MONROVIA, LIBERIA – Liberia is preparing to use its upcoming presidency of the United Nations Security Council as more than a diplomatic milestone, with the government seeking to turn the country’s month at the helm of the powerful UN body into an opportunity to promote national priorities, deepen international partnerships and attract investment.
Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow-Nyanti says the government is already laying the groundwork for Liberia’s December 2026 presidency, which will place President Joseph Nyuma Boakai in a position to preside over proceedings of the 15-member Security Council.
She made the disclosure Thursday, August 27, during the Ministry of Information’s regular press briefing, where several senior government officials presented the administration’s plans for Liberia’s upcoming engagement at the global security body.
Beysolow-Nyanti said Liberia intends to focus its diplomatic attention on issues linking peace and security with some of the country’s most pressing development concerns.
Among the issues identified are youth participation in peacebuilding, women’s role in conflict prevention and resolution, the relationship between climate change and conflict, responsible management of natural resources and reforms within UN peacekeeping operations.
The Foreign Minister said the priorities are being framed within the government’s broader ARREST Agenda and are intended to reflect areas that have received strong backing from President Boakai.
But beyond policy discussions at the Security Council, the government sees the presidency as an avenue to project Liberia’s national story to a much wider international audience.
According to Beysolow-Nyanti, Liberia will seek to use the period to showcase developments taking place under the Boakai administration while engaging potential international partners around the country’s investment and development needs.
The government’s diplomatic push will begin before Liberia formally takes the Council’s presidency.
A series of high-level pre-UNSC conferences is scheduled for September 23 in New York, bringing together Liberian officials to articulate the country’s priorities ahead of its December leadership role.
The planned engagement is expected to involve officials responsible for foreign affairs, gender and children’s protection, youth and sports, and environmental protection.
Their participation signals an attempt by the government to connect Liberia’s Security Council agenda with domestic issues ranging from youth empowerment and gender inclusion to environmental protection and natural-resource governance.
For Liberia, the December presidency will carry particular diplomatic significance. While the presidency rotates among Council members, the country will have an opportunity to shape the Council’s working agenda and preside over its formal proceedings during its tenure.
The government says it intends to use that platform to draw attention to peace and security questions affecting Liberia, West Africa and the broader international community.
Liberia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Lewis Brown, is expected to play a central role in sustaining the country’s diplomatic representation and negotiations at the UN.
The administration is therefore entering the period with two objectives: strengthening Liberia’s voice in international peace and security discussions while using the country’s elevated diplomatic profile to advance national development interests.
The challenge will be converting the visibility associated with the presidency into concrete diplomatic, economic and development gains once Liberia’s brief leadership period comes to an end.
