CONGRATULATIONS are pouring in for His Majesty King Hamad and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, after Bahrain secured a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2026-2027 term.
Among those who congratulated the leadership were Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, government ministers, senior government officials, defence officers, envoys, clubs and organisations as well as other dignitaries.
The Muslim Council of Elders and Arab Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al Yamahi also sent their congratulations.
Along with Bahrain, Colombia, Congo, Latvia, and Liberia were elected by the UN General Assembly to the 15-member Security Council for two-year terms starting on January 1, 2026.
Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani congratulated His Majesty King Hamad, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and the people of Bahrain on this achievement.
He noted that the near-unanimous support is a testament to the leadership of His Majesty and HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and a clear recognition of global confidence in Bahrain’s foreign policy and its commitment to peace, co-operation and international stability.
Dr Al Zayani emphasised Bahrain’s dedication to upholding the UN Charter, promoting multilateralism, and engaging constructively with Security Council members to address global challenges.
He said that Bahrain’s approach during its Security Council term will be guided by its core values of dialogue, coexistence, mutual respect and consensus building.
The minister expressed Bahrain’s intention to serve as a voice for diplomacy, a bridge for understanding, and a champion of solutions that reflect the aspirations of peoples for a future of peace, stability and prosperity.
Dr Al Zayani also commended the kingdom’s permanent mission to the UN, led by Ambassador Jamal Al Rowaiei, as well as all officials at the ministry and members of the mission, for their dedicated work in the spirit of ‘Team Bahrain’.
He commended their tangible efforts and outstanding diplomatic work that contributed to this significant milestone and expressed gratitude to UN member states for their support.
The Security Council is the only UN body that can make legally binding decisions such as imposing sanctions and authorising 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. Bahrain, Colombia, the DRC, Latvia, and Liberia – who were all elected in uncontested slates – will replace Algeria, Sierra Leone, South Korea, Guyana and Slovenia.
To ensure geographical representation, seats are allocated to regional groups. But even if candidates are running unopposed in their group, they still need to win the support of more than two-thirds of the General Assembly.
Bahrain received 186 votes, DRC 183, Liberia 181, Colombia 180 and Latvia 178 votes.
The General Assembly on Monday elected former German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock as president of the 193-member body for its 80th session, which begins in September.
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