New Voices at the Table: 5 Nations Elected to UN Security Council

The United Nations General Assembly has elected five new non-permanent members to the UN Security Council for the 2026–2027 term: Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Latvia, and Liberia.

These countries will assume their roles in January 2026, contributing to decisions on global peace, conflict resolution, and international security.

The election, held on June 3, 2025, saw participation from 188 UN member states. All five countries secured the required two-thirds majority in a single round of voting. Notably, Latvia will take a seat on the Security Council for the first time in its history, while the other four have served previously, Colombia seven times, the DRC twice, and both Bahrain and Liberia once.

These five nations will join Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia, who were elected last year and will serve through the end of 2026. Together, they will form the ten rotating members of the 15-seat council, alongside the five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.