Kyrgyzstan seeks historic first seat on UN Security Council

The June 3 election will determine representatives from the African Group, the Asia-Pacific Group, the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC), as well as two representatives from the Western European and Others Group (WEOG).

No seat is available for the Eastern European Group in the current election cycle under the UN’s regional rotation system, meaning no election is being held for the group this year.

A total of seven countries are vying for five seats on the Council. Trinidad and Tobago and Zimbabwe face no competition for the seats allocated to the GRULAC and African groups, respectively. Austria, Germany and Portugal are competing for two WEOG seats, while Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines are contesting the seat reserved for the Asia-Pacific Group.

With the exception of Kyrgyzstan, all candidates have previously served on the Security Council. Germany has served the most terms, with six mandates, followed by the Philippines with four. Austria and Portugal have each held three terms, while Zimbabwe and Trinidad and Tobago have served twice and once, respectively.

Its election would not only mark the country’s first term on the body but also return a Central Asian representative to the Council for the first time in nearly a decade. Experts believe this could help focus greater attention on developments in Afghanistan and regional stability issues.

The election of the Philippines would also restore Southeast Asian representation on the Council and could lead to increased attention to developments in Myanmar, maritime security, and regional cooperation.

The UN Security Council comprises 15 members. Five — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States — are permanent members with veto power, while the remaining 10 are elected for two-year terms. The terms of Greece, Denmark, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia expire at the end of 2026.

Kazakhstan served on the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member from 2017 to 2018, representing the Asia-Pacific Group.

Earlier, Kazakhstan’s Security Council Secretary Gizat Nurdauletov attended the third Secretaries of Security Councils meeting in the Central Asia – Russia format.