Australia launches bid for UN Security Council seat from 2029

New York, United States. Australia will bid for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2029-30 term, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday. The country is competing with Finland for one of two seats allocated to the Western European and Others Group.

Campaign launch

Albanese announced the campaign while attending the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly in New York.

Australia’s most recent two-year term on the Security Council ended in 2014. Albanese said election to the body would allow Australia to help shape global responses to issues affecting Australians.

“Australia punches above our weight … and we can have an impact on the world, and that’s what I want to see Australia do,” he told reporters.

Regional support

Albanese said he expected “very strong support” from Pacific island countries and Southeast Asia. He said his strong relationships with world leaders would assist Australia’s campaign.

His comments came as a Newspoll for The Australian newspaper, released on Monday, showed his domestic approval rating had fallen to its lowest level since he won his first term in 2022.

Security Council election

Albanese said rapid developments in artificial intelligence and the effects of climate change would be among the leading global challenges by the end of the decade, making Security Council membership a national interest for Australia.

The Security Council has 10 non-permanent members, with five elected each year. Finland and Australia are nominees for the 2029-30 seat from the Western European and Others Group, while the Asia-Pacific, African, and Latin American and Caribbean groups will also nominate candidates.

Voting for non-permanent members for the 2029-30 term is expected to take place by secret ballot in 2028.

The council’s five permanent members are the United States, China, France, Russia and the United Kingdom.