By Sidiki Fofana |TRUTH IN INK
Congratulations to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai for seeing this through. Liberia has officially reclaimed a seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) as a non-permanent member for the 2026–2027 term, our first since 1968–1969, and third overall. This moment is undoubtedly a diplomatic victory.
But let us be clear: Truth in Ink believes that the real celebration is not the seat we have won. It is what we do with it, and how we use it to shape not only our international posture, but our domestic governance.
A nation’s foreign policy is only as strong as its internal credibility.
If our representation on the global stage does not translate into institutional reform, democratic renewal, and improved service delivery at home, then we will have wasted the opportunity, and betrayed the moment.
To fully understand the significance of this achievement, we must look back. Liberia’s Legacy on the Security Council:
Liberia served on the Security Council twice before: 1961–1962 under President William V. S. Tubman, and 1968–1969 under President William R. Tolbert Jr. These were not ceremonial roles. Liberia was among the few independent African nations positioned to speak for the continent in a world split by Cold War rivalries and colonial tensions.
During the 1961–1962 term, Liberia championed African decolonization, supported Algerian and Angolan independence, and upheld the principles of sovereignty and self-determination. These were not just diplomatic positions; they were national convictions rooted in Liberia’s identity as Africa’s oldest republic.
By the 1968–1969 term, Liberia was again asserting moral leadership in addressing conflicts in Congo, Biafra, and the Middle East. And it was during this period that Ambassador Angie Brooks made history as the first African woman to preside over the United Nations General Assembly. Liberia was not just at the table, it was shaping the conversation.
Those eras remind us of something essential: Liberia’s global credibility has always depended on its moral clarity and internal governance.
A Regional and Domestic Responsibility:
Our return to the Security Council comes at a pivotal time for West Africa and ECOWAS.
Military takeovers in Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, and Niger have shaken the region’s democratic norms. Trust in elections, justice systems, and institutions is eroding. Liberia is now uniquely positioned to be a voice for regional democratic integrity, but only if it governs credibly at home.
As President William R. Tolbert Jr. once warned, “The ultimate test of government is not how well it governs abroad, but how justly it governs its people.”
President Boakai, in launching Liberia’s campaign for the seat, echoed this tradition of responsible leadership: “Liberia’s history is closely intertwined with the ideals of the United Nations. Our commitment to fostering peace, resolving conflicts, and advocating for self-determination across Africa is well documented… Our experience in overcoming conflict equips us with unique insights into peacebuilding and conflict resolution, making us well positioned to contribute meaningfully to the Security Council’s work.”
But international respect must be earned through domestic legitimacy. Former President George Weah struck a similarly sobering tone in his own statement recognizing the achievement:
“The misuse of power to stifle dissent and target political opponents poses a serious threat to Liberia’s democratic stability.”
And in an even more urgent appeal, Mulbah K. Morlu Jr., Chairman of the civil society group STAND, underscored that the real test lies not in winning prestige abroad but in governing effectively at home:
“The time for talking is over. The time for action has come. The time for Liberians in their collective majority to take a stand and demonstrate action against bad governance, against political excesses has come.
Together, these voices reflect a growing national consensus: that Liberia’s international reemergence must not become a smokescreen for domestic inertia.
And so we say let’s move from the Ceremony to Substance: Our presence on the Security Council is not a trophy; it is a tool.
As Abraham Lincoln once told a divided Congress in 1862, “As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew.”
We must use this seat not just to vote on conflicts or sanctions abroad, but to elevate the quality of governance here at home, to reinvest in the rule of law, to empower young Liberians, and to restore trust in public institutions.
As Dag Hammarskjöld, former UN Secretary-General, famously noted: “The United Nations was not created to take mankind to heaven, but to save humanity from hell.” Liberia must use this position to help prevent hell for others, but also to redeem its own legacy of promise betrayed and potential deferred.
A Seat With a Mirror
Today, Liberia’s flag hangs once more in the chamber where decisions about global peace and justice are made. But this seat is also a mirror, it reflects back the nation we are becoming.
If we use this moment to build better policies, deepen democracy, and govern with vision, then we will have earned the seat and the future it offers. If we squander it in fanfare and political theater, we will have sold prestige for nothing.
Indeed the seat is ours, and worth celebrating. But what we do with it that is the real test of leadership. And so, let us choose substance over spectacle. Let us ensure that the real legacy of our return to the Security Council is not just a seat, but a shift in how we lead- firstly and most importantly at home.
