Liberia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Lewis G. Brown, has held a working lunch with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and the 10 elected members of the UN Security Council at UN Headquarters in New York.
The effort aims to strengthen Liberia role at the United Nations, mainly at the security council.
According to a dispatch, the meeting came as Liberia assumes the coordinating role of both the African Three A3, and the Elected Ten (E10) members of the Security Council, placing Monrovia at the center of discussions on some of the world’s most pressing peace, and security challenges.
The engagement brought together the E10 members Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Greece, Latvia, Liberia, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia.
Of the 10 elected members, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, and Somalia make up the A3, which represents African priorities, and positions within the Security Council.
The dispatch said, Liberia’s dual coordinating responsibility has given Amb. Brown a significant convening role during a particularly active month for the Council, which is addressing conflicts, and emerging security concerns across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.
The Council’s August agenda also includes major discussions on its working methods, and the relationship between conflict, and food insecurity.
The meeting also touched on developments in Ukraine, tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, and the planned closure of the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon at the end of the year, issues that could potentially require emergency Council meetings.
At the Council’s 10,207th meeting on August 17, Amb. Brown outlined Liberia’s position on the Middle East, warning that prospects for a two-state solution are “rapidly diminishing” amid continued violence, Palestinian displacement, and settlement expansion.
Brown also referenced Liberia’s 1947 vote in support of UN General Assembly Resolution 181, which proposed the partition of Palestine, to underscore Liberia’s longstanding position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Two days later, Amb. Brown spoke on behalf of the E10 during a debate on Security Council working methods.
He called for reforms to Note S/2024/507, and urged time-bound leadership of subsidiary bodies following delays in appointing chairs of sanctions committees.
Brown also advocated greater participation by elected members in drafting Security Council resolutions, including through shared “pen holder ship,” a practice traditionally dominated by the five permanent members of the Council.
Meanwhile, the dispatch indicated that, as coordinator of the A3, Liberia is guiding African positions on several major issues before the Security Council, including Libya, South Sudan, the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and African Union-led responses to crises in the Sahel and Horn of Africa.
The A3 comprising the DRC, Liberia, and Somalia has generally emphasized political, and diplomatic solutions to conflicts, including approaches that prioritize dialogue over punitive measures such as sanctions.
Liberia’s leadership role is particularly significant ahead of December, when the country is scheduled to assume the presidency of the UN Security Council for the first time since 1961.
The working lunch with Secretary-General Guterres, and the elected members demonstrated Liberia’s intention to use its Security Council role to promote direct dialogue, coordination, and greater cooperation among elected members.
The engagement represents more than a routine diplomatic gathering. It is being viewed as part of the country’s effort to strengthen its voice at the Security Council while laying the groundwork for its historic presidency in December.
