MONROVIA -- For the first time in more than six decades, Liberia has rejoined the world's most powerful security forum--not as a subject of international intervention, but as a decision-maker.
On Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, Liberia's red, white and blue flag was hoisted in the United Nations Security Council chamber, formally marking the country's return as a non-permanent member and closing a long diplomatic chapter defined by war, recovery and reintegration.
At the flag installation ceremony in New York, Liberia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Lewis G. Brown II, described the moment as a national turning point.
"This is not ceremonial," Brown said. "This is a reckoning with history--proof that a nation once discussed as a crisis has returned as a contributor to global peace and security."
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From Agenda Item to Voice at the Table
Liberia last served on the Security Council in 1964, during the early post-independence period. The decades that followed would dramatically reshape its relationship with the body.
Beginning in the 1990s, Liberia became a fixture on the Council's agenda, not as a participant, but as a problem to be managed. Resolutions imposed arms embargoes and sanctions, authorized peacekeeping missions, and monitored ceasefires as the country endured two brutal civil wars that killed an estimated 250,000 people and destabilized much of West Africa.
For years, Security Council decisions shaped Liberia's fate. Liberia itself had no vote in the room.
That imbalance began to shift in 2018, when the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) formally ended operations and lowered its flag in Monrovia, transferring full responsibility for national security back to Liberian institutions. The withdrawal was widely seen as a critical test of whether the country's postwar gains would endure without international troops.
According to Ambassador Brown, Liberia passed that test through peaceful transfers of power, sustained democratic processes, and gradual institutional reform.
Liberia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Lewis G. Brown II
An Overwhelming Global Endorsement
Liberia's return to the Council was sealed on June 3, 2025, when it won election with 181 votes out of 193 UN member states--one of the most decisive margins in recent African contests.
Running unopposed for the African Group's seat for the 2026-2027 term, Liberia's campaign was marked by rare political unity at home. The government and opposition leaders jointly backed the bid, presenting it internationally as a symbol of national cohesion after years of division.
President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr., watching the vote tally from Monrovia alongside senior officials and diplomats, described the victory as "a defining moment in Liberia's re-engagement with the world."
Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti called it "a victory not only for diplomacy, but for national unity."
Liberia officially assumed the seat on Jan. 1, 2026, replacing Sierra Leone as one of Africa's two representatives on the 15-member Council, alongside the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Their terms run through Dec. 31, 2027.
Africa's Seat, Global Responsibilities
Although the nameplate reads "Liberia," Brown emphasized that the mandate carries continental weight.
"This is Africa's seat," he said, noting that Liberia will coordinate closely with the African Union and regional partners while bringing its own post-conflict experience to bear on global crises.
That experience comes at a volatile moment. The Security Council's agenda is dominated by wars in Ukraine and Gaza, persistent instability in Sudan and eastern Congo, and growing concern over terrorism, climate-linked insecurity, and the erosion of multilateral norms.
Liberia has already signaled a foreign policy posture grounded in multilateralism and humanitarian considerations. In 2025, it joined a minority of UN members supporting a General Assembly resolution calling for a comprehensive peace in Ukraine, maintaining its long-standing opposition to Russia's invasion. It also voted in favor of a December 2024 resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, marking a notable shift toward prioritizing civilian protection.
Maritime Security and Regional Stability
Liberia's return also carries strategic implications beyond diplomacy. As one of the world's largest ship registries, the country is expected to play an active role in debates on maritime security, piracy, and the protection of global trade routes.
Regionally, Liberia is poised to become a key voice on West Africa and the Sahel. With Sierra Leone's term ending, Liberia is expected to co-pen Security Council resolutions related to the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel, working alongside Denmark. The DRC is likely to take on a similar role for Central Africa.
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Liberian officials say the country will advocate strongly for the African Union's "Silencing the Guns" initiative, which seeks to end armed conflict on the continent by 2030, and push for tighter controls on the illicit flow of small arms.
From Recovery to Responsibility
Liberia joins the Council alongside Bahrain, Colombia, Latvia and the DRC, each bringing distinct regional experience. Diplomats say Liberia's contribution lies in its lived experience of peacekeeping, postwar recovery and the long-term costs of state collapse.
The country has also committed to accountability reforms, signing the ACT Code of Conduct, which pledges members not to block credible resolutions aimed at preventing genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity.
As the Lone Star flag now flies in the Security Council chamber, Liberia's diplomatic journey has come full circle, from founding UN member, to conflict-scarred state under international supervision, to an elected voice shaping decisions that affect global peace.
"Liberia understands the price of conflict," Brown said. "That is why we arrive committed to dialogue, restraint and collective responsibility."
