Trinidad and Tobago Wins Seat on UN Security Council in Historic Landslide

Trinidad and Tobago has secured a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2027–2028 term, winning one of the most emphatic election results of the day with 181 votes out of 191 cast, including the support of all five permanent members of the Council: the United States, United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia.

The result, achieved in a single round of voting, far exceeded the two-thirds majority of approximately 129 votes required for election. It marks one of the most significant diplomatic achievements in the country’s modern history and gives the Caribbean nation a seat at the table of the world’s most powerful multilateral body.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who personally spearheaded the campaign, launched the bid at the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2025 and maintained direct dialogue with world leaders in the months that followed. The campaign ran under the theme “Building Consensus for the Realization of Sustainable Peace and Security” and was built around three strategic pillars: curbing the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons; women and children, peace and security; and artificial intelligence and global security.

Trinidad and Tobago will replace Panama on the Council and join four other newly elected members (Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, and Zimbabwe) when the new term begins on January 1, 2027.

The Security Council is the most powerful body in the United Nations system, charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. It is the only UN organ whose decisions are legally binding on all member states, with authority to impose sanctions and authorise the use of force. Its five permanent members hold veto power, while the remaining ten seats are elected on a rotating basis.

CARICOM Heads of Government described the result as “a proud moment not only for Trinidad and Tobago, but for the Caribbean Community as a whole.” The regional bloc expressed confidence that Trinidad and Tobago would bring to the Council “the unique perspectives of Caribbean Small Island and Low-lying Coastal Developing States” on issues critical to the peace and stability of the region.

The seat will elevate Trinidad and Tobago’s voice in discussions on global peace, security, development, and international cooperation, while opening new avenues for strategic partnerships across the international community.