New York — Liberia on Friday formally began its tenure as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the 2026–2027 term, marked by the installation of the Liberian flag at the UN Headquarters in New York.
The ceremony symbolized Liberia’s return to the world’s most powerful security body after 65 years, following its election with the backing of 181 UN member states. Speaking on behalf of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Liberia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Lewis Brown, described the moment as both historic and deeply symbolic of the country’s journey from conflict to global responsibility.
“As our flag, the Lone Star, is installed in these halls, we mark more than a ceremonial change,” Ambassador Brown said. “It is a defining moment in Liberia’s national journey and a reflection of President Boakai’s enduring belief that peace is both a privilege and a duty.”
Ambassador Brown extended Liberia’s appreciation to outgoing Security Council members Slovenia, Algeria, Guyana, Sierra Leone, and the Republic of Korea for their service during the 2024–2025 term, while congratulating Somalia on assuming the presidency of the Council. He also thanked Kazakhstan for sustaining the long-standing tradition of the flag installation ceremony.
Reflecting on Liberia’s post-war recovery, Ambassador Brown recalled the drawdown of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) eight years ago, when peacekeeping forces handed full responsibility for national security back to the Liberian people.
“That moment challenged us to prove that peace could endure beyond the presence of peacekeepers,” he said. “Through commitment to democracy, institutional reforms, and national reconciliation, Liberia has met the challenge.”
More than 22 years after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, Ambassador Brown noted that Liberia now stands “peaceful, democratic, and stable,” adding that the country’s return to the Security Council is not a symbol of recovery, but of readiness to serve.
“Our flag now flies here not as a symbol of recovery, but as a symbol of responsibility,” he declared.
He said Liberia’s overwhelming election to the Council reflects global confidence in the country’s voice and in President Boakai’s values of dialogue over division, cooperation over conflict, and responsibility over isolation.
“Liberia is here because multilateralism worked, because the Security Council acted with resolve, because the African Union and ECOWAS stood firm, and because partners across the world believed that even nations emerging from conflict can contribute to global peace,” Ambassador Brown said.
Outlining Liberia’s approach to its two-year mandate, Ambassador Brown stressed that the country would be guided by its own lived experience of conflict and reconciliation, with a strong commitment to diplomacy and consensus-building.
“The nameplate will read Liberia. The seat is Africa’s,” he said. “But Liberia’s outlook will be global.”
He reaffirmed President Boakai’s vision that peace and security are indivisible, warning that “insecurity anywhere threatens stability everywhere.”
“Liberia is ready to serve toward a just and peaceful world,” Ambassador Brown concluded.
Liberia will serve on the 15-member Security Council alongside Bahrain, Colombia, DR Congo and Latvia as non-permanent members elected for the 2026–2027 term, representing Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Western Europe and Others.
