By Gabriel I.H. Williams
President Joseph Nyuma Boakai is heading a high-level Liberian government delegation at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which holds special historical significance for Liberia. The UNGA, which will be addressed by President Boakai and other leaders from around the world, started on September 9, 2025, at the UN headquarters in New York, USA.
The special historical significance of this year’s UNGA is that on June 3, 2025, Liberia was elected to a two-year term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) from January 2026 to the end of 2027. According to reports, during the election for a non-permanent member seat, Liberia secured a decisive majority of 181 out of 187 votes cast by UN member states.
The UNSC, which comprises 15 countries, has five permanent members, including the United States, Russia, and China, which exercise veto power. The ten non-permanent members, like Liberia, are elected by the General Assembly to serve for two-year terms on a rotational basis by geographic region.
Rising player on global stage
Among my favorite videos on social media recently is the one in which Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti is dancing to the popular Liberian music, “You’re Born to Win,” after Liberia’s victory was declared. This was a moment of historical significance, as Liberia, a founding member of the UN, is transitioning from being a subject of UN peacekeeping to an active participant in global peace and security deliberations.
This is a bold indication that Liberia – also a founding member of many international bodies, including very critical leadership roles in the establishment of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) renamed the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) – is rising again as a major player on the global stage.
It may be recalled that Liberia launched her bid for a non-permanent permanent member seat at a ceremony on the margins of the 79th Session of the UNGA in September 2024. President Boakai, who also addressed the UNGA for the first time since assuming the Liberian presidency in early 2024, underscored the significance of the occasion for Liberia and Africa, given Liberia’s historic leadership role in Africa.
Also speaking at the auspicious occasion, Foreign Minister Nyanti, who served as Assistant UN Secretary General before her current Liberian government appointment, summed up the reasons for Liberia’s candidacy. She noted that Liberia’s bid was intended for the country to share her past experiences as a global leader, its recent tragic history, as well as the ongoing process of peace consolidation, in the quest for a better world.
Before delving into the role of the UNSC in maintaining global peace and security and the significance for post-war Liberia in serving on the UNSC, let me indicate that I am the first of two Liberians ever to serve as journalism scholars at the United Nations Headquarters under the Daj Hammarskjold Memorial Fellowship, regarded to be one of the most prestigious awards in international journalism. Under the fellowship, three or four journalists are brought from the developing world annually to study about the UN and cover the UN General Assembly, as well as the opportunity to travel to the White House in Washington and other parts of the world.
In my case, I came first place out of more than 380 journalists around the world competing for four spots. Coincidentally, the topic that won me first place was on the need to reform the UN Security Council, and expand the number of permanent members in order to include Africa and other parts of the developing world. .
Quest for Security Council Seat
It is against this background that this and other articles are published to help educate our people about the UNSC, which is regarded to be the most powerful of the six principal organs of the United Nations. The UNSC is charged with ensuring international peace and security, and approving any changes to the UN charter, among others. The powers of the UNSC include establishing peacekeeping operations, enacting international sanctions, and authorizing military actions. Also, the UNSC is the only UN body with the authority to issue resolutions that are binding on all member countries.
Bringing it close to home, here are a few examples of some of the major actions taken by the UNSC to restore stability to the war-torn country: Liberia was placed under a UN mandate through the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) from 2003 until its closure in 2018; the arrest, detention and prosecution of former Liberian President Charles Taylor; and the imposition of international sanctions against some Liberians for their reported destructive roles in the civil crises.
This is why it is very commendable that immediately following the Boakaia government’s inauguration in 2024, the new administration basically hit the ground running with Foreign Minister Nyanti boldly leading the charge on Liberia’s ambitious quest for a seat on the UNSC.
Foreign Minister Nyani must be applauded for her demonstrated leadership at the global level, handing the Boakai administration and Liberia as a whole, the country’s first major international position since the end of the civil war.
Appreciation is also in order for former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Nobel Laureate Leymah Gbowie, among other prominent personalities, for supporting Foreign Minister Nyanti, who saw a possibility for Liberia and made a very decisive move.
I decided to provide this detailed background regarding the UNSC to better inform and educate the Liberian public, and how very significant it is that a country like Liberia, which was under UN mandate (authority) less than ten years ago, is now serving on the UNSC to address matters affecting the world and humanity at large.
In the wake of the announcement of Liberia’s candidacy for the non-permanent member seat, I published an article last October, calling on the Boakai government to use Liberia’s UNSC bid as a teaching moment, to inform and educate Liberians and the world at large about Liberia’s historic roles in Africa and the world as a whole.
Unfortunately, at a time when Liberians are supposed to put aside partisan differences and join a common cause to celebrate our country’s return to global leadership, Liberia has become so politically polarized that most of the news headlines and reports coming from the country on the government’s stewardship are negative.
The growing climate of negativity and verbal hostility in Liberia, as reflected in the mainstream Liberian media and social media, could easily degenerate into civil disturbance in the fragile post-war country, where the majority of the population is unemployed, especially the young people.
In this light, let it be made absolutely clear to all political actors in Liberia that they will be held fully accountable for their actions, especially under international laws, if there is any disruption of Liberia’s fragile peace.
As was in the case of Charles Taylor and others who profited from bloodshed and destruction, we will not hesitate to advocate for international sanctions against current Liberian politicians who will threaten the peace of the country. We will also not hesitate to invoke current US laws by instituting legal actions against individual Liberian politicians, whose political parties or groups will be involved in fomenting unrest in Liberia.
Finally, this is an urgent call for the Liberian government to very seriously consider the need to craft a “National Communications Strategy,” that would enable the government to reverse the tide of negative information that could undermine public confidence.
Mindful of the fact that public perception is fleeting, there is a need for the government to do more in its public information dissemination before it is too late.
It is important to note that while there are challenges in Liberia, progress is steady. The government’s challenge is how to effectively inform the Liberian people about the progress the government is making, despite the challenges.
About the Author: Gabriel I.H. Williams is a career journalist, author and former Liberian Diplomat to the US. He can be reached at: gabrielwilliams028@gmail.com.
