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Picture Courtesy:  THE HINDU

Context:

The UN General Assembly elected five countries to serve as non-permanent Security Council members for the 2026-2027 term.  

The UN Security Council (UNSC)

It is the most powerful body within the United Nations. It is primary responsibility is to maintain international peace and security.

It has 15 members

• 5 Permanent Members (P5): China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These countries have veto power.
• 10 Non-Permanent Members: These are elected by the UN General Assembly for two-year terms.  

Election Process for Non-Permanent Members

The UN General Assembly, which includes all 193 UN member states, elects the non-permanent members.

Elections are held by secret ballot. To win a seat, a candidate country must secure a two-thirds majority of the member states present and voting. This means at least 129 votes if all 193 members vote.

Seats are allocated based on regional groups to ensure geographical representation. 

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Who Was Elected for the 2026-2027 Term?

On June 3, 2025, the UN General Assembly elected the 5 countries to serve as non-permanent members of the Security Council for a two-year term starting January 1, 2026, and ending December 31, 2027:

1. Bahrain (Asia-Pacific group)
2. Colombia (Latin America and the Caribbean group)
3. Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) (African group)
4. Latvia (Eastern European group)
5. Liberia (African group)

These newly elected members will replace the following five countries whose terms end on December 31, 2025:

• Algeria
• Guyana
• Republic of Korea (South Korea)
• Sierra Leone
• Slovenia

These five newly elected nations will join the other five non-permanent members elected the previous year (Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia, whose terms run through 2026) and the five permanent members. 

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Source: 

THE HINDU