Trinidad and Tobago elected to UN Security Council
June 3 (Reuters) –
The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday elected
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- Austria,
- Portugal,
- Trinidad and Tobago and
- Zimbabwe
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to the 15-member U.N. Security Council for two-year terms starting on January 1, 2027.
The Security Council is the only U.N. body that can make legally binding decisions such as imposing sanctions and authorizing use of force. It has five permanent veto-wielding members: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
The remaining 10 members are elected, with five new members joining every year. This year, one comes from the Africa Group, one from the Latin American and Caribbean Group, one from the Asia-Pacific Group, and two from the Western European and Others Group.
Zimbabwe will replace Somalia, Trinidad and Tobago will replace Panama, while Portugal and Austria will replace Denmark and Greece. The Philippines and Kyrgyzstan are competing to replace Pakistan
T&T wins UN Security Council seat
June 3, 2026
Trinidad and Tobago secured a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the 2027-2028 term, winning overwhelming backing from member states in a diplomatic victory that returns the country to the world body’s most powerful decision-making forum after more than two decades.
Trinidad and Tobago received the support of 181 of the 190 countries that voted during elections held at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Wednesday, comfortably surpassing the two-thirds majority required for election. The Government described the result as a major achievement under the leadership of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
The country’s campaign was launched during the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025 and involved extensive diplomatic engagement with world leaders.
The Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs said the victory reflected Trinidad and Tobago’s commitment to international cooperation and its efforts to advance issues of global peace and security.
The country’s campaign was built around the theme, “Building Consensus for the Realization of Sustainable Peace and Security”, and focused on three main priorities:
- curbing the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons,
- advancing the agenda of women and children in peace and security, and
- addressing the implications of artificial intelligence for global security.
The Security Council is responsible for maintaining international peace and security and has the authority to make binding decisions on issues such as armed conflict, sanctions, peacekeeping missions, counter-terrorism measures and humanitarian crises.
As a non-permanent member, Trinidad and Tobago will hold a vote on Security Council resolutions and participate directly in deliberations on some of the world’s most pressing security challenges.
Government officials said the seat would strengthen Trinidad and Tobago’s diplomatic influence while providing a platform to advocate for the interests of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the wider Caribbean region.
The election returns Trinidad and Tobago to the Security Council for the third time in its history. The country previously served on the council during 1985-1986 and again from 2002-2003.The new term will begin on January 1, 2027, and run until December 31, 2028.
The Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs said the successful bid demonstrated the country’s ability to build international consensus and would create opportunities for stronger diplomatic partnerships and increased engagement on global issues. Trinidad and Tobago contested the seat allocated to the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC), while elections were also held for seats representing Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Western European and Others Group.
With the election complete, Trinidad and Tobago is expected to begin preparations for its return to the Security Council, where it will join 14 other member states in addressing matters affecting international peace and security.
For the second time in this nation’s history, Trinidad and Tobago will have a seat at the United Nations Security Council. Today at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, T&T was elected as a non-permanent member for the 2027-2028 term. The country ran unopposed for the single available seat allocated to the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC), positioned to succeed Panama.
T&T received 181 votes out of 191 countries. Nine countries abstained. T&T only needed 122 votes to secure victory. To secure a non-permanent seat, a country must win a two-thirds majority of the member states present and voting via a secret ballot in the General Assembly Hall.
T&T previously served a two-year term as a non-permanent member forty years ago, spanning 1985 to 1986.
Commenting immediately after the electoral victory, Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers, in a media release, credited Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s leadership and diplomatic engagement for the successful bid. The campaign was launched during her participation at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September 2025.
“Since then, the Prime Minister has been in constant contact and personal dialogue with several world leaders to advance the country’s bid. The victory was testimony to her “vision, dedication and steadfast leadership” in promoting Trinidad and Tobago’s interests internationally.
The country’s campaign was conducted under the theme, “Building Consensus for the Realization of Sustainable Peace and Security,” and focused on three key areas: combating the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons, advancing the agenda of women and children in peace and security matters and addressing the implications of artificial intelligence on global security.
The Security Council is the most powerful body within the United Nations system and is primarily responsible for maintaining international peace and security. Trinidad and Tobago’s election would strengthen the country’s diplomatic standing, elevate its voice on global issues and create new opportunities for international partnerships and engagement.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) comprises 15 members: five permanent members with veto power, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China, and ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the UN General Assembly to ensure regional representation.
Under the UN Charter, its primary role and function is the maintenance of international peace and security. To achieve this, the Council is uniquely empowered to investigate global disputes, mediate conflicts, implement binding international sanctions, deploy UN peacekeeping forces, and, when diplomatic efforts fail, authorise collective military action to enforce its decisions and restore global stability.
Trinidad and Tobago Secures Seat On UN Security Council
June 3, 2026
Trinidad and Tobago has secured a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the 2027-2028 term, marking a major diplomatic achievement for the nation.
The seat was won in a single round of voting earlier this morning, garnering support from 181 of 191 UN member states, representing 95 percent of votes cast — far exceeding the two-thirds majority of roughly 129 countries required to secure a place on the council. Notably, all five permanent members of the Security Council — the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China and Russia — voted in favour of Trinidad and Tobago’s bid.
Prime Minister the Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC launched the campaign at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September 2025, and has since maintained direct dialogue with world leaders across the globe to build support for the country’s candidacy.
Trinidad and Tobago’s campaign was anchored by the theme “Building Consensus for the Realization of Sustainable Peace and Security” and centred on three strategic pillars: curbing the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons; women, children, peace and security; and artificial intelligence and global security.
The UNSC is widely regarded as the most powerful body in the UN system, bearing primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. All member states are bound to comply with its decisions.
Officials say the seat will significantly elevate the country’s standing on the world stage, opening doors for deeper engagement on issues of global peace, development and international cooperation, as well as new avenues for strategic partnerships.
Trinidad and Tobago indicated that it plans to place a particular focus on peace and security challenges facing small island developing states (SIDS). The fourth international conference on SIDS, in 2024 in Antigua and Barbuda, highlighted interconnected challenges facing SIDS countries and territories, such as
- transnational crime and trafficking,
- climate change,
- economic vulnerability,
- food and energy insecurity, and
- uneven development.
In 2027, Trinidad and Tobago may seek to draw the Council’s attention to the security implications of some of these challenges.
It remains unclear if Trinidad and Tobago will join the African members of the Council as part of the “A3 Plus” grouping, similar to the role played by Saint Vincent and the Grenadines during its 2020-2021 Council term and by Guyana during its 2024-2025 tenure.
Having an additional member from another region benefited both the “A3” and the “plus” members in recent years and has come to symbolise the strengthening of Africa–Caribbean coordination at the UN. This growing cooperation was reinforced by a memorandum of understanding signed between the AU and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in 2024 to enhance collaboration between the two organisations and their peoples.