The United Nations General Assembly elected Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Latvia, and Liberia to the 15-member UN Security Council for two-year terms starting on January 1, 2026.

Axar.az, citing JP, reports that the Security Council is the only UN body that can make legally binding decisions such as imposing sanctions and authorizing the 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.