The UN must be reformed to increase Africa's representation within it, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in Kenya on Monday.

Mr. Guterres has frequently called for reform to give Africa and other regions of the world better representation at the UN. But he has made little progress, because this would require the five permanent members of the Security Council (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, which have veto power) to agree to limit their own power.

"We need deeper reforms of global institutions (...) that reflect the world as it is today, not as it was 80 years ago, and this includes the Security Council, where a historical injustice persists by denying Africa permanent seats," Mr. Guterres said at a press conference.

On Monday, ministers from about twenty African countries discussed this subject with the French and Kenyan foreign ministers, Jean-Noël Barrot and Musalia Mudavadi, at an Africa-France summit that started in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.

When asked by AFP about a realistic timeframe for reforming the Security Council, Mr. Guterres replied that it would be "difficult." "But there are already some steps in the right direction," he added, citing the efforts of the United Kingdom and France to limit the use of the veto by permanent members in extreme situations, such as genocide.

"The reform is absolutely necessary because, with the geopolitical fractures we are witnessing, guaranteeing peace and security in today's world is becoming extremely, extremely difficult, and we need an effective Security Council," the UN Secretary-General added.

Antonio Guterres is currently in Kenya to inaugurate buildings and launch work on an extension of the United Nations complex in Nairobi, where more than 4,000 UN employees already work, in order to transfer some of their colleagues currently based in New York (USA) and Geneva (Switzerland).

"It's a less expensive location than others (...) It's a good deal for the UN," he stressed, pointing to the work being estimated at $340 million (about €290 million) by the UN.

The United States has significantly reduced its contributions to the UN under the presidency of Donald Trump — particularly those related to humanitarian aid — and is threatening further cuts to force it to reduce its costs.