MOSCOW, October 29. /TASS/. The United Nations Security Council is a universal instrument within the international community; humanity has no other such tool at its disposal, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the plenary session of the Russia-Africa summit.

He described the absence of African representatives among the permanent members of the UN Security Council as unfair. At the same time, according to Putin, this issue must be approached with caution "on the basis of a broad consensus, so as not to destroy even what we already have."

"Humanity currently has no other universal instrument at the disposal of the international community like the UN Security Council - or, indeed, the United Nations itself," the Russian leader emphasized.

The UN Security Council consists of 15 members. Five of these are permanent (Russia, China, the United Kingdom, the United States, and France), while the other 10 are elected by the UN General Assembly for a two-year term. Five of the 10 non-permanent members are up for re-election each year.