New Delhi, May 26 (IANS) India Wednesday backed Africa's demand to get a permanent seat in the UN Security Council and sought closer collaboration with the continent over a slew of global issues ranging from terrorism and climate change to eradication of poverty and hunger.

'The current global architecture is many decades old and is no longer capable of adequately meeting the increasing challenges before us. The UN, in particular, needs to be reformed and strengthened,' External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said here in a written speech on the occasion of Africa Day.

Africa Day commemorates the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) May 25, 1963.

'The absence of Africa and countries like India from the permanent membership of the UN Security Council makes the body unrepresentative and undemocratic,' Krishna said.

'India strongly supports Africa's demand to get its due as permanent members of the Security Council,' the minister said.

The lecture was organised by the Indian Council for World Affairs.

Krishna's speech on the India-Africa relations was read out by Vivek Katju, secretary (west) in the external affairs ministry as the minister had to go to Bangalore due to a bereavement in the family.

Krishna stressed that India and OAU should work closely over the expansion of the Security Council in both its permanent and non-permanent categories. 'Given that text-based inter-governmental negotiations on UN reform will start in the UN General Assembly June 1, we now need, more than ever, to work together to ensure stronger presence of the developing world in the UN Security Council,' he said.