Principles with Pragmatism: Insights for African Foreign Ministries’ UN Strategies

The report argues that Africa must transition from a principled but often fragmented approach to a pragmatic diplomatic strategy to avoid becoming a 'rule-taker' in a fracturing multilateral system. It identifies critical weaknesses in African coordination, specifically within the A3+ bloc and the African Union's (AU) financial sustainability, and proposes concrete reforms for UN Security Council (UNSC) representation, peace and security financing, and the professionalization of diplomatic missions through think-tank partnerships.

• Africa faces a risk of becoming a 'rule-taker' rather than a 'rule-maker' due to accelerating hyper-regionalisation in trade, technology, and finance. If great powers continue to abandon multilateral norms, the AU and regional forums may need to assume greater responsibility for peace, security, and development, necessitating a robust restructuring of African institutions.
• Despite being the largest regional voting bloc in the UN General Assembly, Africa's influence is hampered by a lack of coordination. The A3+ (African UN Security Council non-permanent members) remains overly dependent on informal relationships, leading to vulnerabilities; for example, a failure to present a unified position contributed to Russia's veto of UNSC Resolution 2760 on Sudan on 14 November 2024.
• The AU suffers from a significant credibility and independence crisis due to financial dependency on external partners, who fund 58.1% of the regular budget and 100% of peace support operations. By mid-2024, nearly half of the 55 member states were under sanctions for non-payment of dues.
• The Ezulwini Consensus of 2005, which demands two permanent UNSC seats with veto powers, is increasingly viewed by some diplomats as a 'maximalist' and 'counterproductive' framework that contributes to a stalemate. The report suggests a more flexible approach, including semi-permanent renewable seats or expanded elected membership.
• African countries face severe structural financial constraints, with debt service payments increasing from $61 billion in 2010 to $163 billion in 2024. In 2023, 30 African countries spent more on interest payments than on public health, limiting their ability to invest in the institutional capacity required for multilateral engagement.
• There is a 'crisis attention gap' where African conflicts receive significantly less diplomatic priority than other global crises. At UNGA 2024, 140 states addressed Gaza, while only 65 mentioned Sudan, with fewer than half of those being African states.
• The report recommends that African missions in New York establish formal partnerships with think-tank consortia to overcome staffing shortages and external influence, replicating the AU's Africa Think Tank Platform model to provide rapid-response policy analysis and institutional memory.

APA

de Carvalho, G., Bagwandeen, M., & Murithi, T. (2025). Principles with Pragmatism: Insights for African Foreign Ministries’ UN Strategies. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Principles-with-Pragmatism_22September.pdf

Chicago

de Carvalho, Gustavo, Mandira Bagwandeen, and Tim Murithi. Principles with Pragmatism: Insights for African Foreign Ministries’ UN Strategies. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2025. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Principles-with-Pragmatism_22September.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=de Carvalho |first1=Gustavo |last2=Bagwandeen |first2=Mandira |last3=Murithi |first3=Tim |title=Principles with Pragmatism: Insights for African Foreign Ministries’ UN Strategies |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=2025 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Principles-with-Pragmatism_22September.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{decarvalho2025principles, author = {de Carvalho, Gustavo and Bagwandeen, Mandira and Murithi, Tim}, title = {{Principles with Pragmatism: Insights for African Foreign Ministries’ UN Strategies}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2025}, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Principles-with-Pragmatism_22September.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }