-Amb. Lewis Brown declares, As Liberia Officially Takes Seat on the United Nations Security Council
NEW YORK, – The flag of Liberia was officially installed at the United Nations Security Council on Friday, marking the start of the nation’s two-year term as an elected member. The ceremony formalizes Liberia’s first full elected mandate on the Council in 65 years.
Liberian Permanent Representative Ambassador Lewis Brown delivered remarks at the event. He extended thanks from Liberian President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., to the five outgoing Council members: Slovenia, Algeria, Guyana, Sierra Leone, and the Republic of Korea.
Ambassador Brown congratulated Somalia on assuming the rotating Security Council presidency for the month of January and thanked Kazakhstan for sustaining the flag installation tradition.
In his speech, Brown linked the occasion to Liberia’s recent history, noting that the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the country ended eight years ago. “That moment challenged us to prove that peace could endure beyond the presence of peacekeepers,” he stated.
The Ambassador declared that Liberia’s flag now flies at the Council “not as a symbol of recovery, but as a symbol of responsibility and readiness to serve.” He noted the country was elected with the backing of 181 UN Member States.
Brown outlined Liberia’s intended approach, stating the nation comes to the Council “committed to diplomacy because we have lived the cost of its absence.” He affirmed a focus on building bridges and encouraging consensus.
“The nameplate will read Liberia. The seat is Africa’s. But Liberia’s outlook will be global,” Ambassador Brown concluded, adding that the country “stands ready to serve.”
The flag installation ceremony is a standard procedure for newly elected Security Council members. Liberia will serve on the 15-nation Council for the 2026-2027 term.
