The Democratic Republic of Congo officially began its campaign for a non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council for the term 2026-2027 in a ceremony held in Kinshasa on Wednesday.
Recognised as the most influential entity within the United Nations (UN), the Security Council is tasked with the maintenance of international peace and security. It has the authority to make legally binding decisions, sanction the use of military force, and implement sanctions.
The Security Council consists of five permanent members—China, France, Russia, Britain, and the United States—and ten non-permanent members who are chosen for two-year terms by the General Assembly and lack veto power.
The Central African nation has previously served as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council on two occasions—during 1982-1983 and 1991-1992 amid the Gulf War, according to Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, who addressed diplomats and Congolese officials at the event on Wednesday.
“Our nation played a significant role in denouncing Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait,” she noted regarding the DRC’s involvement in the first Gulf War.
The foreign minister highlighted the DRC’s extensive experience, as it hosts one of the largest peacekeeping missions in the UN, with a contingent of 15,000 blue helmets. The elections for the non-permanent seats on the Security Council are scheduled for June 2025.
If elected, the DRC would have the opportunity to “shape discussions on peacekeeping and reforms in peacebuilding, as well as contribute to the reform of the UN’s collective security framework,” stated Kayikwamba Wagner.
The DRC, which has experienced armed conflict in its mineral-rich eastern region for three decades, pledged to leverage “experience in enhancing mechanisms for conflict resolution to avert wars and international tensions,” she added.
