On Wednesday (3), the United Nations (UN) General Assembly elected Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe to the 15-member UN Security Council for two-year terms beginning January 1, 2027.
Germany, which campaigned strongly for a seat, came in third for the two seats contested by the Western European and Others Group, with 104 votes, compared to 134 for Portugal and 131 for Austria.
The contest between the Philippines and Kyrgyzstan for the Asia-Pacific Group seat went through four rounds of voting, with Kyrgyzstan finally achieving the necessary two-thirds majority and securing its first seat on the Security Council with 142 votes to 49.
The Security Council is the only UN body with the power to make legally binding decisions, such as imposing sanctions and authorizing the use of force. It has five permanent members with veto power: the United Kingdom, China, France, Russia, and the United States of America (USA).
The remaining ten members are elected, with five new members joining each year. This year, one belongs to the African Group, one to the Latin American and Caribbean Group, one to the Asia-Pacific Group, and two to the Western European and Others Group.
Zimbabwe will replace Somalia, and Trinidad and Tobago will replace Panama, while Portugal and Austria will replace Denmark and Greece. Kyrgyzstan will replace Pakistan.
Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Latvia, and Liberia will continue to serve as non-permanent members of the Security Council until the end of 2027.
On Tuesday, the General Assembly elected Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister, Khalilur Rahman, as president of the 193-member body for its 81st session, which begins in September.
Source: Reuters
