MONROVIA – President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has called for a more responsive and inclusive United Nations, saying the global organization must adapt to emerging challenges, including climate change, artificial intelligence, inequality and irregular migration.
By: Sampson W Weah – sampsonwweah7@gmail.com
Speaking Monday during the commemoration of United Nations Day at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Monrovia, Boakai highlighted Liberia’s growing diplomatic role following its election to the UN Security Council in June 2025.
Liberia began its two-year term as a non-permanent member of the Council on January 1, 2026, and is scheduled to hold the Council’s rotating presidency in December 2026.
The presidency, which lasts one month, will give Liberia responsibility for presiding over Council meetings and guiding its programme of work during that period.
Boakai said Liberia would approach the responsibility with humility, drawing on its experience of civil conflict, reconciliation and post-war recovery.
He also noted that the upcoming presidency comes as the United Nations prepares for the selection of a new secretary-general.
Reflecting on Liberia’s election to the Council, Boakai clarified that the country’s current membership differs from its previous experience in 1960, when Liberia and Ireland agreed to share a contested seat following six weeks and 13 rounds of inconclusive voting, with each country serving for one year.
“In 2025, for the first time in our history, Liberia secured a majority vote in the General Assembly for a full two-year term as a non-permanent member of the Security Council,” he said.
UN’s role in Liberia’s recovery
Boakai also acknowledged the United Nations’ contribution to Liberia’s recovery from 14 years of civil conflict, crediting the organization and its international partners with supporting peace efforts and humanitarian assistance.
Following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement on August 18, 2003, the United Nations Mission in Liberia deployed approximately 15,000 troops, more than 1,000 police officers and civilian personnel to help stabilize the country.
The mission operated until 2016, supporting peacekeeping efforts and the rebuilding of national institutions.
The president said Liberia’s experience demonstrated the importance of multilateral cooperation and the principles of the UN Charter, which Liberia helped establish as a founding member in 1945.
He added that his administration had made a deliberate decision to strengthen Liberia’s participation in the United Nations and its affiliated bodies.
The president said the United Nations was at a crossroads and needed to assess whether its existing structures and approaches remained adequate to address present and future global challenges.
He cited artificial intelligence, multipolarity, climate change, irregular migration, growing inequality and youth frustration as issues requiring international cooperation.
Boakai stressed that developing countries such as Liberia needed a global organization that prioritizes poverty reduction, women’s empowerment, sustainable development and the concerns of vulnerable nations.
“When the Charter was signed, the world’s foremost concern was ending the ‘scourge of war.’ Today, we need the United Nations to help nations address challenges that no country can solve alone,” he said.
Boakai also praised the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the country’s ambassadors and other diplomatic personnel for their efforts to advance Liberia’s foreign policy objectives.
He thanked the ministry for incorporating Liberia’s diplomatic history into this year’s UN Day celebration, emphasizing the importance of helping young people understand the country’s place in international affairs.
The president also acknowledged a billboard erected by the ministry to recognize his administration’s foreign policy achievements, accepting the recognition on behalf of officials and staff involved in the work.
“In just three years, Liberia has advanced foreign policy objectives that had eluded us for decades,” he said.
Boakai commended the foreign minister, the ministry’s leadership, members of the Policy Advisory Council, ambassadors and staff serving in diplomatic missions around the world.
He concluded by reaffirming Liberia’s commitment to multilateral cooperation, international peace and security, and efforts to ensure that all nations and peoples can prosper with dignity.
