenges.
"It's an honor, and a great learning experience for Sierra Leone. The word revolves around, for now, multilateralism, whether it's challenged or not. And being at the Security Council means you are at the center. And to have had the opportunity to preside over the Security Council twice, it's a great opportunity. We've learned quite a lot. It creates the opportunity for you to understand world politics at the highest level, and how you navigate the many challenges. These are very eventful times in the history of the world, and to be in the middle of that has been a great experience and we are happy that we are here and we have contributed to deal with some of the challenges around the world," said the president.
He also emphasized that Sierra Leone has used its seat to bring African perspectives to the UN Security Council, which regularly makes decisions that impact the continent.
"As a member of the Security Council, we used that opportunity to bring the perspectives of Africa, but also the concerns of Africa. We were not there at the beginning of the creation of the United Nations, because most of us, were not independent countries. Africa is 1.4 billion people. And most of the decisions at the Security Council, call it 60 to 70 percent, are actually about Africa. It is just fair to make sure that Africa is equally represented," Bio said.
African voices must be heard at Security Council as matter of fairness: Sierra Leone president
African voices must be heard at Security Council as matter of fairness: Sierra Leone president
