By: G Bennie Bravo Johnson, I.
At the ongoing 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), held in Washington, D.C., Liberia has been officially elected alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to serve as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), representing Africa for the 2026–2027 term.
The process which provides that to be elected, a candidate country must receive a two-thirds majority of the votes cast by the Member States present and voting. with 190 countries voting, Liberia accumulating 181 votes out of the total of 188 total votes cast, surpassing the 127 affirmative threshold votes to secure a seat.
Liberia declared its candidacy for one of the two available seats allocated to the African Group in September 2023 – during an announcement made during the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, where the first Independent African Nation launched her campaign and began seeking endorsements from regional and international partners.
Liberia’s campaign which emphasized her enduring commitment to peace, security, and development across the African continent, received strong endorsements from both the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU).
The election was conducted in accordance with established General Assembly procedures and regional rotation practices. It was presided over by H.E. Philemon Yang of Cameroon, President of the 79th UNGA session, which began in September 2024 and will conclude in September 2025.
The process was carried out pursuant to Article 23 of the UN Charter, which states: “The General Assembly shall elect ten other Members of the United Nations to be non-permanent members of the Security Council, due regard being specially paid, in the first instance to the contribution of Members of the United Nations to the maintenance of international peace and security and to the other purposes of the Organization, and also to equitable geographical distribution.”
Each elected non-permanent member will serve a two-year term beginning on January 1, 2026, and concluding on December 31, 2027. To be elected, candidates must secure a two-thirds majority vote of the General Assembly.
