The UN General Assembly will elect new members of the UN Security Council

2 June 2026 UN

Regional groups

In accordance with the principle of regional distribution, representatives of the African group, the Asian-Pacific group, the group of Latin American and Caribbean states, as well as two representatives of the Western European and other states group will be elected. The Eastern European group will not participate in the elections this year, as no seat is allocated to it under the current regional rotation scheme.

Seven states participate in the elections

Seven countries are vying for five places: Austria, Germany, and Portugal will compete for two spots from the Western European group, and other states, Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines, for one place from the Asia-Pacific group. Trinidad and Tobago and Zimbabwe are the only candidates for the places allocated to other regional groups.

In the event Kyrgyzstan becomes a member of the Council for the first time. Moreover, a representative of Central Asia will appear in the Security Council for the first time in almost a decade. Experts believe this will help strengthen attention to the situation in Afghanistan and regional stability issues. The election of the Philippines, in turn, will return the voice of Southeast Asian states to the Council and may contribute to more active discussion of the situation in Myanmar, maritime security issues, and regional cooperation.

United Nations Security Council composition

The Security Council consists of 15 countries. Five of them – the United Kingdom, China, Russia, the USA, and France – are permanent members with veto power. Another ten are elected for a two-year term. At the end of 2026, the mandate of five non-permanent members will expire – Greece, Denmark, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia.

Role SB

The Security Council bears the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. It plays a leading role in determining the existence of a threat to peace or an act of aggression. This body is tasked with recommending to the parties methods for resolving the conflict situation or conditions for settlement. In some cases, the Security Council may resort to sanctions or even authorize the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security.

Disagreement among permanent members

New members of the Council will have to work under conditions complicated by continuing disagreements between permanent members of the Security Council on a number of international crises. These contradictions continue to complicate decision-making on issues of international peace and security.