On June 3, 2026, the United Nations General Assembly elected Trinidad and Tobago to the prestigious 15-member UN Security Council. The nation was chosen alongside Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, and Zimbabwe to serve a two-year term commencing on January 1, 2027.
Representing the Latin American and Caribbean Group, Trinidad and Tobago will officially replace outgoing member Panama on the council.
Following Trinidad and Tobago’s successful bid, several other regional seats were decisively filled. Zimbabwe, representing the Africa Group, will take over the seat currently held by Somalia. The victory was celebrated at the UN headquarters by Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Amon Murwira and his delegation.
In the highly competitive Western European and Others Group, Portugal and Austria successfully secured their spots, replacing Denmark and Greece. Portugal received 134 votes, while Austria garnered 131. This outcome resulted in a notable loss for Germany; despite lobbying hard for a seat, Germany missed out after coming in third with 104 votes.
The race for the Asia-Pacific Group’s seat proved to be the most heavily contested of the session, requiring four rounds of voting to reach a conclusion. Kyrgyzstan ultimately prevailed over the Philippines with 142 votes to 49, marking a historic moment as the nation secured its first-ever Security Council seat. Kyrgyzstan will replace Pakistan on the council.
These five new members will join the council’s rotating roster of 10 non-permanent members, five of which are elected each year.
They will deliberate alongside the Security Council’s five permanent, veto-wielding members: Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States. The Security Council remains the only body within the UN that has the power to issue legally binding decisions, such as imposing international sanctions and authorizing the use of force.