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Africa: Liberia Ready for Defining UN Role

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Africa: Liberia Ready for Defining UN Role


-Boakai Hails Historic Security Council Seat, December Presidency

President Joseph Nyuma Boakai says Liberia is preparing to assume a greater role in global peace and security as it approaches its December presidency of the United Nations Security Council, describing the responsibility as a defining moment in the country’s diplomatic history.

Speaking during the commemoration of United Nations Day 2026 on Monday, President Boakai reaffirmed Liberia’s commitment to multilateral cooperation, recalling its role as a founding member of the UN in 1945.


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He said Liberia remains proud of its contribution to the establishment of the world body 81 years ago, when nations pledged to save succeeding generations from the devastation of war.

“After 81 years, the United Nations continues to prevent conflict, promote dialogue, empower communities, serve humanity, and advance peace. For Liberia, its contribution to our contemporary history is immeasurable,” Boakai said.

The President recalled the UN’s intervention during Liberia’s 14-year civil conflict, when the organization worked alongside ECOWAS, the African Union and international partners to support peace negotiations and humanitarian assistance.

He noted that following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement on August 18, 2003, the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) deployed approximately 15,000 peacekeepers, more than 1,000 police officers and civilian personnel to help stabilize the country.

From 2003 to 2018, he said, the mission contributed significantly to restoring peace and rebuilding national institutions.

“Liberia has witnessed firsthand the fulfillment of the principles and purposes we helped establish in 1945,” Boakai stated.

He said that experience influenced his administration’s decision to pursue a more active role in the UN and its affiliated institutions.

Reflecting on Liberia’s election to the Security Council in 2025, Boakai described the achievement as historic, explaining that it marked the country’s first election to a full two-year term as a non-permanent member.

He recalled that in 1960, Liberia and Ireland reached a negotiated arrangement to share a contested Security Council seat after six weeks and 13 inconclusive rounds of voting, with each country serving one year.

However, he said Liberia’s 2025 election represented a significant diplomatic milestone because the country secured sufficient votes in the General Assembly for a full two-year term.

“Of four African nations that signed the UN Charter in 1945, Liberia is the last to be elected to the Council. The honor has come late, but at a defining moment for the Organization,” he said.

President Boakai announced that Liberia will assume the rotating presidency of the Security Council in December, when he expects to become the first sitting Liberian President to preside over a Council session.

“We will undertake this responsibility with humility, drawing on our nation’s lived experience of war, reconciliation, and the difficult work of building peace,” he emphasized.

He said the responsibility comes as the United Nations prepares for the selection of a new Secretary-General amid growing international challenges.

According to Boakai, the UN faces increasing pressure to adapt to emerging global realities, including artificial intelligence, climate change, irregular migration, inequality and shifting geopolitical relations.

He stressed that developing countries such as Liberia need a stronger international institution capable of addressing poverty, advancing women’s rights, promoting sustainable development and ensuring that vulnerable nations are represented in global decision-making.