The United Nations General Assembly has elected Austria, Portugal, Kyrgyzstan, Zimbabwe, and Trinidad and Tobago to serve as non permanent members of the Security Council for the 2027–2028 term, a change that will bring a new mix of voices to the UN body responsible for overseeing the Sahara file.
The five countries will take their seats on January 1, 2027, replacing Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia, whose terms expire at the end of 2026.
Austria and Portugal secured the two seats allocated to the Western European and Others Group, while Kyrgyzstan won the Asia Pacific seat after defeating the Philippines in a four round contest. Zimbabwe and Trinidad and Tobago were elected for the African and Latin American and Caribbean groups respectively.
The Security Council is the only UN body empowered to adopt binding resolutions and remains the institution exclusively responsible for handling the Sahara issue within the UN system.
It renews the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Sahara (MINURSO) and adopts annual resolutions setting the parameters of the political process.
The new composition is unlikely to produce a major shift in the Council’s approach to the dispute, as permanent members continue to exert the greatest influence over key decisions.
Austria and Portugal support for the UN led political process and Morocco’s autonomy initiative, while Zimbabwe has historically maintained positions closer to the Polisario Front and Algeria.
Kyrgyzstan and Trinidad and Tobago have generally favored sovereignty based approaches and negotiated political solutions.
The election comes as Morocco continues to seek broader international backing for its autonomy proposal
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