Kyrgyzstan has been elected to the UN Security Council for the first time in history — Euronews
For the first time since gaining independence in 1991, Kyrgyzstan has been elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
The country won the seat from the Asia-Pacific Group of States, beating out the Philippines in the vote.
Kyrgyzstan’s new term will begin on January 1, 2027, and run through the end of 2028.
This event marks a historic breakthrough for the Central Asian region on the international stage. The last time a representative from this part of the world—namely, neighboring Kazakhstan—held a seat on the Security Council was over a decade ago, in 2017–2018.
The vote demonstrated the international community’s high level of trust in Bishkek.
A Truly Historic Moment!
Thank You for Your Trust!@KyrgyzMissionUN @UN @un_kyrgyzstan pic.twitter.com/BLUoCh1afh— MFA Kyrgyzstan (@MFA_Kyrgyzstan) June 3, 2026
For Kyrgyz diplomacy, this result was a significant and long-awaited victory. Earlier, the country’s president, Sadyr Japarov, had actively urged world leaders to support the country’s bid.
He noted that it is necessary to give a greater voice to countries that have never before been represented on the Security Council, especially those that are landlocked or mountainous and face specific challenges.
On the eve of the vote, Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Zhenbek Kulubayev put forward an important initiative.
He called on the UN to reform the Security Council’s structure by expanding the representation of countries from Asia, Africa, and Latin America among its permanent members. Currently, key decisions remain in the hands of a limited circle of states.
Today, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council—the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China—hold the historic right of veto.
At the same time, 10 non-permanent members are elected on a geographical basis for two-year terms. Although African countries account for about a quarter of all 193 UN member states, none of them currently holds a permanent seat.
During the latest vote, the General Assembly selected five new member states that will take their seats in 2027.
They are Kyrgyzstan, Zimbabwe, Trinidad and Tobago, Portugal, and Austria. They will replace Pakistan, Somalia, Greece, Denmark, and Panama, whose terms are ending.
This was reported by Euronews.
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