On 5 April, SRSG Parfait Onanga-Anyanga participated as a panellist in a High-Level Panel Discussion on the UN Security Council (UNSC) reform organized by the French Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Other panellists at this event included the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Bankole Adeoye; Ambassador of Sierra Leone to the AU, Harold Bundu Saffa, in his capacity as representative of the current Chair of the Committee of Ten (C10); Director of Political Affairs at the UN and International Organisations Division of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Alexis Berthier; the Ambassador of Germany to Ethiopia and the AU, Stephan Auer, as representative of the G4; and Senior Researcher at the Institute for Security Studies,  Priyal Singh. The roundtable discussion saw the participation of many members of the diplomatic community, and high-school students from the French school in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

During the discussion, participants exchanged views on different reform models available for the UNSC, and discussed concrete steps to advance the implementation of the reform. The panellists stressed the incremental progress made in preparation of the reform as well as its urgency, especially in light of the current global context marked by strong polarization and a need for reinforced multilateralism. Overall, the speakers and panellists unanimously agreed on the urgency for Africa to have a permanent seat within the Council, not only to correct the historical injustice done to Africa, as stipulated by the C10; but also to ensure that the Council better reflects the security dynamics of today's world.