UN Security Council Elects Bahrain, Colombia, DR Congo, Latvia, and Liberia as Non-Permanent Members for 2026-2027

New York, June 4, 2025 – The United Nations General Assembly today elected Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), Latvia, and Liberia as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for the 2026-2027 term. The newly elected members will assume their seats on January 1, 2026, succeeding Algeria, Guyana, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, and Slovenia, whose terms conclude at the end of December 2025.

The Security Council, the UN’s most powerful body responsible for maintaining international peace and security, is composed of 15 members: five permanent members with veto power—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—and ten non-permanent members elected by the General Assembly for staggered two-year terms.

This year’s election saw seats distributed according to regional groupings: two for African states, one for the Asia-Pacific group, one for Eastern Europe, and one for Latin America and the Caribbean. The results are as follows:

• Africa: Democratic Republic of the Congo and Liberia
• Asia-Pacific: Bahrain
• Eastern Europe: Latvia
• Latin America and the Caribbean: Colombia

Latvia will make its debut on the Security Council, marking a significant milestone for the Baltic nation. The other four countries—Bahrain, Colombia, DR Congo, and Liberia—have previously served on the Council.

The newly elected members will join current non-permanent members Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, and Switzerland, whose terms run through 2026. The Security Council addresses pressing global issues, including conflict resolution, sanctions, peacekeeping operations, and the authorization of military action.

The election underscores the UN’s commitment to regional representation and provides a platform for the incoming countries to influence key decisions on international peace and security during their two-year tenure.