10/02/2025
Statement by H. E. James Gbelee Washington, President of the Liberia National Students’ Union (LINSU) and Member of the National Steering Committee for Liberia’s Bid for a UN Non-Permanent Security Council Seat
February 10, 2025
Title: “A Return to Destiny: Liberia’s Historic Bid for a UN Security Council Seat”
The President of the Republic of Liberia H. E. Amb. Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr., the Dean and members of the Cabinet, the Honorable Speaker, Pro Tempore and Honorable Members of 55th National Legislature, Fellow Liberians, Esteemed Members of the United Nations and Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Advocates for Global Peace and Security, the Press, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen.
Today, as Liberia officially launches its bid for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), we do not merely embark on a campaign; it is important that we reminisce and summon the spirit of history. For me, this venture is not an appeal for recognition; it is a declaration of responsibility—one that echoes from the founding halls of the United Nations in 1945, where Liberia stood as the mother of an evergreen continent among the first 50 nations to sign the UN Charter. Today, we reassert our place as a torchbearer of global multilateralism, an unwavering advocate for global peace, and a nation whose legacy is interwoven with the very fabric of highest order of international diplomacy.
From the moment Liberia declared itself Africa’s first republic in 1847, we have shouldered a burden far greater than our geographical size. We have been a beacon for self-governance, an unapologetic voice against colonialism, apartheid, and the brutal tides of oppression that sought to define the African condition. When the world faltered in recognizing the humanity of black people in South Africa, Liberia stood on the frontlines of the diplomatic offensive that led to the dismantling of apartheid and racial arrogance. When the call for a United Nations was answered after the ashes of the Second World War, Liberia did not stand by as a spectator—we helped construct the very foundation of the global peace system.
Yet, history is not merely a relic to be admired—it is a call to action.
Among the four African countries who signed the charter that established the United Nations Liberia has gotten the non Permanent Seat at the Security Council but once in 1961. While our continent remains a primary theater of UN peacekeeping operations, the voices that shape global security policy often do not reflect the realities of those on the frontlines of conflict, instability, and the struggle for sustainable peace. Liberia’s bid is not just about our nation—it is a mandate for Africa, for the Global South, for the principle that those who bear the brunt of insecurity must also be architects of its resolution.
We come forward as a nation not defined by its scars but by its resilience, courage, and fortitude. From the tragedy of war, we emerged as a revolutionary vanguard for peace, hosting the largest UN peacekeeping mission in modern history (UNMIL) and demonstrating responsibleness to the world that our nation can heal, rebuild, and lead once more. We have transformed from a country that required peacekeeping to a country that now champions peacebuilding.
Liberia’s candidacy for a non-permanent seat is a reaffirmation that small nations, too, must have a voice. It is an assertion that a country whose flag is woven from the same threads as that of the United Nations must now take its rightful seat at the table beginning from here. It is an affirmation that Liberia—not just as a nation but as an idea, as a symbol of African agency, as a bastion of democratic renewal—stands ready to contribute to shaping the new multipolar global order.
As President of the Liberia National Students’ Union (LINSU) and a proud member of the National Steering Committee for Liberia’s bid, in the uniqueness of our patrimony of brotherliness and Pan-Africanism, I call upon all African People and all member states of the United Nations to stand with us.
This is not a campaign; this is a covenant between history and destiny. It is a declaration that Liberia, the vanguard of African diplomatic engagement, will no longer sit on the sidelines of global governance.
Our flag emblazons with a single star representing the oneness of the brightness of our blackness as African people. It is not a symbol of isolation—it is a call to unity. And today, that star shines brighter than ever, illuminating Liberia’s path back to the highest echelons of global peace and security.
Liberia is ready. The world must now bear witness.
In pursuit of peace, justice, and a more inclusive world order, the struggle continues!
Aluta!
